Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble
- November 10, 2005 15:44 PM PST
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There's some fun to be extracted from this fighter... if you don't die of seizures first.
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My Eyes... They Burn
Viewtiful Joe's exhibitionist premise made it a flashy platformer--but when you add three more characters, plus coins and powerups constantly bursting into the levels, it's enough to have you curl up and start convulsing. The original level designs are cool in of themselves: fight on the wings of a bi-plane while collecting points that whizz past, bash other Viewtiful contestants along with a mini-boss on the ring, or hold on to a flag while chandeliers come crashing down.
The problem, however, is that there's simply too much going on. It's usually a mystery who's winning in any given level, or even where you are. The seemingly arbitrary point system means you can win all the levels, yet still ultimately lose. Fortunately, the single-player experience is more manageable, but still has its epileptic moments.
The Lush Blur
That's not to say the game is ugly--Red Hot Rumble still retains that vibrant, Viewtiful style. And despite the myriad of sprites and enemies flying around the screen, amazingly the game never seems to lag or slowdown. In those moments where you can actually see what you're doing, it's satisfying to crush opponents with your special moves--so long as you ignore the repetitive, corny "eat this!" lines. Red Hot Rumble will likely be remembered as an amusing, if not inconsequential, fighting game detour of the franchise. Of course, you can expect Capcom to respond with more platformer installments.
