PixlBit

Spyborgs pretty much went through development hell. It originally surfaced in 2008 and was a cartoony game with interactive commercials. Then it was M.I.A. for a number of months and came back as a comic book-esque beat-'em-up with a decidedly darker feel, story, and tone. On some levels, the new style works, but for the most part, Spyborgs is just a polished endless barrage of enemies with some cool set pieces.

The Spyborgs are some sort of bionic government agency whose members have been mysteriously killed off. You find out as the game begins that two former Spyborgs have gone rogue and are trying to destroy the whole team. You play as one of three different characters: the melee powerhouse Bouncer, the sneaky sword-wielding Clandestine, and the gun-toting tough guy Stinger. At the outset of every one of the game's 35 stages, you select two of the three characters. If you have a friend, they can jump in whenever they want as the second character. If not, then the computer will control the other character, although you can switch between them whenever you want.

Each level is set up the same: Go through a linear environment and destroy all the enemies. There's a good deal of enemies, all with their own strengths and weaknesses. Each enemy type has some flashy name and gets a brief introduction that shows off what they do when you first encounter them. It's a good way to introduce new enemies, especially when they get fierce later on.

Spyborgs is not your average button-mashing brawler, though. On the medium difficulty and higher, there is a necessity for blocking. The three playable characters are all different, but they feature the same control options. Yes, Bouncer's combos might visually look different than Clandestine's, but you use the same button inputs. Going along with that, there just aren't a lot of moves to pull off. Especially when you get to the higher difficulties and later levels, you'll find that only one or two of the moves work well.

Rounding off the gameplay are the combo finishing moves that are devastating and fun to pull off. Once you build up the corresponding meter, you pull off a few motion interactions in a cut scene, and the enemy is defeated. Each character combination and enemy type has a different cut scene, although they do use similar motions.

The boss fights are impressive as they're huge screen-filling fiends that require careful evasion and quick-time events. That's a big plus of the game, the levels are interesting and the set pieces are grand. There's no exploration to be had, but as you romp through the game, you'll be privy to some high quality graphics.

Spyborgs sneaks in some pointer functionality with SpyVision, which allows you to reveal hidden boxes, enemies, and more. It's a little bit intrusive and forces you to play with the Wii Remote pointing at the screen, but it's easy to uncover items mid-fight. You occasionally uncover hidden audio tapes that add to the story, which also expands to comics and webisodes. There are also other unlockables, such as medals that you can achieve for completing optional tasks in the game.

The levels feature tons of crates, which can be broken open for different health power-ups and highly coveted upgrade points. Each character can be upgraded in a variety of ways, but there's nothing unique or special about upgrading each character. They all learn the same moves; they all get the same boosts to their health and damage. However, upgrading them does make them stronger, which helps out as Spyborgs does get difficult. Luckily, if it gets too rough, there are many difficulty levels and you can change it mid-level.

While not an amazing game, Spyborgs is a great old-school brawler. Unfortunately, most games from that genre don't have a lot of depth or variety to them. This game attempts to relieve those issues through the upgrade system and the different unlockables, but it doesn't detract from its repetitive nature. Regardless, if you're looking for a good old-fashioned beat-'em-up with a few bells and whistles, Spyborgs could be right up your alley.