Spyborgs

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.

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

Gameplay

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

Development

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

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 66/100[11] Review scores Publication Score 1Up.com B−[12] Eurogamer 5/10[13] GamePro [14] GameSpot 6/10[15] GameTrailers 5.5/10[16] GameZone 6/10[17] IGN 7.5/10[18] Nintendo Power 7.5/10[19] ONM 80%[20] VideoGamer.com 6/10[21] 411Mania 7.5/10[22] Teletext GameCentral 5/10[23]

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

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. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
3. McInnis, Shaun (June 4, 2009). "Spyborgs E3 2009 Hands-On Impressions [date mislabeled as "June 5, 2009"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. 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. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
6. Nelson, Randy (August 5, 2008). "Capcom: Spyborgs undergoing 'significant overhaul'". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
7. Hatfield, Daemon (June 3, 2008). "First Look: Spyborgs". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
8. Mitchell, Richard (April 28, 2009). "Capcom's Spyborgs resurfaces, fresh video and screens". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
9. Crecente, Brian (April 29, 2009). "Spyborgs Preview: Why Waggle". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
10. Svensson, Christian (July 6, 2012). "Did Spyborgs use the MT Framework?". Ask Capcom. Capcom. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
11. "Spyborgs for Wii Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. 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. Reed, Kristan (September 22, 2009). "Spyborgs [date mislabeled as "October 20, 2009"]". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. 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. 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. Casamassina, Matt (September 22, 2009). "Spyborgs Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. 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. 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.

External links

• Spyborgs at MobyGames