Noir Reviews: A Game Based on a Book that is also a Movie.

The game under the knife today is Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: the Game

I put down my ten bucks on this game last Tuesday, and I've been hooked on it like an addict is hooked on street pharmaceuticals. This game takes me back to the good old days when games just wanted you to walk from left to right, kicking the ever-loving snot out of anybody and anything that gets in your way. The game is pretty strongly reminiscent of River City Ransom in particular, an NES game that was near and dear to my heart.

The gameplay is pretty much as I described the other beat em' ups. Walk from left to right, and kick the crap out of everything, from paparazzi to emo kids. Enemies drop coins, which can be used to buy items that restore life, or offer all sorts of boosts to your stats. You can choose one of four characters from the outset,and as you cripple fools, those characters will level up, learning new moves along the way. Everything about the game oozes old-school, right down to cheap rushes by hordes of enemies. Prepare to spend a good amount of time replaying stages to save up enough coin to improve your characters, because the ride is a bumpy one.

Now, I know a lot of reviewers have a fit about the game not having online multiplayer, or drop in drop out co-op, but I'm a lonely soul who doesn't give a whit about multiplayer, and the game definitely sees fit to punish my ass for attempting to go solo. Some levels are just absolutely infested with enemies, and you get to enjoy watching your character get bounced around like a volleyball. The game is hard. Not impossible by any means, but hard enough to frustrate a lot of people who didn't grow up playing games that hurt their feelings. The game is a throwback to a fondly remembered era, and there are even tons of references to a lot of those old games as you play.

As for the plot of the game, read the damned graphic novels, or go see the movie. I'm not a damned storyteller. All I'll say is there are 7 evil ex-boyfriends, and they all need to have their asses kicked. I was only vaguely aware of the books before I played the game, and after reading the first volume, I can say the game is a nice companion, and playing it first won't ruin your ability to enjoy the books. Go buy them. Support artists and books. Read for once.

So obviously, I love this game. I'm listening to the game's soundtrack as I type this. The soundtrack is flat-out amazing, with songs by Anamanaguchi, some artists I knew nothing about before this game came out. Needless to say, if you love old school game music, this game's soundtrack is astounding, and it really helps to make the game a winning package.

For those who like numbers, I'd rate this game as a 9/10. A point gets taken off for some mildly stiff controls, and some aggravating cheap shots, but otherwise, this is one of the best, if not the best, game I've played all year. Suck on that first person shooters and sports games. Suck on that.