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PS2 | Action | Viewtiful Joe

Boxart for Viewtiful Joe
Viewtiful Joe 21 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 5.0
  • SOUND: 4.5
  • CONTROL: 4.5
  • FUN FACTOR 4.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.5
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.6
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Review: Viewtiful Joe

Review by Bones | 09/22/2004 | 12:40:45 PM PST

After a long wait, PS2 owners are getting the chance to see why Viewtiful Joe is one of the best action games around despite being only 2D (gasp!).

Joe?s first appearance on the GameCube last fall wowed critics and fans alike, and heralded a new age in the action-game genre with an unparalleled visual presentation, outstanding level design, and old-school fast-twitch gameplay. However, this last feature had many gamers boo-hooing about ?unfair deaths? and ?cheap bosses,? which painfully revealed their feeble gaming skills. Luckily, novice joystick jockeys can rest easy knowing that Capcom has graciously inserted a new ?Easy? difficulty setting while also adding Devil May Cry?s Dante as a selectable character in this PlayStation 2 version.

A Cel-Shaded Saga

With either character, the story is nearly indistinguishable: When a night at the movies goes horribly wrong and the heroes? hot girlfriends get abducted by movie monsters, both fearless fellas plunge into the screen to rescue them. The gameplay is almost exactly the same with either character (save a few minor plot alterations for Dante), but the inclusion of Capcom?s pretty-boy demon slayer adds to the already high replay value of this title as many of his exclusive signature stylish moves, such as the bullet barrage of his twin pistols, are included as purchasable upgrades.

V Is for Viewtiful

From top to bottom, Viewtiful Joe is a beautifully built game. Visually, VJ looks identical to its GameCube sibling with a charmingly unique graphical style and smooth animation that makes other cel-shaded adventures seem gimmicky and clich?d by comparison. The VFX skills that enable Joe and Dante to slow down and speed up time, and zoom in for flashy moves not only look amazing but also add an exciting level of depth to the quasi-2D side-scrolling action by enabling you to overcome puzzles and bad guys with a variety of special combinations. And with a tight control scheme that adapts well to the PS2 controller, you?ll have no one to blame but yourself for the inevitable deaths you?ll undoubtedly suffer.

Rarely are today?s action games as fun to play as they are to look at, but Viewtiful Joe stands as a creative reminder of what great games used to be about (and still could be). Plus, with a Viewtiful sequel on the way this fall, there may be hope yet for one of the oldest and most beleaguered genres in gaming.


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