Scott Pilgrim vs the World review

If you liked Castle Crashers, you will probably love Scott Pilgrim vs the World.

Here is a random screen shot of the game I found on Flickr.  Scott Pilgrim vs the World is a side scoller arcade style beat'em up game

In a previous post I made, I started playing through Scott Pilgrim vs the World, and already beat the game at least once (with my first character of choice being Scott, after all he is the main protaganist), and would be happy to share with you what I know about the game.

Story:

The game is based on the movie/book where Scott develops a crush on a girl he meets named, Ramona, and he decides to start dating her (ending a former relationship he had with Knives).   However, Ramona's 7 evil ex boyfriends don't like the relationship between her and Scott, and it is up to Scott, along with his sidekicks, Kim Pine, Stephen Stills, Knives Chau, and even Ramona her self to battle through 7 unique levels and defeat all 7 of Ramona's evil ex boyfriends (which make up the official boss fights for this game, with Gideon being the final boss of the game) along with the hordes of interesting cronies they send after the protaganists.  There are plenty of pixelated clipscenes too, usually with Scott making love with Ramona between levels, as well as other events that take place.  Note: I haven't seen the movie nor read the book yet, so I wouldn't know much about the movie version of this game, so I wouldn't be able to make any comparisons between the game and the movie version.

Things I liked about Scott Pilgrim vs the World:

• I liked the arcade style game play (similar to games like X-men, Castle Crashers, Ninja Turtles, etc)
• Lots of special moves you can acquire
• The leveling up system is great.  Allows your character to get stronger and stronger, which is pretty useful to have as you play through the game as the levels do get progressively harder as you play through the game. 
• Lots of colorful levels.  The first level has you playing in suburban landscape of Toronto, Ontario (I've never been to Toronto myself, so I wouldn't know how accurate the picture is from the game).  I've doing a replay through the game, this time playing through the game as Kim (yes, I am playing through the game in order, starting with Scott, and ending with Ramona, and Kim is the second player I decided to play as).
• High replay value, especially if you want to play the game as the other characters as well, though the story doesn't seem to change too much on the other characters.
• Epic boss battles.  Yes you will face a good number of boss fights through the game, mostly in the form of the 7 ex boyfriends that Scott and his comrades are up against, each with their own unique characters, strenghs and weakenesses.  By the way, the bosses don't have health bars as you would find in Castle Crashers, the bosses do start flashing (similar to the ones in X-men and Ninja Turtles) when their health meter runs low.  By the way, the higher your level is, the easier it will be to take them out.
• Like Castle Crashers, you can either go solo or play with up to 4 of your buddies.  I've been going solo myself, but it seems to be fun on 4 player too.  By the way, if you think the game is too easy, you can always crank up the difficulty level to the game more challenging. 

Things I didn't like about Scott Pilgrim vs the World:

• The game is a bit short.  The game is only 8 levels long, and you could proably beat the game within a few sittings (you probably won't be able to beat the whole game in one shot since the levels are usually long, but you could probably beat the game within a few days).  On the positive note, you will probably want to play through the game several times as the other characters as well.
• Some of the moves can be tricky to master.  For example, when you use the "counter" move that you can acquire as you level up, the timing can be pretty tricky.  It is a powerful move of course as you can easily devastate enemies and bosses that way when performed correctly, but you are bound to miss a bunch of times and take a good beating when you do miss. 
• Some of the enemies do get repetitive as you will find yourself facing hordes of look alike enemies in the levels.
• Some of the special attacks could be more useful.  For example, if you play as Kim, her special "attack" is to summon some girl (probably Knives), kiss her and gain 15 health points (similar to the King's heal move in Castle Crashers).  In Scott's mode, sometimes you can get more powerful special attacks, but they happen at random.  The best special attack I found is the one when you press the RB button and your guy does a radial attack (such as Kim's spin kick attack). 

Anyways, despide the short comings, Scott Pilgrim vs the world is a pretty fun arcade style game, and this game is bound to be popular among people who liked Castle Crashers as it does have a similar feel to it. 

Fun things you can do in Scott Pilgrim:
- Some levels have special stages you can visit and earn easy coins and power ups.  Sometimes they allow you to skip difficult parts of a level (for example, in level 1, you will be able to bypass the "snowball" fight section if you take the first special stage that you can enter through a hidden doorway).
- Playing the game "Battletoads Style".  One thing you can do on multiplayer mode is to turn on the "friendly fire mode" and if you get tired of fighting bad guys and want to mess around, you can always turn on each other and beat up your buddies.  By the way, if you play as a high level character and your buddy plays as a low level character (for example, I play as Scott at level 16, and you play as Stephen at level 1), your high level character will have an unfair advantage over the other and can easily take out the lower level players.  Did that once myself, playing as Scott (level 16) and having another player play as Kim (level 1) and even one hit on her is brutal on her health.  Even a counter attack proved to be instant death for her too as I found out.  Anyways, it does make the game funner.  Note: if you are trying to beat the game, I recommend you leave "friendly fire" mode off, otherwises if your buddy gets in your way as you beat up bad guys, he or she may take the brunt of the attack as well. 
- Revisiting previous levels.  In Scott Pilgrim vs the World, if you want, you can always revisit levels you were at previously and not only level up more, but do things you couldn't do the first time.  I find playing through level one more than once pretty fun to do.  By the way, as your character makes more money, he/she can buy more expensive items, such as paying "Scott's Late fees" and unlocking some hidden powerups (such as extra lives) that you can buy later.  Also, early level bosses get progressively easier to take out on replays too, usually taking less hits to defeat than they did when you faced them the first time.

Tips and tricks for playing Scott Pilgrim:
- be sure to save up money your character earns as he/she can use it to buy food (replinishes your health, gut points, etc), powerups (such as items that raise your defenses, level, etc), as well as other useful items.
- Be sure to take advantage of moves you unlock as you level up, as the make fighting foes much easier.
- Try to master the art of "countering", especially when facing tough enemies.  If you get their pattern down, you can block their attacks more easily and unleash devestating attacks on them.
- It is helpful to have lots of lives on hand when facing tough boss fights and long levels (especially when you face Gideon, which comes in the form of 3 different boss fights as well as areas that seprate the 3 boss fights).
-  If it is your first time playing through the game, or find the game to be too difficult, I recommend you play the game on the "Average Joe mode" (the easiest mode in the game).  Playing on the harder modes is recommended for more experienced players unless if you want an extra challenge when playing the game.
- Take advantage of items you can use as weapons, such as brooms, swords, etc as they are pretty useful when it comes to tougher enemies, as well when faced with hordes.
- Don't be afraid to use the special attacks when needed, such as the radial attack move your guy has when surrounded by enemies.
- Some levels are much easier played on 2+ player mode (such as the Bus/Japanese garden level). 
- Be sure to buy items like CD's, books, wristbands, etc if you can afford them as they help your character's stats greatly, and can also help you to level up more.
- Most bosses have patterns to them, and can be easy to master (similar to boss fights in most Mega Man games).

Thinking about getting Scott Pilgrim vs the World?  You can buy and download it on Xbox Live.  If you don't have Xbox Live Points, you can always either buy them on Xbox live or get the game cards you can find either online or in stores.

By the way, need Xbox live points, here is a 4000 point card I found at Amazon you might like:
 

  

New Super Mario Bros Wii Death Montage - World 1

You know, I recently bought New Super Mario Bros Wii for the Nintendo Wii and learned that there are lots of ways Mario, Luigi and Toad can die in this game.  In this video, I shared above, it showcases some hillarious ways Mario and his buddies can lose.  By the way, I found that the game is much easier on one or 2 player mode over 4 player mode, though 4 player mode can be much more humorous. By the way, you know what is interesting about this video is that all of the deaths seem to take place in World 1, and the game does get progressively tougher as you advance each world, with worlds 7 and 8 being the toughest.  It will be interesting to see if the players in this video make it all the way to the end (btw, I beat the final boss myself).

Top ten funny things you can do on Red Dead Redemption

In case if you don't know, I've been doing a replay through Red Dead Redemption, this time as an outlaw (the first time through John Marston was more of a good guy), and I have found some pretty funny stuff you can do.  By the way, I shared some youtube videos about people doing these funny stuff.  I hope you like the twisted humor in this blog post.


1. Robbing random people.  If you want extra money in the game and want to cause some trouble, you can always use your weapons (like your pistol) to try and extort money from unsuspecting citizens. Of course, some citizens will try to resist and may even report you to law officrs.


2.  Bribing people - sometimes when John Marston commits crimes, not only can he bribe witnesses, but he can also bribe the police officers, which can allow John to get away with a good multitude of crimes.  Of course, it does take a good toll on his honor ratings.


3) Fighting hordes of cougars -  If you have been playing in the multiplayer mode, I found a glitch in Tall Trees where if you go near a cabin, your guy will be attacked by packs of hungry cougers, and one hit can prove to be fatal for John Marston.  Also, whenever you set up bait to try and catch random animals, sometimes cougars will come out and attack you.  Pretty funny.


4) Going on an arson spree.  While John is on the Mexico missions, he acquires motogav cocktails that he can through and cause fires.  Nothing is funnier than going through towns in the game, throwing the motogov cocktails at random places and having the villiagers going screaming.  It is also funny when that move backfires too as you hear John screaming whenever he gets hit by the fires he starts.



5) Playing with dynamite.  You can also get dynamite on the Mexico missions as well, and it is all to tempting to throw them at random people or even cook the dynamites (where they explode in John Martson's hand) if you are trigger happy.


6) Kidnapping people and running around with them.  When John Marston acquires the lasso, he can hogtie random people and do as he pleases.  Of course, if you do that move in towns, cops are bound to come after John.  By the way, you can always execute your victims too (by the way, if they get hit by trains, you get the "dastardly" achievement).


7) Jumping off cliffs.  Nothing is funnier than having John Marston jump off a huge cliff out in the middle of the desert.  By the way, John can't swim, so if he goes in the water, he is toast.


8) Suicide by wolves.  Perhaps the most annoying animal enemies in the game are wolves.  They like to chase after you in packs and bark.  Of course, they can easily be killed by a shooting them with bullets.  Of course, if you want to be funny, you can let John Marston become a martyr.


9) Trying to cheat at poker.  Yes, if you have the "elegant suit" you can try to cheat at poker.  Of course, more often than not, your fellow poker players will catch you cheating and challenge you to a duell.  Win the duell, you cna loot him/her and lose some honor points. Of course, if you lose, it's game over.


10) Going on rampages.  Want to make things interesting?  You can always pull out your trusty gun and start shooting at random people, animals, etc.  Of course, your wanted meter is bound to go up, leading you into countless battles with cops, marshalls, etc and they do get tougher as your bounty goes up.  By the way, you can always surrender and watch John spend a few nights in jail (pretty funny).
 Have you had any funny moments in Red Dead Redemption?

Fan made : Gta IV : Grand Theft Auto 4 the Movie

Started a game on Scott Pilgrim vs the world

Hey guys, I thought that I would share with you all that I have downloaded my copy of Scott Pilgrim vs The world via Xbox live yesterday and started playing through the game (in fact, I have already beaten the first 3 levels in the game).  Here is a gameplay video I found on youtube that shows off the first level in the game.


Scott Pilgrim vs the world is pretty similar to Castle Crashers (assuming you are familiar with that game), where it is an arcade style beat em' up (similar to X-men, Simpsons, Ninja Turtles, etc) game where you play as either Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers, Stephen Shields, or Kim Pines in their quest to defeat Ramona's 7 evil boyfriends in hopes of Scott winning Ramona's heart.  In the game, you will go through at least 7 colorful levels that you get to via the map and go through endless waves of thugs, monsters, and even many epic boss battles along the way, and like Castle Crashers, your characters level up and you get more moves, health and powers along the way (in Scott Pilgrim, the game assigns the new abilities and powers for you, saving you from having to decide where to allocate your level up points).   Personally, I decided to play through the game in order, starting with Scott, and then playing as the other characters as I go along. 

Foods for thought:

1) I have never seen the movie, nor red the books, so I don't have a clue on the storyline of the game.  Perhaps once I have beaten the game, I will go to Blockbuster or rent the movie on comcast on demand.

2) Can't you imagine the insanity of Scott's mission?  He meets a girl he likes (Ramona) and when he tries to make a move on her, she asks him to beat up all 7 of her ex boyfriends as a condition of them going out.  Reminds me a bit in games like Grand Theft Auto 4, Bully Scholarship Edition, and Red Dead Redemption, where the game's protaganist pretty much becomes an errands boy for others, doing their dirty work (in Scott's case, he pretty much has to go out and beat up all of Ramona's former boyfriends).  Imagine you were in Scott's situation (from a guy's perspective of course), and you start crushing some lady you meet at your school, and when you do get the guts to make your moves on her (if you know what I mean), she asks you to go around and beat up her exes before she can go out with you, would you do it?  Personally, I am not sure if I would or not as I doubt I would be able to take on all of them.  What would you do if you were in that situation?

That is all for now.  I will post a review about this game after I have beaten it as all 4 characters.

Red Dead Redemption - Top 8 Ways to Kill Yourself

Here is a video I stumbled across on Youtube about John Martson killing himself on Red Dead Redemption. Pretty funny video if you ask me.


Are there some funny deaths you have seen in the game?

Information about Mega Man 9 Part 1

Watch a short gameplay video about the game:


Do you remember the good ol days back in the 80's (long before the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and the PS3 came to the scene), when the classic NES system was a major hit and you got all of those classic old school games, such as Mario Bros, Mario 3, Mega Man 2, the classic Contra game, and so fourth?  Mega Man 9 (and later Mega Man 10) bascially brings back the 1980's style look to the Mega Man series (despite the 3 game gap where the games had the next gen graphic, such as Mega Man 7, Mega Man & Bass, as well as Mega Man 8) and has a Mega Man 2 feel to it. 
Storyline:

The game takes place sometime after events of Mega Man 8, and this time, evil robots are appearing all over the world with the goal of global domination, and this time, Dr Light is implicated in the plot (yes, this is another one of the games wher Dr Wily uses someone else as a cover in his evil schemes), while Dr Wily acts like he is innocent.  It is up to Mega Man to stop Dr Wily's schemes and save the day once again as well as clear Dr Light's name.  In the Xbox 360 verison, you play as Mega Man by default, though it appears that there are expansion packs you can download that lets you play as Protoman (which becomes mainstream in Mega Man 10).

Characters:

Mega Man - this is the series' protaganist.  He was created by Dr Light and is out to stop Dr Wily's latest schemes and save the day once again.  In Mega Man 9, suspects Dr Light's innocence when his robot masters go corrupt and aims to get to the bottom of the mystery.  Of course, we all know that Dr Wily is behind the latest events as always (a bit deja vuish of Mega Mans 4-6, where Wily uses someone else as his cover).

Dr Light - he is Mega Man's creator, along with Roll, Protoman, Rush, etc.  In Mega Man 9, he is being framed for creating robots that try to take over the world

Dr Wily - Wily is the series' antagonist and aims to take over the world, and comes up with more and more devious plans as the series progresses, only to be stopped by Mega Man once again.  It's even gotten to the point where Mega Man has even threatened Dr Wily for his continuous attempts at world domination, though understandably, Mega Man has yet to follow through on his threats to kill Dr Wily (the death of Dr Wily would probably spell the end of the classic Mega Man series).   Countless times, Dr Wily has created one schem after another, only to have it fail miserably.  He has even created a high level cronie named Bass (and later on, Zero who ironically becomes X's closest ally in the Mega Man X series) to try and kill Mega Man as well, but even Bass has yet to defeat Mega Man as well. In Mega Man 9, Dr Wily initially stands in the sidelines as Dr Light is implicated in the latest batch of robot masters that aim at world domination, though in reality Dr Wily is behind the latest scheme (he pretty much bribed the robot masters to joining his side).

Protoman - he is basically Mega Man's brother and one of his closest allies.  At one time, Protoman was more of a neutral character (and prior to Mega Man 4, he seemed to have some ties to Dr Wily, though those ties were severed in Mega Man 5 when Wily tries to frame Protoman).

Rush, Roll and the Mechanic Robot (not sure what his name is) - these are the support characters in the game.  Roll is basically Mega Man's sister, though she seems to have a crush on Mega Man.  Rush is Mega Man's dog and aids him in his missions.  The Mechanic Robot sells Mega Man the supplies and parts he needs (such as upgrades, powerups, extra lives, e tanks, etc).

This article is too long to do in one post, so be sure to stay tuned for part 2, where I give the full review of hte game.