Review
Release Date: 10.07.2003
Platform:
GameCubeDeveloper:
Capcom Co., Ltd.Publisher:
Capcom USA, Inc.Reviewed by
Christian Kontul on 10.19.2003
| Review Rating: 10/10 | User Rating: 8.49/10 |
"Hey! A.D.D. boy! Over here!"
Hideki Kamiya may have directed macabre masterpieces like
Resident Evil 2 and
Devil May Cry to great effect, but he seems more at home with the side-scrolling action game,
Viewtiful Joe. A high-school dropout, Kamiya is a larger-than-life individual who’s not afraid to strike a pose if the opportunity arises.
Viewtiful Joe is the videogame equivalent of Hideki Kamiya... with less voguing. And
VJ has a lot of it. A lot.
I recently had a discussion with some random Internet person (seriously) about the practice of rehashing in games. Essentially, he/she defended a specific game’s plagiarism by pointing out that very little is original anymore. Though I agree with that sentiment to a degree, I also think there’s a difference between unabashedly ganking someone’s ideas verbatim and combining different aspects with the intention of making something unique and enjoyable.
Viewtiful Joe is an amalgamation of popular ideas found in other games and movies, but it uses them effectively so as to be greater than the sum of its parts. In fact, the game creatively utilizes its source material so that it’s impossible to describe
VJ by just listing its individual characteristics. Saying
Viewtiful Joe features elements from
Double Dragon,
Blinx (yes,
Blinx), and
The Matrix doesn’t come close to the full truth, even if the assertion is partially correct.
It’s not about Cahlifhornee-uh
If you’ve seen the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie,
The Last Action Hero,
Viewtiful Joe might seem somewhat familiar. Kamiya, along with
VJ producer Atsushi Inaba, admitted to seeing the flik at some point, but both claim it had no influence over the game’s development. Even so, there are a few similarities.
The main character, Joe, is a huge fan of old, "classic" motion pictures starring his idol, the super hero Captain Blue. As
Viewtiful Joe begins, Joe and his lady, Silvia, attend the local theater's most recent retroview of a Blue movie (not to be confused with the Jenna Jameson film). Silvia is more interested in some "off-screen action," but our scruffy protagonist can't be bothered. Indeed, Joe is so into the movie that he's unfazed when a giant hand reaches out of the screen and grabs his girlfriend. Not until his ass gets bowled over by Captain Blue's giant mech does Joe realize something notorious is afoot. He, in turn, gets pulled into Movieland, where it's up to him to save reality from the dark machinations of the evil Jadow.
Action!
As luck would have it, Joe is anything but "average" and "everyday" in Movieland. Early on, he acquires a V Watch from Captain Blue that turns him into a Power Ranger-like hero. Regular Joe can only jump, dodge, kick, and punch, but Viewtiful Joe can control time and the camera with his Viewtiful Effects (VFX). In addition to a shopping list of moves and combos, Joe can slow down the action, speed it up, or zoom in for a closer look.
The VFX powers don’t just make His Viewtifulness look good; they add even more depth to his repertoire. Slow allows Joe to deal massive damage, dodge fast attacks, and redirect projectiles. The Viewtiful One can land a bunch of blows before bad guys know what’s happening, thanks to Mach Speed. Zoom In freezes camera shy foes so Joe can execute some dazzling moves, like spin kicks and rocket jumps. Each skill has its own inherent attacks, and new abilities and items can be purchased between stages. It's also possible to combine VFX.
Clever got me this far
This would be a great game if Team Viewtiful stopped at making a beat 'em up.
VJ's balance is perfect, and when I say that, I don't mean it never gets hard.
Viewtiful Joe becomes blindingly difficult later on. Instead, the manner in which VFX are introduced promotes experimentation and negates confusion. The player never feels overwhelmed by all the different battle options. Beating up enemies never gets boring.
But that wasn't enough for the developers, and their insistence on creating a new mold instead of conforming to an old one propels Joe to classic status. Instantaneously. Like all great superheroes, Joe has to utilize his brain and his brawn. Cast throughout
VJ’s seven levels are events that resemble puzzles. They always require the use of VFX to solve, but figuring one out takes more ingenuity than hitting the Slow button. I’m not going to provide any specific examples, because spoiling even the simplest would be a crime against you, but know that
Viewtiful Joe takes huge steps to destroy the conception that all side-scrolling brawlers have to be mindless.
Beautiful Joe
After Capcom revealed
Viewtiful Joe in 2002, Kamiya, laughing, explained to the audience that Japanese people wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate the game’s pun-derful title. You see, the Japanese language doesn’t include the letter “V.” To make up for it, the sound is substituted with a “B.” B-iewtiful Joe. Beautiful Joe. D’oh.
Though it’s not as witty, the modified name isn’t wholly inappropriate.
Viewtiful Joe doesn’t push the GameCube, but its unique, diorama-style graphics are wonderful to behold. This is a Capcom game, so of course the animation is incredibly fluid, and small touches enhance the film aesthetic, like a grainy picture when Regular Joe is running around. The music is repetitive, but never in a bad way. It effectively captures the comedic, B-movie feel and gets your blood pumping. Dialogue and voice acting are suitably hilarious.
To be continued?
Viewtiful Joe is a wonderful game. Seven episodes don’t seem like much at first, but the addictive scoring system, ferocious challenge, and wealth of extras will have average players wrapped up for a while. The game really never gets dull, which is a testament to its flexible design. No doubt, I’ll be pulling
VJ out years down the line to relive its epic boss battles and funny one-liners. By that time, I hope, plenty of little Joes will have entered the world. Do your part. Henshin a buy-buy.
