RetroGrade: Scott Pilgrim vs The World (PSN)

[dsheinem]

So I downloaded this and played through the first level and a chunk of the second last night. I wouldn't give it an "A" yet - but there are some things I definitely liked:

Good:
-Look. The sprite art is quite nice, and while it doesn't really resemble any other game's sprites (no 8 or 16-bit system could have put these sprites out and 32-bit sprites were more polished), it certainly adds to the retro feel.

-RPG elements. The idea of shops in a brawler adds a small bit of strategy and it is implemented better than it is in something like Castle Crashers. The leveling system seems like the game will get more interesting the more I push on.

-A coherent world. The settings and characters all seem to fit together well, and even though I am not familiar with the comic or movie, it feels like a quirky and groovy place to kick ass.


Not so good:
-Bugs. Bugs are disgracefully a problem with almost every game any more, and this one is no different. In addition to the bugs 7k mentioned, I found that there was some pixel "clipping" that sometimes made it hard to tell if I was on the ground/floating/lined up with the person I was trying to hit - a sin for a brawler.

-Music. I like the songs I've heard, but so far the music is extremely repetitive and similar from one stage/part of a stage to the next. I hope it changes up more as I go...

-RPG elements. Like I said above, I like the shops and the leveling system shows promise of a better game...but as much as they add an interesting twist, I am not a fan of leveling up in brawlers. None of the great ones really had a leveling system, and it seems like it is introduced just to superficially make the game last longer and be more challenging. You are gimped at the beginning and have to do the equivalent of grinding in order to start to be able to do anything interesting and dole out much damage. I wish this trend would die.


Anyway, these are just some initial impressions. At this point I'd give the game a B/B- but it could easily go up or down depending on what I get from the rest of the experience.

[Flak Beard]

Nice review!

Saw the movie over the weekend and enjoyed it very much. It was fun picking out all the game references they put in the film. I'm looking forward to playing this game as well, just waiting for it to hit XBLA.

[RadarScope1]

I'd prefer to buy this on XBLA. Just waiting to see if the price is higher there. If it is, I'll get the PSN version.

Nice review! Seems great for what it is.

[Gamerforlife]

Been playing it for the last half hour or so

The graphics are fantastic. It's definitely on the same level as Castle Crashers if not better.

I get why some reviewers are complaining. The enemy AI is cheap and aggressive right from the get go. This really feels like a throw back to arcade beat'em ups. The difficulty doesn't bother me, but starting the game with no moves and going up against aggressive cheap enemies is an easy way to turn people off. Castle Crashers was more accessible

On the plus side, I love the juggle system. I hit one guy one hundred times before I let him hit the ground. I like that there's tons of weapons and using them really makes a difference. Some other interesting things, Scott seems to be able to get a second wind when his health drops to nothing which is cool and I like the ability to quickly hop up or down the screen, sort of like when you switched plains in guardian heroes

The music is cool. I was already checking out some of Anamanaguchi's tunes before this came out and it's 8-bit chiptunes done right. They probably could have gone with something more modern given that the graphics feels far above an 8-bit title, but I don't mind. It's appropriately retro and catchy, but from what I've played so far I wouldn't rank it up there with some of the amazing stuff I've heard in Castle Crashers or the ultra catchy tunes in Dishwasher Dead Samurai, but there's still plenty of game left for me to play so I may change my mind

Love the the retro references like how the world map immediately makes me think of old Mario games. That's easily got to be the coolest thing about the game, and probably the movie too, all the gaming references

I can already tell they didn't mess around with this one, the game is challenging and I already feel like every new move I unlock is going to be a difference maker. This one's for the hardcore. Overally, I like it. The difficulty gives it some replay value as I've already been restarting each time I die so I can learn the gameplay mechanics and enemy strategies properly

[Gamerforlife]

Oh, and I should add I'm playing on the rough and tough difficulty. I've too much pride to play on the lowest setting

[the7k]

Heh, yeah - I started on Rough & Tough myself.

Also, as for getting back up after hitting zero health - that's due to your Guts Points. When you lose all your health, you'll use up your Guts Points to resurrect yourself at roughly 2 GP = 1 HP. Also, if you buy a food item 'to go', it'll be your snack (denoted by a Plus sign next to your health). Once you reach zero health with a snack, you'll use the snack to resurrect yourself without losing GP. Using this to your advantage can effectively give you two chances to die and not suffer losing a life.

That said, I won't deny that I got the gameover screen plenty of times my first time through the game.

I'd personally recommend using Kim Pine for your first playthrough. Her Knives striker makes her perfect for new players. It gives you back 15 HP for 7 GP, you are invincible as soon as Knives appears, and it'll stun any enemies on the screen as they become either very shocked or start holding their crotches as soon as they see Kim and Knives making out.

Oh yeah, there's also that about the striker - Knives and Kim making out. You even see them using their tongues. Awesome.

[lisalover1]

The game got way easier when I realized that buying items in shops improved your stats. Now I actually have a chance on stage 3!

I love how this game takes all the best elements from other Beat-Em'-Ups, and puts them all together. We have stage hazards [Vehicles, Pits, Screen-Scrolling Segments, etc.], which are in several games, the Strikes from Streets of Rage, the RPG elements from River City Ransom, and 4-player co-op, which is also in several other games, but it's great that they included it. This is what happens when actual gamers make a game!

[Gamerforlife]

Heh, yeah - I started on Rough & Tough myself.

Also, as for getting back up after hitting zero health - that's due to your Guts Points. When you lose all your health, you'll use up your Guts Points to resurrect yourself at roughly 2 GP = 1 HP. Also, if you buy a food item 'to go', it'll be your snack (denoted by a Plus sign next to your health). Once you reach zero health with a snack, you'll use the snack to resurrect yourself without losing GP. Using this to your advantage can effectively give you two chances to die and not suffer losing a life.

That said, I won't deny that I got the gameover screen plenty of times my first time through the game.

I'd personally recommend using Kim Pine for your first playthrough. Her Knives striker makes her perfect for new players. It gives you back 15 HP for 7 GP, you are invincible as soon as Knives appears, and it'll stun any enemies on the screen as they become either very shocked or start holding their crotches as soon as they see Kim and Knives making out.

Oh yeah, there's also that about the striker - Knives and Kim making out. You even see them using their tongues. Awesome.

Yeah, after being humbled I finally checked out the help section and I understand how gut points work now. I'll try Kim Pine out as this game is already kicking my ass pretty hard. This game has pretty good AI and the enemies don't mind blocking incessantly

[dsheinem]

Oh yeah, there's also that about the striker - Knives and Kim making out. You even see them using their tongues. Awesome.

Now I know why you gave this game an A.

[lisalover1]

Oh yeah, there's also that about the striker - Knives and Kim making out. You even see them using their tongues. Awesome.

Now I know why you gave this game an A.

I was never able to get the knives striker when using Kim. All I ever got to work is the kiss. Do you get the knives and the "Love" smoke cloud striker for Kim when you level up?