User Rating: 8.9 | Viewtiful Joe (Pink Version) GC
By D-MonDRV | Review Date:
Capcom is known for making quality games. Last generation, Capcom hasn’t done much except for the fighting games, Resident Evil, and Mega Mans. This time around, they’ve been bringing a lot of support for all the consoles… especially Nintendo. They’ve announced that the Resident Evil Series all the way through the 4th chapter in the series would be re-made on the GameCube. Secondly, they announced 5 new exclusive titles, 1 being cancelled. Viewtiful Joe is the second game released from that list, and it’s a whole lot of game. Lights, camera, action! That really all there is to say about Capcom’s latest sidescrolling action game. Viewtiful Joe combines The Matrix with Sega’s Comix Zone to make one stylish, one-of-a-kind game. Cel-Shaded visuals are starting to get old, but Capcom decided to use it for Viewtiful Joe, and gamers will be surprised at the results. The game stars the average movie-lover, Joe, who admires one of the greatest super heroes in the world, Captain Blue. Then suddenly, the movie strips come to life and kidnap Joe’s girlfriend, Silvia. As the concerned boyfriend always does, he jumps into the strips to save her. So now he’s in a world that’s totally different, but he decides to fend off mechanical thugs and ballerinas anyway. Joe sees his role model, Captain Blue, and after a test of wit and strength, Captain Blue gives him the Viewtiful Powers. Which gives him the ability to speed or slow down time, and of course, the super human strength. What kind of Super Human strength does he have? Well, as stated before, he starts out with nothing. But once Joe learns the Henshin and how to obtain the powers of Viewtiful Joe, he learns a slew of different techniques for combat and power. As Viewtiful Joe, you have the power to make time go faster. The essence of time is used for many different reasons in Viewtiful Joe, but the most logical reason is to fight. When fighting about 3 or more robots at once, speeding up time will have you hyper fighting every one of the robots to oblivion, giving you more Viewtifuls – the points and currency used in the game. You can also speed up just to rush to the exit of the level. Viewtiful Joe’s second ability is to slow down time. Like Mach Speed, Slow Motion is usually used during combat – except with a quick enemy. Also, certain moves like Joe’s Uppercut will be three times as powerful as they were before. When timing each hit right, an attack can send an enemy right into another enemy, tripping all other baddies in their army. Also, the Slow Motion ability can be used to dodge things like bullets easier and you’ll also have a better chance of retaliating. The ability can also be used to win certain dealies by slowing down a slot machine. You can’t stay at Mach Speed or Slow Mo forever though. The powers make use and take use of the VFX Meter on the top of your screen. When fully depleted, Viewtiful Joe is reverted back to Joe where he is weaker and no longer has powers. No need to worry though, as Joe is quickly revamped as Viewtiful Joe in a matter of seconds. The VFX Meter can be upgraded by obtaining power-ups or collecting Viewtifuls. And finally, Viewtiful Joe can zoom in. Well to be honest, you can, not him. When zoomed in, you can see Joe perform certain stunts in much more detail, just like the way you would in a movie. Being zoomed in while using Mach Speed or Slow Mo can also make Joe perform certain tasks he wouldn’t be able to do in regular view. Some doors are only accessible when zoomed. Joe’s slick moves don’t end there. Aside from the jumping, punching, kicking, and dodging, Viewtiful Joe can purchase some power-ups that can be found in certain shops that pop up at certain places in the movie. You buy them with your points, or Viewtifuls, you’ve earned from fending off the evil robots you’ve encountered many times. Viewtiful Joe features good-looking Cel-Shaded graphics. They’re starting to get old, but with Viewtiful Joe, they seem all new again. The game basically has suede 2-D graphics that have some stellar backgrounds that are on a movie set. When using Slow Motion, the graphics start to get really detailed and as slow as you think slow can go. When on Mach Speed, the background I just wind moving just as what you’d expect from things traveling at the speed of light. These little details are what make Cel-Shaded games have a different category in visuals. The audio of the game features no problem whatsoever. In fact, it’s one of the best features in the game. Everything from car crashes to punches to film breaks sound real. When really focused, the sound effects can actually help you find out what can happen next – whether an enemy or deadly object is nearby or not. As for the music, it’s a little too silent to hear, but the music that you can actually hear is good though doesn’t really give a feel to the game. That’s perhaps why it’s a bit quiet. As for the voice acting, it sounds really cool and is actually a flawless part for the game. Except for maybe Joe’s high-pitched noises… But in the end, does it really matter? Capcom got this game right, and should be praised as one of the elite. Viewtiful Joe is sure to be true fun for both the new age of gamers and the old-school coin-op gamers who’ve been playing Streets of Rage all their lives. If there’s only one game you can get this fall, it’s gotta be Viewtiful Joe. It’s one of the games that prove Nintendo wants quality from their Third Parties, not quantity. And with a $40 launch price tag, why not?

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