There's only one question that comes to mind after a bout of Viewtiful Joe: How does one guy kick so much ass?
It is truly a marvel how the game builds the player's skill to the point where you can defeat an entire board without taking a hit. Of course, you're playing on kids mode, you still have to rock, and by "a hit" I meant "two hits" and by "you" I meant "I."
Aesthetics:
What more is there to say besides the graphics are Viewtiful? You feel like Capcom should have included a mode where someone is playing the second controller to take screenshots of the action. There is just so much detail present in the background, and most of the foreground is taken up by Joe kicking ass and striking poses.
Although the graphics are cel-shaded, don't expect the same look that Wind Waker had. Zelda looked like a cartoon show, Viewtiful Joe (from here on out called VJoe) looks more like a comic book. Black lines surround everything, words pop up when you hit things, and the background has many layers of two-dimensional art work mixed in with the 3D.
The graphics are stylized because of the game's plot, in which Joe leaps into his favorite movie to save his girlfriend from the movie's villain (a la Last Action Hero, starring Gray Davis). When you lose your super powers and become regular Joe (from here on out NOT called RJoe), the film becomes grainy and has scratches and you can hear the projector running.
The only difference between VJoe and Spike TV's Joe Schmo is that VJoe KNOWS what movie he's in. Okay, so they have a lot of differences. That is one funny Joe Schmo show though.
Control:
To newcomers, VJoe's controls will seem like a button-masher platformer game. Just keep hitting punch and kick and you'll do fine. The beginning of the first level seems based around this to give players a chance to get used to the game's mechanics. No, I don't mean the mechanics who work night and day to make the evil Jadow robots you fight. I feel bad for them- you break so many of their creations which probably cost a lot to make. Oh well, let the movie producer worry about that.
VJoe has three control set-ups. Version C seems to be the best since it's similar to Smash Bros. Melee, another frantic game that comes down to skill. Other than that, L slows time, R speeds time, and B or the C-stick zoom in and out for extra moves.
At certain times in a level, you can enter a screen to buy new moves and other items with the points you've earned. Slide kicks, Voomerangs, bombs and some really slick super moves are all learned later in the game to keep you interested.
Once you've played the game for a bit, you'll feel right at home taking on a whole screen full of enemies. The game really does advance your skill level for playing.
Gameplay:
Besides beating up enemies in the traditional way, you can use VJoe's super powers to take down the more creative enemies. If someone shoots at you, slow down time and punch the bullet back to him. If there's a propellar on an enemy or platform, slowing time will make it fall to the ground, speeding time will make it rise. Use that knowledge to place it where you want it.
If you see some unlit candles, try going to mach speed to light them and anything else that touches you on fire. My point is that there is a puzzle element to the game to break up the intense action.
The control and gameplay sections of this review are really the same thing, so I don't know what else to say. We seem to have some extra time in this section, so I'll just remind you this is time you COULD be spending playing VJoe.
Sound:
The music in the game is usually unobtrusive, but when it's not it still blends perfectly with the atmosphere- such as a car-horn solo when you're on a busy street level.
The sound effects are a very Japanese take on Americana, like an off-screen girl yelling "Just go for it!!" to cheer you on, or VJoe saying something witty after defeating an enemy (much like Gray Davis will when he stars in Terminator 4), but the "witty" remark he'll say is just "bye-bye."
There was one point when I turned the volume down because it got irritating. I was trying to solve a puzzle and I could hear the level boss singing to himself in the next room- the problem was he kept singing the same two lines over and over. I couldn't concentrate on the task at hand because he wouldn't shut up. It was a cool boss fight though.
Multiplayer:
There doesn't appear to be any multiplayer in the game, unless you count six Joes on the screen at once during mach speed. There are a few extras, though, like an unlockable VJoe music video, and a preview for PN03, the first game of the "Capcom 5," of which VJoe is the second.
Since the game has a movie theme, they should have made the PN03 trailer more like a movie preview. Tell the NShooters crew you demand a review for PN03 and want them to spend their money on it.
OVERALL:
Viewtiful Joe is the perfect button-masher- one that makes you constantly think about your actions so it doesn't feel like a button-masher. I can only hope that should there be another Smash Bros., and it includes non-Nintendo characters, Nintendo will have the good sense to include VJoe, Capcom's latest and greatest.
The Lowdown on  Viewtiful Joe
| Aesthetics: Awesome |
Control: Awesome |
| Gameplay: Awesome |
Multiplayer: |
| Sound: Very Good |
Innovation: 5/6 |
| Lasting Appeal: 5/6 |
Rating Explanation |
Overall: Awesome!
"Top of the Genre"
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Viewtiful Joe
