You might be hearing a whispering right now that Scott Pilgrim is back. Social media is ablaze with people talking about it after years of silence. The reason being this online susuration is that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is back after years of being unavailable. After long, long years of being unable to play or get their hands on the game, fans are finally able to play this marvellous beat ‘em up again.
Scott Pilgrim has a long history through several different mediums, so in honour of the game getting a brand new release, let’s take a trip through time and look at the history of Scott Pilgrim.
Scott Pilgrim
The whole series started in the head of Canadian comic book author and artist Brian Lee O’Malley. This six-part graphic novel series tells the story of Scott Pilgrim; slacker, musician, and walking disaster.
The books focus on Scott as he falls in love with Ramona Flowers and in the course of doing so has to fight off the dastardly League of Evil Exes. Of course, it doesn’t turn out that simple, in part because as he starts falling for Ramona he’s actually dating another person, Knives Chau.
The series combines razor-sharp dialogue,stunning art, brilliantly dynamic fight scenes and a message about growing up which resonated with a lot of people. It’s no wonder Scott Pilgrim won award upon award and plaudits from pundits the world over.
Of course that could’ve been the end of it, but over here in our world we gained the power of movie adaptations, and that led us to…
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World burst onto screens in 2010. Directed by Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright, it’s a film almost unlike anything out there. With a frenetic visual style and a billion references to music and video games drenching its every second, it’s a film that feels like a graphic novel in screen form.
Not only is a feast for the eyes, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World features an absolutely astounding soundtrack. On it you’ll find Beck, The Bluetones, T. Rex, Metric, Blood Red Shoes, The Rolling Stones, Broken Social Scene, and others.
The cast also deserves particular attention. Many household names you’ll recognise in 2021 saw early appearances in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. For the lead roles you’ve got Michael Cera (Arrested Development) as Scott Pilgrim and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane, Birds of Prey) as Ramona Flowers.
In addition you’ll be able to spot Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down), Chris Evans (Captain America), Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Alison Pill (Star Trek: Picard), Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Brandon Routh (Legends of Tomorrow), Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore), and many, many more.
If you haven’t seen it, we’d heartily recommend following up your read of the Scott Pilgrim series with the film. And for a dessert, why not check out…
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game
Here we are, the reason why Twitter is abuzz with Scott Pilgrim. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game launched in 2010 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, surprisingly almost everyone with its brilliant side scrolling beat ‘em up action, beautiful pixel art, and ear-worming Anamanaguchi soundtrack. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game was that rare thing, a movie tie-in that not only was a great game, it was a worthy companion to the graphic novels and film that preceded it.
But then, disaster struck. In December 2014 the game was delisted absolutely everywhere. No-one could get their hands on it anymore due to licensing issues.
Six long, dark years passed…
Then, with the ten year anniversary coming up, both Bryan Lee O’Malley and Edgar Wright got in touch with Ubisoft via the power of Twitter to ask for a re-release. Ubisoft, for their part, replied with a thinking emoji, and so the internet rumour cycle began spinning.
In September 2020 Ubisoft announced Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition, an update and remaster of the original game including all DLC. On the 14th of January it was released for PC, Xbox, Stadia, PlayStation, and Switch, and it’s just as good as we remember it being. All the tracks and all the action has been preserved, updated, and tweaked making it the best version it can be.
