Head Games: Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Get the hot girl. Defeat her evil exes. Hit love where it hurts.

Despite its poor box office earnings I found Scott Pilgrim vs The World to be a really entertaining and fun film that, seemed to possess the necessary mix of glammed-out special effects and fight sequences while maintaining some solid storytelling and characterization. Having since taken my daughter to see the film she's been devouring the original graphic novels as well as expressing an interest in playing the appropriately titled video game tie-in, Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Video Game. I have to say, much like the film, it's tons of retro-inspired fun.

A somewhat separate (but familiar) storyline than either the books or the film adaptation, Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Video Game is a cleverly constructed homage to many of the greatest 8-bit games of my misspent youth sitting in front of a Super Nintendo. Everything from all 3 Mario Bros. games to Sonic the Hedgehog is referenced here from its beat'em-up style of gameplay to the different ways in which each character exits the level.

Speaking of characters, the game allows up to 4 players take control of the main cast: Scott, Ramona, Kim and Stills as they try to take on Ramona's 7 Evil Exes. Each character possesses special moves and fighting styles that are unique to them, though playing as a different character doesn't necessarily affect the overall gameplay too much. Scott does seem to be one of the strongest characters, but not for any specific reason. Power-ups and health items can be purchased along the way and are definitely key to completing the game solo, even on the game's easiest difficulty setting. This is perhaps most evident during boss fights which, more often than not, require players to replay older levels so that they can stock up on enough cash to purchase power-ups before re-trying. By far, Envy's vegan beau, Todd, and final boss Gideon are the toughest of the bunch with players tasked with defeating Gideon no less than 4 times in a single playthough before beating the game's final few stages.



The replay factor is pretty strong as well with a few bonus unlockables such as extra characters Mr. Chau and "NegaScott" being extra characters. There's also a "blood mode" which doesn't really change the game that much. On the other hand, the Survival Horror unlockable stage is a fun way to mix zombies and endless hours of fun seeing if you can topple the online gaming kings for the top score. Of course, I didn't even come close, but it's still a fun way to add some replay value. The score and visual style of the game also add a lot to the fun of replaying the game with the feeling that you're reliving the "golden age" of gaming in which 8-bit was king, Tang was the shit and Hulk Hogan was someone you wanted your children to be like.

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