Hands On With Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game

Scott Pilgrim fever is heating up!  We are less than a month away from the release of the final book in the series; Scott Pilgrim's FInest Hour.  With the film adaptation edging ever-closer to movie theatres, a great new international trailer is out.  And this week's E3 conferences has brought more news of the Scott Pilgrim video game.  Last night in downtown Los Angeles, fans outside of E3 were able to get their hands on the upcoming PlayStation Network game Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game, and I was there for the house party-style fun.

The game itself is pure fun in all its button-mashing glory.  Not overly fancy, it harkens back to the games I played on Nintendo as a young child of the late '80s.  Only the first level was available to play during the party last night, but it was enough for my friend and I to battle as Scott and Stephen Stills as we fought through hipsters, paparazzi, and demon girls to get to Evil Ex #1, Matthew Patel.  Level ups and new combos are unlocked as you progress, and make sure to grab the coins that pop up as your enemies fall, they will be useful later.  The level even included a fun little trip to subspace, with easter eggs for fans of the sometimes frustrating Nintendo experience.  It was a fun tease, and I definitely look forward to the full game, complete with the Anamanaguchi soundtrack in effect.

Here's a look at the game's trailer, courtesy of IGN.com:

In addition to throngs of gamers and Scott pilgrim fans, there were some special guests floating around the party.  Bryan Lee O'Malley and his wife Hope Larson were in attendence, as well as actors from the film like Mark Webber (Stephen Stills), Johnny Simmons (Young Neil), and Nelson Franklin (Comeau).  I did see both O'Malley and Webber pcik up the controllers at points throughout the night, and yes, Webber played as Stills if you were wondering.

As far as parties go, this one wasn't bad at all, especially as the atomosphere relaxed after the end of the climatic Lakers/Celtics game which was projected in the middle of the party.  A buffet of beer kegs as you entered signalled they had the right idea.  Sofas and comfy chairs surrounded televisions with the video game and screens showing the various trailers for the film, and stacks of Scott Pilgrim Cubecraft paper dolls were around for those that were feeling crafty.

The game is slated for release over the PlayStation Network on August 10th, and I heard rumors it would not be long behind on Xbox Live.