Spyborgs

Spyborgs
Developer(s)Bionic Games
Publisher(s)Capcom
Director(s)Lloyd Murphy
Michael Stout
Designer(s)Mark C. Stuart
Writer(s)Meghan Heritage
Composer(s)Clark Crawford
Platform(s)Wii
Release
  • NA: September 22, 2009[1]
  • AU: September 24, 2009
  • EU: September 25, 2009[2]
Genre(s)Beat 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

Spyborgs is a beat 'em up video game for the Wii developed by American studio Bionic Games and published by Capcom. It was released in September 2009.

Gameplay

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Spyborgs gameplay screenshot

Spyborgs sees players controlling a member of a team of cyborg secret agents, each with their own unique abilities, through several levels populated by enemies. The game is designed to be played co-operatively with two players, though the AI will take control of the other character in single player games. Players can also gain experience points to upgrade their character's abilities.[3]

For each level, players can choose two out of the three Spyborgs, which include:

  • Clandestine, a quick and nimble female ninja.
  • Bouncer, a lumbering but powerful robot.
  • Stinger, a soldier with a cybernetic gun arm.[4]

Played using the Wii Remote, motion controls initiate special attacks while the two characters can team up their attacks for additional damage.[3] Alternatively, players can also choose to play with the buttons on the Wii Remote instead.

Plot

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Development

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Initially announced in June 2008 at Capcom's Captivate event,[5] Spyborgs underwent a major redesign after a lukewarm reception from the gaming press.[6] Changes include a shift from bright cartoony graphics reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoon shows,[7] to a grittier and more realistic visual look, as well as the removal of minigames which served as parodies of children's toy commercials.[8] The current game also shifted focus from an action-oriented game with superpower-based puzzle elements to a brawler.[9]

The game was developed in an internal engine designed by Bionic Games, not MT Framework.[10]

Reception

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Spyborgs received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[11] IGN praised the game for its high quality graphics and large amount of polish. Despite this, IGN criticised the title for its punishing difficulty and lack of innovation.[18] Eurogamer criticised the game for being generic.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Darryl (August 12, 2009). "Spyborgs Release Date Moved Forward". Gaming Union. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  2. ^ Purchese, Robert (July 20, 2009). "Spyborgs given September date". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on July 25, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  3. ^ a b McInnis, Shaun (June 4, 2009). "Spyborgs E3 2009 Hands-On Impressions [date mislabeled as "June 5, 2009"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  4. ^ "Spyborgs Exclusive Character Profile - Stinger". Kidzworld. Archived from the original on September 5, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  5. ^ McWhertor, Michael (June 3, 2008). "Capcom Announces Spyborgs For Wii". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  6. ^ Nelson, Randy (August 5, 2008). "Capcom: Spyborgs undergoing 'significant overhaul'". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  7. ^ Hatfield, Daemon (June 3, 2008). "First Look: Spyborgs". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  8. ^ Mitchell, Richard (April 28, 2009). "Capcom's Spyborgs resurfaces, fresh video and screens". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  9. ^ Crecente, Brian (April 29, 2009). "Spyborgs Preview: Why Waggle". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  10. ^ Svensson, Christian (July 6, 2012). "Did Spyborgs use the MT Framework?". Ask Capcom. Capcom. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Spyborgs for Wii Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  12. ^ "Spyborgs Review". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. October 7, 2009. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
  13. ^ a b Reed, Kristan (September 22, 2009). "Spyborgs [date mislabeled as "October 20, 2009"]". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  14. ^ Koehn, aaron (September 29, 2009). "Spyborgs". GamePro. GamePro Media. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  15. ^ Watters, Chris (September 29, 2009). "Spyborgs Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  16. ^ "Spyborgs Review". GameTrailers. Viacom. October 2, 2009. Archived from the original on September 7, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  17. ^ DeLia, Joseph (September 26, 2009). "Spyborgs - WII - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on September 29, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  18. ^ a b Casamassina, Matt (September 22, 2009). "Spyborgs Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  19. ^ "Spyborgs". Nintendo Power. Vol. 247. Future US. November 2009. p. 79.
  20. ^ Dutton, Fred (September 25, 2009). "Spyborgs Review". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  21. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (September 21, 2009). "Spyborgs Review". VideoGamer.com. Resero Network. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  22. ^ Simpson, Scott J. (November 5, 2009). "Spyborgs (Wii) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on November 12, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  23. ^ Jenkins, David (September 2009). "Spyborgs (Wii)". Teletext GameCentral. Teletext Ltd. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
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