WHAT? A side-scrolling beat-em-up with RPG elements, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is based on the hit graphic novel series that as also spawned a critically-praised movie.  Players take on the role of Scott Pilgrim, or one of his three friends, as he embarks on a quest to defeat the seven evil exes of Ramona Flowers, a woman who has stolen his heart and captured his imagination.  It’s a quirky story made up of hipster culture, video game tropes and imagery, comic-book styling, and lots of punching people in the face.  Up to four players can crash on the couch (no online play, which I find refreshingly old-school) for multiplayer action, and the game has cheat codes (yes, old-fashioned CHEAT CODES) that unlock a Survival Horror mode (players fight off endless hordes of zombies) or a Boss Rush mode (fight the game’s bosses in rapid succession).  It’s available as a downloadable title for the Playstation Network or Xbox Live Arcade.

WHY? With both a six-volume graphic novel series and a film serving as source material, this is one of those games that make so much sense for a library there’s no need to overwork the justification.  Use the game to get kids/teens into the books, use the books to get them into other books (such as other off-beat indie comics), show the kids who get wrapped up in the surprisingly complex game play classic beat-em-up titles such as Final Fight, Double Dragon, and Streets of Rage and maybe throw in a few classic action-RPGs such as Champions of Norrath, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, or Neverwinter Nights, which of course lead right back around to books on the martial arts, popular fantasy fiction works, and any related film.  .  Did I mention that the soundtrack is done by the excellent band Anamanaguchi, who compose in the chiptune genre?  There’s a chance to introduce somebody to some new music! Conduct your media advisory right and you could have a good number of teens being life-long library users, just from having played this one game.   Plus, it’s simple fun that gets all the better when you have someone to share it with, and what’s better than that?

WHO? Teens will find this game attractive because of its tie-in to the graphic novel series and film (which, sadly, bombed at the box office, but I’m sure you have some fans in your community).  Gamers who cut their teeth on the NES and Super NES will delight at the references made to old-school video games and the great soundtrack.  It’s not a terribly easy game, especially with less than three of four players working together, and the combat is deceptively complex and requires precise timing and resource management; this will satisfy hardcore gamers.  It’s a game with much to offer everybody, even long after you shut down your console.