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Matt Vs. Viewtiful Joe

With the release of the Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U, a new console generation has once again begun. However this post goes back to a game from the Playstation 2/ Xbox generation over ten years ago. Viewtiful Joe was a Gamecube and later PS2 game that was developed by Clover Studios and Capcom as part of a multi game agreement between Nintendo and Capcom. These  games ranged from the acclaimed Resident Evil 4 to the bizarre Killer 7 and the forgotten PN03. Viewtiful Joe eventually spun off into three sequels not including appearances in the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise. Clover Studios was one of my favorite developers (Godhand, Okami) and they eventually spun off into Platinum Games.

Viewtiful Joe is a platformer beat-em up that stars movie buff Joe who goes into Movie World to save his girlfriend Silvia. Using a fancy VFX watch and advice from his idol Captain Blue, Joe can transform into Viewtiful Joe obtaining the power to control the flow of time and other fantastical abilities. Joe was three basic special powers which are Slow, Fast, and Zoom. Essentially slow lets Joe punch enemies harder and  slow down items in the background, fast gives Joe super speed and the ability to set enemies on fire, and zoom allows Joe to pull off special moves as the camera zooms on him. Using these  powers depletes his VFX meter and once the meter gets to a certain level, he reverts to regular Joe. The game gives you points based on your combos and VFX power usage and grades your performance at the end of each level. These points can be used to unlock new moves or to purchase items such as bombs and Voomerangs.

I enjoyed Viewtiful Joe's humor, stage variety, and inventive puzzles which combine platforming elements and VFX power use. The game's distinctive comic book style and film reel inspired cutscenes add to its graphically slick presentation.Movie genre references are plentiful from spy films, westerns, and horror films to Japanese anime. The combat is fun and inventive and while the game ramps up the difficulty towards the end, it still is a worthwhile experience. Given Joe's appearance in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, maybe Capcom should take a hint and revive the Viewtiful Joe franchise. Overall I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of 2-D games and some of Capcom's other franchises. It is well worth tracking down a PS2 or GC copy or trying out the Nintendo DS sequel. Henshin a go-go baby.
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