Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game

So I picked this game up on PSN the other day (XBLA version is out in a few weeks) and played the first couple of levels. My impressions so far?

It's sweet. How sweet? Hella. This is a really fun side-scrolling brawler that borrows tons from River City Ransom and other NES games, yet somehow feels very fresh and unique. You level up and learn new moves, and buy upgrades and health foods in stores. There's 4 player co-op, but sadly no online play.

It may be a movie tie-in game, but it has much more to do with the Scott Pilgrim comic. There are tons of references and characters here that probably won't show up in the movie. I loved seeing all the places from the comics in their pixellated glory. If you never read the comic, or aren't a fan then you will probably miss out on a lot of the cool little details to be found here. However there's more than enough here to keep anyone satisfied.

Like I said before, the gameplay is classic 4 player style beat em up. If you liked X-Men, The Simpsons, or Turtles in Time in the arcades then you will get a big kick out of this game. Everything about the presentation has tons of old school charm. The graphics, animations, music, and menus all bring back memories of a simpler time.

Know what else? This game is freaking HARD. Like a good NES game should be. If it was in the arcades, it would eat your quarters so fast you'd be doing your laundry in the sink. Just like old school beat em ups, it can be really frustrating at times. Enemies will knock you and juggle you back and forth. There's a block button but it seems useless as guys will usually wait till the second you stop blocking to attack. I don't mind hard games but this feels a little cheap.

If you're interested in the game, you owe it to yourself to try the demo on PSN. It's actually pretty long and gives a good idea of what the game is like. Personally I think 10 bucks is a steal for this much entertainment.