theredwonder
11-13-2005, 07:36 AM
Viewtiful Joe
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002B90OO.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
Available for: Gamecube, PS2
By: Capcom
Genre: Scrolling Beat-'Em-Up
Release Date: Oct 7, 2003
Players: 1 Player
Introduction
It's been a while since the great side scrolling beat-'em-ups of old. Not since the era of Streets of Rage or Golden Axe have we seen games that despite their repetetiveness still manage to keep the gamers coming back for more. I have to admit, since the release of games such as Chaos Legion i was beginning to lose faith in the genre's ability to match up to the in-depth playability and overwhelming graphics of the current Shoot-'em-ups and RPGs. Therefore, i was incredibly pleased to find out that Viewtiful Joe was not only visually stimulating with it's cell-shaded appearance but also included many gameplay features that make it the awesome title that it is.
Storyline
Although not entirely original the storyline is still quite involving compared to other games from the genre. The first sequence shows Joe at the movies with his girlfriend Silvia, enjoying the latest installment in the Captain Blue series - Joe's favourite super hero. Suddenly Captain Blue is defeated on screen and the villan grabs Silvia mid-kiss and drags her into the pictures, which contain a world so cleverly dubbed "Movie Land". In pursuit of his girlfriend Joe jumps into the screen, and thus ensues the plot.
Joe begins the game as his normal self, using his basic kick/punch/jump moves to take on the enemy robots. After just a couple of kills Joe is spotted by Captain Blue and challenged to a duel, after which he is awarded his first power. These challenges are continued throughout the game until Joe has his three main powers which allow him to manipulate Movie Land.
Whilst Joe's main aim is to rescue Silvia from the clutches of the evil inhabitants of Movie Land, he eventually gets wrapped up into a plot which threatens the entire universe, and does his best to foil that along the way. Facing plenty of vicious minions and bosses, Joe eventually saves the girl and the day without missing any opportunity to add a cheesy if somewhat line wherever possible.
http://media.g4tv.com/images/imagedb2/235/23544_L.jpg
Important Gameplay Features
The most important and impressive feature of the game is Joe's abilty to manipulate time in Movie Land. Without this addition the game would simply be another beat-'em-up, but this spectacular skill makes the game a visual and playable masterpiece. There are 3 main powers - Slowmotion, Superspeed and Zoom-in. The names are fairly self explanatory. Slowmotion allows bullet-time moves such as dodging and powerful attacks, Superspeed permits Joe to zoom around the screen leaving echoes of himself to fight, and eventually setting himself and others on fire (an incredibly cool feature). The last of these, Zoom-in, is possibly the most difficult to master, but gives Joe the abilty to stun his enemies with a heroic pose then proceed to bombard them with an array of special attacks.
One of the most innovative uses of these powers however is out of combat. To progress through the levels Joe has to use his power over time to slow down objects such as fans and doors, giving the game a hint of puzzle solving and platforming. This adds a degree of variety and although it can become frustrating at times is definitely an impressive addition.
The Baddies
As with most games in the genre there's no reason to expect an A.I. present in other games such as F.E.A.R. or Farcry. The NPCs have fairly basic moves and are easily predictable, but come in massive waves. However, this definitely adds to the playability of the game as a whole. When you're fighting as a superhero there's nothing worse than being outsmarted by the most simple of minions. All the basic enemies have a robotic structure but come in many shapes and forms, all of which are gradually destructable.
The bosses have been executed excellently. Fighting these epic battles brings the player back many years to early versions of the genre where at first the fight seems impossible, until you spot the pattern in the enemies attacks and counter it. However, it has to be said that even after realising the solution to beating these enemies, they can still take a lot of time and effort to beat.
The Visuals
Although i'm aware many people are not fans of the recent cell-shaded games such as Ultimate Spiderman and X-men Legends, Viewtiful Joe is one of the most visually pleasing games of this variety available. The game includes many touches that make it enjoyable to watch, especially when using Joe's powers to rip apart enemies layer by layer or zooming around the screen coated in flames, setting everything you touch on fire. The style seems to fit the comic-book storyline perfectly and is worth checking out even if you don't usually like this type of graphics.
Summary
Despite it's repetetiveness and relative simplicity Viewtiful Joe is one of the most enjoyable scrolling beat-'em-ups available, even rivalling the acclaimed Devil May Cry. The inclusion of the time-manipulating features make it incredible visually and a joy to play, and although the storyline and "hero gags" might not be all that funny, who wouldn't like to giggle a James Bond in lycra?
Graphics: 9/10
Although not everyone's cup of tea, the cell-shaded style is implemented perfectly for this game.
Gameplay: 10/10
It's repetetive, it's simple, but it's damn cool.
Difficulty: 8/10
Despite the simple A.I. throughout the entire game, there's still power in numbers and size.
Overall: 94%
Screenshots
http://www.nintelligent.net/gamemedia/1893/JOE_03.jpg
http://cubemedia.gamespy.com/cube/image/article/566/566653/viewtiful-joe-2-20041116032111373.bmp
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002B90OO.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
Available for: Gamecube, PS2
By: Capcom
Genre: Scrolling Beat-'Em-Up
Release Date: Oct 7, 2003
Players: 1 Player
Introduction
It's been a while since the great side scrolling beat-'em-ups of old. Not since the era of Streets of Rage or Golden Axe have we seen games that despite their repetetiveness still manage to keep the gamers coming back for more. I have to admit, since the release of games such as Chaos Legion i was beginning to lose faith in the genre's ability to match up to the in-depth playability and overwhelming graphics of the current Shoot-'em-ups and RPGs. Therefore, i was incredibly pleased to find out that Viewtiful Joe was not only visually stimulating with it's cell-shaded appearance but also included many gameplay features that make it the awesome title that it is.
Storyline
Although not entirely original the storyline is still quite involving compared to other games from the genre. The first sequence shows Joe at the movies with his girlfriend Silvia, enjoying the latest installment in the Captain Blue series - Joe's favourite super hero. Suddenly Captain Blue is defeated on screen and the villan grabs Silvia mid-kiss and drags her into the pictures, which contain a world so cleverly dubbed "Movie Land". In pursuit of his girlfriend Joe jumps into the screen, and thus ensues the plot.
Joe begins the game as his normal self, using his basic kick/punch/jump moves to take on the enemy robots. After just a couple of kills Joe is spotted by Captain Blue and challenged to a duel, after which he is awarded his first power. These challenges are continued throughout the game until Joe has his three main powers which allow him to manipulate Movie Land.
Whilst Joe's main aim is to rescue Silvia from the clutches of the evil inhabitants of Movie Land, he eventually gets wrapped up into a plot which threatens the entire universe, and does his best to foil that along the way. Facing plenty of vicious minions and bosses, Joe eventually saves the girl and the day without missing any opportunity to add a cheesy if somewhat line wherever possible.
http://media.g4tv.com/images/imagedb2/235/23544_L.jpg
Important Gameplay Features
The most important and impressive feature of the game is Joe's abilty to manipulate time in Movie Land. Without this addition the game would simply be another beat-'em-up, but this spectacular skill makes the game a visual and playable masterpiece. There are 3 main powers - Slowmotion, Superspeed and Zoom-in. The names are fairly self explanatory. Slowmotion allows bullet-time moves such as dodging and powerful attacks, Superspeed permits Joe to zoom around the screen leaving echoes of himself to fight, and eventually setting himself and others on fire (an incredibly cool feature). The last of these, Zoom-in, is possibly the most difficult to master, but gives Joe the abilty to stun his enemies with a heroic pose then proceed to bombard them with an array of special attacks.
One of the most innovative uses of these powers however is out of combat. To progress through the levels Joe has to use his power over time to slow down objects such as fans and doors, giving the game a hint of puzzle solving and platforming. This adds a degree of variety and although it can become frustrating at times is definitely an impressive addition.
The Baddies
As with most games in the genre there's no reason to expect an A.I. present in other games such as F.E.A.R. or Farcry. The NPCs have fairly basic moves and are easily predictable, but come in massive waves. However, this definitely adds to the playability of the game as a whole. When you're fighting as a superhero there's nothing worse than being outsmarted by the most simple of minions. All the basic enemies have a robotic structure but come in many shapes and forms, all of which are gradually destructable.
The bosses have been executed excellently. Fighting these epic battles brings the player back many years to early versions of the genre where at first the fight seems impossible, until you spot the pattern in the enemies attacks and counter it. However, it has to be said that even after realising the solution to beating these enemies, they can still take a lot of time and effort to beat.
The Visuals
Although i'm aware many people are not fans of the recent cell-shaded games such as Ultimate Spiderman and X-men Legends, Viewtiful Joe is one of the most visually pleasing games of this variety available. The game includes many touches that make it enjoyable to watch, especially when using Joe's powers to rip apart enemies layer by layer or zooming around the screen coated in flames, setting everything you touch on fire. The style seems to fit the comic-book storyline perfectly and is worth checking out even if you don't usually like this type of graphics.
Summary
Despite it's repetetiveness and relative simplicity Viewtiful Joe is one of the most enjoyable scrolling beat-'em-ups available, even rivalling the acclaimed Devil May Cry. The inclusion of the time-manipulating features make it incredible visually and a joy to play, and although the storyline and "hero gags" might not be all that funny, who wouldn't like to giggle a James Bond in lycra?
Graphics: 9/10
Although not everyone's cup of tea, the cell-shaded style is implemented perfectly for this game.
Gameplay: 10/10
It's repetetive, it's simple, but it's damn cool.
Difficulty: 8/10
Despite the simple A.I. throughout the entire game, there's still power in numbers and size.
Overall: 94%
Screenshots
http://www.nintelligent.net/gamemedia/1893/JOE_03.jpg
http://cubemedia.gamespy.com/cube/image/article/566/566653/viewtiful-joe-2-20041116032111373.bmp