So this one's kinda a long story, but basically this is something I'd had designs on trying to upload a ways back... not exactly when the online component was released, but pretty close to it. I actually decided against playing through the game too soon, because I knew I'd want to play it cooperatively sometime... You have NO idea how long, because it was SO exciting when they declared that there WOULD be online multiplayer, meaning I'd have a decent chance (or rather, a 100% chance, as this was no happenstance pickup game) of getting to play it with the FULL experience! Amazing that it took ...how many years for TWO Ubisoft studios to get something like that into a not-quite simple cash-in licensed title to accompany the release of what all involved parties involved probably hoped would be a major multimedia juggernaut based around the graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O'Malley... it has some manner of cult following and a modicum of success and notoriety for itself, but it's still very much a niche thing. How appropriate then that the tie-in game should borrow heavily from the cult classic, River City Ransom... which, to anyone even slightly familiar, the source material quite frequently reflects an affectionately references. That and TONS of other things, but I'm definitely not about to try to keep track here and now. So how does it stand as a game? ...well, it's absolutely brimming with personality and hits all the marks it was going for in terms of presentation... and that's strangely the most important and redeeming quality, even to the point that it seems to either make or break the experience for a lot of people. The gameplay... well, it's GOOD... it feels good... but there are some less-than-glowing things I could say about it as well. That said, I'm definitely not choosing to share this with you because I disliked the experience, so I'll just let the little gripes trickle out in small doses where applicable rather than go on a rant all up front and sour expectations or rain on a perfectly good parade. Since this is a much-delayed "celebration" of DLC, it's being played online... and as she was entirely new to me anyway, I opted to play as the first add-on character, Knives Chau... and my ever-tagalong associate will use Wallace Wells, freshly launched alongside the DLC that made it possible to play online at all after TWO years of life as a standalone game that accompanied the theatrical debut of the film of the same name. --- Stage 1: Snowy Toronto! Don't Be Late For The Big Show! Ouch... that... that hurt me to type out like that... y'know, the improper capitalization of certain words that shouldn't be capitalized in a title... but it's all for consistency with the game's written version, I swear! Don't look at me like that! (Excited Title! Two Part Stage Name! ...which is actually the norm for this game, so hopefully you can get used to it... also why I'd never put the title stage in the video's title for this little microseries...) Anyway, this is a beat 'em up game, and one highly reminiscent of River City Ransom and basically ransacking elements from a whole slew of other games for obvious enough reasons, and even opting for the faux-retro 16-bit style and spiffy chiptunes to accompany and complete the desired effect. To summarize that which is probably perfectly evident as it is... you (and up to three friends) can take to the streets with fists a-flyin' to lay down some indiscriminate justice upon Ramona's seven evil exes... and maybe any number of other people who just want to be jerks to the ever-righteous quest of kicking ass to justify Scott dating Ramona in spite of some SERIOUS emotional baggage for everyone. Whatever! Time to beat stuff up! "BARF!" Enemies turn into money! Punch-punch! Experience gain! Buy food and junk and stats! Capitalism, ho! This stage is quite a bit longer than your average engagement, but I guess that means you get more time to pick up on what's going on here... maybe. --- Matthew Patel Just as every stage will come with a hearty helping of heaped-on hopeless thugs thrown this way and that, you'll have quite the bombastic boss encounter waiting you at the (mostly) linear length's end... and compared to the hordes you dispatched on the way here, you're in for a much more engaging battle. In Matthew's case, the battle takes on roughly four phases... a "normal" battle (with fireballs and such! ...normal!), then Matthew will take center stage and protect himself with a shaft of light and "demon hipster chicks" that must be defeated before he'll return to battle, some more regular fighting, and then fighting with the chicks chucking fireballs at our heroes. You can ignore the last phase "safely" enough... if you're able to avoid being damaged or distracted by their fireballs. I just couldn't get with the rhythm of hitting them when they appear, apparently... either that or there were some weird hit detection issues going on.

• published: 22 Aug 2013
• views: 18