While Streets of Rage 4 is (rightfully) all the rage at the moment, it still pales in comparison to the true king of the modern beat em up: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game. Released in 2010 as a part promotional tie-in to the feature film and one-half homage to the manga source material, Scott Pilgrim The Game still stands the test of time. Not only is it easily the best beat em up in an era when the genre saw a revival, but also a warning of what happens when licensed video games get pulled from digital store shelves, left in gaming limbo and forgotten. However, Ubisoft made a subtle and literal wink and a nod to the beloved Scott Pilgrim game getting a modern re-release after a tweet by the source material’s creator, Bryan Lee O’Malley.
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) May 21, 2020
To understand the source of the exchange we have to connect some dots. The origins begin with an online event through the Academy Awards (yes, the Oscars people) called “Watch With The Academy,” in which the cast and director of a film live-react to the film in real-time on social media; equal parts director’s commentary track and live social media feed. Scheduled for this past Monday’s event was Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and commentary from director Edgar Wright. If you’re a fan of the film then it’s worth scrolling through Wright’s Twitter feed to see a wealth of behind-the-scenes info and production stuff on the movie. Also worth noting is the promotional tweet for the event made by Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, in which he calls for the titular game to come back from the dead.
Ubisoft, ever the tease, responded to O’Malley’s tweet with an emoji. Perhaps this is just the Ubisoft social media manager having some fun, or maybe a reference for plans to come. It’s never a bad thing when great games left to rot in the digital store graveyard get a second chance at life, and if any game ever deserved that chance it’s Scott Pilgrim. Whether it’s simply a return to the digital storefront or a whole remastered release of the game is unknown, if it even means anything at all. Even just seeing the title of the game instantly makes the amazing game soundtrack by chiptune band Anamanaguchi start playing in my head.
So as with most things in 2020 all we can do now is wait and see. And maybe eat some bread. Even if it does make you fat.
