First time playing this in ten years and every song, level and enemy is still vividly clear in my memory. It's almost sobering to come to the realisation that it's not a particularly good game as far as beat-em-ups go, but I cherish it all the same. Wonderfully charming and creative and with a momentum that only ever ends when you get stunlocked to death from an enemy's offscreen divekick or something. There are better games in this genre, but few at all with pixel art and score this lovingly made.

Scott Pilgrim vuelve luego de una desaparición de 10 años y muy a pesar de todo, aun sigue sintiéndose el cariño de todos por este ahora nostálgico (incluso se podría decir que clásico) Beat 'em Up dado por nada menos que Ubisoft.

El trabajo visual del titulo, como nuestra primera genuina impresión es un trabajo de calidad latente, habla mucho del pixel art utilizado el que aun después de tantas estéticas usando este icónico método y tantos años por detrás el atractivo visual aun conserve su encanto único de la mano de replicar el arte Bryan Lee O'Malley en un resultado final de animaciones y escenarios que jamás fallará ante ninguna prueba del tiempo.

En el núcleo de juego por otro lado, este Brawler nutre su jugabilidad fuertemente en River City Ransom dando, antes que movimientos con ciertas combinaciones de botones que consuman vida u alguna barra especial un sistema de progresión en base a experiencia conseguida al eliminar enemigos que le permite al titulo usar sistemas de items y potenciadores en las diversas tiendas que maneja, (algunas incluso ocultas) haciendo así que la progresión de su dificultad se de lujo de castigar a aquellos jugadores que ignoren sus recursos y les obligue a tener siempre presente el dinero o a comprar reservas de salud y potenciadores de Stats ya que, para los últimos niveles dicha dificultad brillá con luz propia. En resumen, no es un sistema particularmente innovador, hay habilidades que requieren cierta precisión en el control como un parry que recompensa con un potente contrataque y más dinero del usual, no obstante, Scott no ve más lejos, quedándose hasta cierto punto en una zona de confort.

Y en el apartado musical estamos por el mismo rumbo; Anamanaguchi imbuyo de un carisma tan natural un chipzel variado, que va desde las simples tonadas de rock hasta unos ritmos techno bien conseguidos que haga que incluso asociemos a Scott Pilgrim como franquicia en general a esta gran composición, variada y divertida a partes iguales.

Para concluir, es menester decir que tan peculiar Brawler más allá de ser querido únicamente por los amantes de la ip en que se basa o un segador sentimiento de nostalgia debe tomarse con esa cierta importancia histórica que tal vez inconscientemente carga consigo. No solo es uno de esos títulos de licencia que son buenos, sino que además llegó en una época donde el Beat 'em up más tradicional estaba de capa caída ante el público mayoritario. Si, antes de el estuvo Castle Crashers (2008) y no mucho después Double Dragon Neon (2012) hasta el gran resurgimiento en 2017, no obstante y antes de eso, allí estuvo el buen Pilgrim, no solo, pero si siendo uno de esos titulos modernos que permitió que más gente se adentrará al género, dotando así a un juego simplemente bueno con una importancia conjunta a otros de reavivar intereses por un olvidado estilo de juego arcade.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game has developed a cult following and an interesting history with the game being delisted for several years and now finally returning to every modern console available including PC. Haven't played it in years, I'm glad to say the game is just as good as I remembered it.

The levels here are surprisingly varied here with beginning in a snowy part of Toronto to a Zen garden of sorts. The soundtrack here done by Anamanaguchi is probably the best "8-bit" soundtrack I've heard in recent memory along with Loop Hero. Best of all, the game is just fun to play, you can do coop attacks with your friends and there's a lot of interactivity with them when you can literally pick up your fallen friend and use them as a weapon.

Only complaint is probably having to use a Ubisoft account to even play online on Switch which I feel is an odd decision. The online itself can be pretty buggy which kinda sucks because I think this game is at itS best when playing with someone.

If you're a fan of the source material here or just looking for a cool beat-em-up with an incredible soundtrack, you really can't go wrong with Scott Pilgrim.

Years ago, this game reached cult status with its frantic combat, great multiplayer, beautiful sprite animation, memorable soundtrack, and delisting from online stores. Now that it's back and I can actually play it, I get to become aware of the flaws nobody felt like telling me about apparently.

To start with something that's less of a problem and more a personal gripe, I didn't like the blocking in this game. It encouraged turtling too much while waiting for an opening, and I especially don't like enemies doing it either. It feels like enemies dictate the pacing of the combat too much. Things got better once I acquired the dodge move. Being able to reposition myself made defensive play more engaging. Parrying also feels great when I can pull it off.

It's a shame then that dodging and a lot of other moves are locked behind level progression. While this helps players learn and appreciate the moves as they get them, it means I have to work to get characters who are really fun to use. It's not bad to the extent of, say, Sonic and the Secret Rings, but a lower level-cap and more moves available at the start would have made them feel more fun more quickly. I will say, I completely understand locking grapples behind level progression, along with other guard-breaking moves.

Stat upgrades have a similar issue to level progression. Improving the characters' stats with food or items from shops is a good way to encourage players to revisit earlier stages to strengthen their character (especially if they're struggling with the current stage). It didn't stop the process from feeling like grinding though.

Every person I talk to about this game gets why the lives system sucks. I get that lives encourage consistency. The game's not going to let me struggle and flounder my way through to the credits; I have to show some level of competence. It also makes sense in the context of multiplayer, where players can revive each other and share lives. I'd be 100% fine with it if you started every level with 3 lives (or more/less depending on difficulty); however, lives carry over between levels and can only be farmed from a boss, buying overpriced items in the first level, or game overing. Needless to say this is a serious pacing killer if you enter a level with no extra lives and die midway through.

These issues are understandable, since it is a budget game made to tie in with a movie that released around the same time. Ubisoft probably rushed this game. It doesn't feel rushed in a way that it's super buggy (it's only kinda buggy), but in that issues caught in playtesting couldn't be fully addressed.

It says something then that, despite these issues, the game is still so beloved and well-remembered. And there's a reason people latched onto this game. The combat can get enjoyably hectic. Crowds of characters and enemies flood the screen. Bosses have large, flashy attacks. Up to four players, each using characters with unique special moves, can send enemies flying across the stage, coins spilling out of them as they fade away. The fact that the action still manages to be (mostly) readable is impressive.

Its readability is due to its simple, yet wonderfully animated, sprite-work. Despite the stylized proportions of the characters, their poses are clear enough to sell their attacks and reactions. And their larger heads give the characters more opportunities to show their personalities through their expressive faces.

And the game's sound. The sound effects have a satisfying, old-school level of crunch to them. The loud "KO!" shout at the end of a boss is like something out of the best fighting games. The music is brilliant blend of chip-tune and rock that suits the rest of the game so well that it feels like Anamanaguchi and Scott Pilgrim were made for each other.

This game suffered a bit from being over-hyped, as many hard-to-get games do (e.g., Sonic CD, PT, Saturn games, etc.). I'd hear clusters of fans discuss their love of the game, but the conversation never got big enough for me to hear the problems with it. I'm glad the game is widely available again, and I'm glad I got to play it myself.

It's pretty much the same game as the one on 360 and PS3, But I can actually play it now so it's worth it overall.

The only downside to this was its online multiplayer which was godawful. I don't think I've ever played an online game where I get desynced from my friends game, it's really bad.

But yeah besides that the game is perfect.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD: THE GAME REVIEW
Note: I give spoiler warnings for spoilers.

It sucks when something you devoted time to ends up being bad, even if you anticipated little from it. It's much worse to set high expectations, only for whatever it is to turn out mediocre.
I'd been looking forward to Scott Pilgrim's complete edition since the moment I found out about it. I've never read the comics, but the movie is one of my favorites; the writing is chock full of comedic genius and memorable moments, the visual effects are fun, and the characters are delightful. On top of that adoration for 'vs the World', the game has had the lost media status for years, which fascinated me further and made its re-release feel special. I rarely buy any title on launch - hell, I rarely buy them full price at all - but because of those biases, I couldn't help myself here.
Maybe that influenced my opinion a bit, too. When I do spend the money, it's because I really believe I'll enjoy something. This just didn't turn out to be a right call, unfortunately, even if it was only 15 dollars. I wanted to love it, but it lacks most of what made the movie so amazing - as well as what makes beat 'em ups fun. I suppose it's a lesson learned in setting the bar too high beforehand.
That's not to say it's all bad, of course. There's some strong direction with the art and music, which is what manages to carry the whole thing across the finish line. Still, it fails in so many other areas that it becomes difficult to recommend to anyone, even hardcore fans of the franchise as a whole.
It's important to note before going any further that the developers faced huge time constraints and budget cuts, which I absolutely believe were factors in the final product (both the main game and the DLCs.) If you take the time to examine it, it's easy to see that what we got was a skeleton of what the team really hoped to make. So many aspects are lackluster at best, and downright bad at worst - the environments, the movesets, the story, the worldbuilding. I've found reports of a lot of awesome cut content, such as mid/side bosses (Crash and the Boys, Winifred Hailey) and chase sequences (one on a beach before Roxie's fight, and one on skateboards after Lucas'.) There was even supposed to be a Montreal DLC where you could play as Envy, Lynette, and Todd.
It's honestly depressing to imagine 'what could have been' if the devs were given more freedom. There were a lot of fantastic ideas that had to be scrapped - probably more than we'll ever know about - and I'll forever wish we could've gotten THAT instead.
(Another small note, I think playthroughs are generally much more fun with the online multiplayer. However, connections are extremely unreliable. I was often dropped almost immediately. In a few other cases, I had to quit because of glitches that made it unplayable.)


SHORT REVIEW

Visuals: 4/5
Sound: 4.5/5
Story: 1.5/5
Gameplay: 2/5
Worldbuilding: 3/5
Achievements (Does not count toward overall score.): 2/5
Overall game score: 3/5


IN-DEPTH REVIEW

Visuals:
There's definitely a nice visual style here. The pixel art is charming, and it manages to retain the feel of the comics while simultaneously putting a fresh spin on it. This applies even more-so to the little story portions shown after bossfights.
Ultimately, I do think there are better-looking pixel games, but what's here is still really good. The character designs are neat, for the most part (even if that's mostly contributable to the comics.) The overworld map looks nice. The backgrounds are phenomenal. Couple all of that with the awesome animations, and you have a very solid product in this regard.
Speaking of the animations, one of my favorite parts of playing was seeing each character's unique spin on the shared attacks. Even if they're the same moveset at their core, it's fun that everyone's personalities and fighting styles were put into them.
However, that brings me to my first complaint; the Wallace and Knives DLCs are almost entirely made up of reused resources from Stephen and Kim, respectively. This leaves them with very little of their own characterization. There are occasionally reused models/animations in the base game, too - but I can excuse it more there, since it's not often immediately noticeable. It's much less forgivable when it's not only content people were originally asked to pay extra for, but it's specifically meant to be extra playable characters... and those playable characters are basically just reskinned versions of ones you already have! Thankfully, both Knives and Wallace (as well as the online mode, which was originally bundled with Wallace) come with this version. I definitely do not think it would've been worth it otherwise.
It's a pretty small complaint, but I also hate the shop screens. They seem to be designed as counter-intuitively as possible. It's very inconvenient.
My biggest issue with the visual design, though, is the strangely objectifying approach the devs took to a lot of the females. It's difficult not to notice how excessively bouncy nearly all of the women's chests are. A woman will simply move around idly, and her chest will shake with enough force to kill someone. On top of that, Ramona isn't wearing any pants for some inconceivable reason. It's reportedly her 'bikini outfit' from the comics, but even if that's true... WHY? It's wintertime in the game! She has so many cool looks they could have chosen from, but they chose the most impractical one - presumably just so they could sexualize her more!
Kim also sports a ridiculously short skirt with no tights. Way worse than this, though, is that because Knives - a 17 year old - is just a reskinned Kim, she has the "chest" issue in her victory animation. I think they could have taken the time to make one more to avoid that.
But possibly the worst fault in this regard is that Kim's special move is her kissing Knives (like they drunkenly did in the comics.) [SPOILERS] While this is a story issue and not visual, it's also notable in this discussion that Kim's ending is the two getting together. It's presumably meant as a joke, but it's still gross. [SPOILER ENDING] But most egregious is that, in the credits, game screenshots are shown with little boxes next to each character (that display both their name and a comment.) One is shown of these two kissing, and Kim's box says 'Rating: Hot!', while Knives' says '17 years old. Rating: x2 hot!' Good lord, come on, she's a minor. That's disgusting and inexcusable.
I know a lot of people will disagree with me taking such issue here, but I do! It was simultaneously very uncomfortable and very disappointing. On the whole, it's a visually striking product; it's just unfortunate that it falls into the trap of typical media misogyny.
Overall, 4/5.

Sound:
The soundtrack is undeniably one of the best things here, if not the best. Just like the art, the music fits the spirit of the comics perfectly. The 8bit tunes mixed with rock instrumentals add up to something truly wonderful; it combines the band and video game themes present throughout the entire series in a really amazing way. Not only that, but it manages to give a lot of personality to something that desperately needs it.
My only issue is that I wish there was a bit more variety. While there are memorable tracks, a few of them run together, given that they often implement identical instruments and style. Even so, they're all exceptionally good, so I can't make too big of a deal of it.
Overall, 4.5/5.

Story:
The game follows the basis of the comic's plot, except that most of the details are left out. Everything is very minimal; there's little character interaction, only a few short 'scenes', and no dialogue at all. Because of that, there's a complete lack of nearly any jokes - even visual. The game ends up missing out on most of the humor (and by extension, the characterization) that plays a huge part in other versions of Scott Pilgrim. It is absolutely detrimental to the experience as a whole.
I do like how there's a unique ending for each character. However, some of them are REALLY bad. [SPOILERS] I think it's particularly important to break down Scott's. In his, Ramona leaves him and he gets back together with his exes... Including Knives. It's implied he's only pretending to be happy, but it's still super weird.
[SPOILERS STILL] This is what I saw on my first playthrough. I had no prior knowledge of the multiple endings; I just thought this was what happened. Even after I found out, I was still appalled. This was the big moment they chose to give their protagonist? One of the most important parts of his arc - at least, in the movie - is maturing enough to realize dating Knives is wrong. They wasted 4-5 hours of my time to give me 20 seconds of this complete and utter shit.
[SPOILERS STILL] I know there will be people who defend this because it's supposed to be a non-canonical joke. However, it's difficult to take it as such when someone has no way of knowing that. I was totally unhappy with this outcome and nearly retired the game because of it. Also, the "it's a joke" excuse can only get you so far - especially when the jokes aren't even funny. The situation is treated comedically in the movie too, but it's executed well. All of the people around Scott recognize and openly acknowledge that his dating a highschooler is wrong, even if they're going about it in a funny way. The humor is at his expense, not in support of him. None of that is here at all. In fact, sexualization of Knives is treated as a good thing multiple times.
[SPOILERS STILL] I've already mentioned Kim's ending, too, and why I dislike it. Wallace's is also pretty bad, though in a different way. Each conclusion has a picture, with a few sentences summarizing what happens after you defeat Gideon... Except that they didn't give Wallace any summary at all. He only has a piece of art and nothing else. You guys really couldn't even take the time to write one more paragraph? Ugh. [SPOILER ENDING]
There are some neat moments, but only a few. If I'd never seen the movie, and only played the game, I probably would have forgotten the plot. Thankfully, the other iterations have made the story so iconic that this one is helped along slightly.
Overall, 1.5/5.

Gameplay:
The fighting itself is okay. The moves all feel pretty good, and there's a nice bit of variety even though they're all straightforward. I also love that the inputs are simplistic and easy to remember - that's a big plus for me.
When you're put up against either giant waves of enemies, or a few particularly tough ones, the game is pretty enjoyable. There's strategy involved then, and you have to be smarter about when you use specific moves. The combat was quickly ruined for me, though, when it became apparent how unbalanced everything was.
Depending on your difficulty selection, the bosses can range from 'very easy' to 'a little less easy'. The devs decided to counter-act this in the worst possible way, too. Before each boss, you are forced to play two or three levels with no breaks in between. Individual levels can take anywhere from ten to twenty minutes - sometimes even longer if it's your first time going through. As a result, you'll most likely be very low on lives by the time you get to the next ex. That means you'll most likely die to them at least once... And you'll be forced to play all of those levels over again.
[SPOILERS] This is pushed to the max in the very last stretch. You do a level, fight a boss, go through a platforming section, fight another boss, do the most difficult level in the game, then finally fight the final boss. There is only one place during all of this to replenish your health, and it's literally right before the last part. You are not given the chance to get any additional lives during any of this, either. [SPOILER END]
Also, by the time you do make it to the bosses, they generally tend to be pretty disappointing. There's no real sense of progression within most of them (minus Matthew.) They often just feel like stronger regular enemies.
I should mention that there are shops scattered throughout where you can replenish your health and willpower, even if most don't offer 1ups. Even then, though, there is no indication pointing you toward them. I honestly didn't discover there were places you could enter for a long time. I went through my entire first playthrough without knowing about or using these, except for in the shopping district (and I still only found out about those from a guide.) It's more of a visual complaint, but I think that this had such a huge effect on my enjoyment of the gameplay that it's worth mentioning here.
And still, despite that ridiculousness, the entire game becomes an absolute cakewalk once you discover the cheats - of which there are two in particular I want to discuss. The first is a sword which deals incredible amounts of ranged damage; it's difficult to turn that down after playing the same levels so many times. The second is an easy way to grind for money; once you enter the code, you die and use up one life for 50 coins. If you have a snack item onhand, that is consumed instead of a life. After maybe half an hour, you'll have at least 600 dollars. This is more than enough to unlock the most valuable shop in the game. After paying 500 to do so, you are given access to both 1ups (up to 9) and stat boosts, all for 4.95 apiece. If you max all of your stats here, you're basically unstoppable. Keep in mind that these cheats are given to you with no penalty, not even an achievement lock.
That shop is a core issue in and of itself, too. Let's say that instead of using cheats, you save up to unlock it organically... By the time you get enough, you very well could be 3/4ths of the way through the entire game, making it almost useless at that point. If you're NOT far in, it's most likely because you're struggling to progress - which is because you're not spending anything on the other stat boosts made readily available. You'll be stuck grinding in the early levels then, which will extend the game's playtime and might ruin any fun you could otherwise get from the experience.
I do like the RPG elements (such as the stats and the money system) in theory. I just don't feel like they work here, though. The grinding doesn't work because the combat is too repetitive to warrant it. The level system doesn't work because the progression is awful (I was level 12/16 before I beat the first boss in my last playthrough, keeping in mind that I replayed the first world a few times.) The stats don't work because they'll make you overpowered with only a few purchases. Everything is just poorly thought out in my eyes. It's all individual factors that add up to the entire game feeling unbalanced.
That's not to say that the RPG stuff should've been cut. I think the game would be much more bland without them. I just wish more time had went into making them actually good.
By my last playthrough, I had to make my own fun by denying myself cheats and trying to play in a way that was optimized to the mechanics. Even then, there were points where I'd feel like I was cheating only by using the tools readily available to me. I'd beat down a boss with a weapon and think to myself," This is too easy, I'm getting in a million hits right now," and I'd end up throwing the weapon away to try to make it an equal fight. That's how you know you've failed on a fundamental level.
On top of all of that, there's really no point in there being such a wide array of playable characters here. As I've briefly mentioned, all of them have identical movesets, minus one or two special attacks. The unique animations can only get you so far - especially when your DLC characters largely don't have even that. This really hurts the replay value for me.
I do like how a lot of the enemies have their own unique attacks. I didn't even notice that until one of my later playthroughs. For example, one enemy does a chicken taunt which drains your willpower. Another is a thief who knocks some of your money out of you. That's cool.
There is some solid foundation in all of this. However, all of it together just doesn't add up to great gameplay. Nothing fits like it should. While it can be fun at times, the wheels start to fall off at some point or another. I think I could see myself picking this up and enjoying it for about 20 minutes every few months. I probably won't be coming back to it for any extended amount of time, though.
Overall, 2/5.

Worldbuilding:
There is often a distinct void of personality here. A lot of the fun fantasy aspects of Scott Pilgrim's world are kind of shrugged off; the loss of the plot and humor are both big factors in this. I still think they could have done more in the worldbuilding though, even without either of those things.
There is some pretty nice environmental design. The locations are great, in big part thanks to the art and music.
There's quite a bit of references to other video games, too. While I don't think taking stuff from other things makes your thing good, it is undeniably fun to see - and it fits Scott Pilgrim really well.
One other cool thing is that a lot of the background NPCs are characters from the comics. As someone who's only seen the movie, I was still able to recognize a few of them. It's a neat little way to fit in people who would have been completely sidelined otherwise.
Overall, 3/5.

Extra Category - Achievements:
I had trouble with achievements glitching out. It happened at least two or three times.
I don't think most of them are that good, or add much to your playthroughs. I dunno, it's not really worth it in my eyes. It just made me stick with the game for a lot longer than I really wanted to.
Overall, 2/5.

Overall game score: 3/5. Scott Pilgrim has great art and music, but fails in nearly every other area. The combat can be fun, but it's ruined by balance issues. The story and worldbuilding are completely lacking, which is a huge disappointment. Time and budget constraints turned what could have been a fantastic game into an average one. I think nostalgia has really blinded people here.

A very solid classic style beat-em-up. It's no game-changer in terms of gameplay but is a very enjoyable little romp that, in my opinion, is best enjoyed with other people (not that you can't enjoy also it alone of course.) What really sets the game apart is the gorgeous pixel art that perfectly replicates the charm and style of O'Malley's comics, as well as the absolutely kickass soundtrack performed by the chiptune-rock band Anamanaguchi. Whether you're a fan of Scott Pilgrim or just want a new game to play through with friends during these times, this game is definitely worth checking out.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go empty my wallet on that physical edition.

Back around when this game first came out, It was right around the time I first got my 360. I was just starting middle school and downloaded the demo. I remember playing the Demo that was just the first area over and over. But I think by the time I had the disposable income and decided I wanted too play the whole thing, it was just delisted. I was really annoyed but kept my demo on my 360 so I could just keep playing that first stage. I kept holding out hope over the years that they would re release it because I loved the visuals, the soundtrack (or at least Another Winter, since thats all I could really listen to) and was just one of my first experiences with a beat em up. Was so happy when they finally announced the re release and actually bought it twice (accidentally though), digitally and physically on Switch. I waited until my physical came in though to play through and this game is a testament to why physical games are so important. (On a side note, the day this game got released digitally, I think Ubisoft delisted the version of Uno I bought on Switch. Ironic.) As for the game itself, theres so much effort poured into this tie in game, I cant really think of another movie tie in game that matches its level of quality. I played as Knives on this play through. The soundtrack is definitely the highlight, along with the insane amount of varied, high quality, colorful pixel art. Moving around can be pretty clunky though, picking up items is so obnoxious, and the starting difficulty curve is definitely noticeable. But once your a few levels in its not too bad. Overall, pretty great package, definitely buy it physically if you still can. BUT, one thing I DESPISE about this “complete edition” is that Wallace and Knives aren't on the cart??? You need to connect to Ubisoft Connect to unlock them?? So 20 years from now, when those servers will probably have been shut down. If somebody new wants to try the game, there forever locked out of that content because of dumb Ubisoft Connect?? Out of ALL the games to pull this with. I hate you, Ubisoft.