Capcom sent me a box last week with their Wii-exclusive brawler Spyborgs along with a holy-blast-from-the-past folder and pencil kit that looked like something I've not seen since my school days—which were, of course, the days when the brawler dominated the arcades.

Having gone through some major changes since its early debut, Spyborgs has transformed into a game from that old genre, complete with 2-player co-op. I've not yet been able to rope a second player in to accompanying me, but I have given the game an initial spin by myself, which lets me toggle between the two characters out of three I picked when I started the level.


Spyborgs' unique bit is Spyvision, which has you scan the area with your Wii Remote pointer for hidden objects (which shimmer a little so they're not totally invisible), then click them and swing the Remote upward to unmask them. Usually it's a crate of sparks for health, points, or somesuch, but sometimes it's a computer you need to operate to progress or a "lost tape" that you can listen to in order to get some more background on the game's story. It's best done when not in the heat of battle, by the way.

Revisiting those brawler days have been fun, though Spyborgs' both-fighters-dead, you're-out M.O. on even its very short levels takes a little getting used to over the coin/continue action from those heady days of my youth. Looking forward to playing more, and I'll let you know how it fares in my full review at a later date.