With the exception of one-on-one fighters, it is very rare that a game is released with 2D gameplay, and even rarer that a 2D game will leave as high an impression as a top ranking 3D game. It sure must have been quite a risky move for Capcom to make Viewtiful Joe two dimensional; especially with a plot that no one can take seriously. Nevertheless some of Capcom's best game designers saw potential and chose to invest their time into the game. Fortunately they knew what they were doing and found that by setting the gameplay in 2D they were able to focus on making the gameplay as deep and fun as any game out there without having to worry about the ultra difficult problems faced by 3D games such as camera angles, incoherent action, AI, glitches and what not.
The Story 4/10
Put simply the story is not at all what this game is about. The only reason why the story is put in is to give an excuse for the things that are going on in the game and to offer a sense of achievement. Joe (in his little red superman style outfit) and gang are not to be taken seriously and often the game even jokes at itself. Sure, there are some cool moments and at other times heart warming but for the most part, the gameplay is where this game is at.
Gameplay 8/10
By basing the game in 2D Viewtiful Joe can produce unrelenting action to the gamer. Never are you stuck doing nothing, all you have to do is move forward and enemies come at you thick and fast. There is also the occasional puzzle in there to keep you thinking but even these can be wrought with danger. Though whilst the puzzles aren't generally as deep and complex as say Zelda's, they still have their element of satisfaction, especially those that involve using the ultra cool time manipulation.
Early in the game you start of as average Joe. You have very few moves at your disposal and it is very reminiscent of classic fighters such as Double Dragon, Battletoads, Streets of Rage, etc only with a couple of slick dodge moves thrown in for good measure. Fortunately Joe is soon taught a whole host of time control and focus moves from Captain Blue that allows you to do things by speeding up or slowing down time or just focusing in on Joe. This is where the depth in the game comes and it offers up countless possibilities. One of the coolest and more obvious things was that when you slow down time it is not just possible to dodge bullets but you can also punch them back at your enemy. There is just so much you can mess around with but I just don't want to spoil them for you, be amazed.
The move list does not end there; you will also be earning new moves, items and upgrades from "viewtiful" points in a style very similar to Devil May Cry's combo/upgrade system. You can earn "viewtiful" points from killing enemies with style, collecting coins or based on the ranking you get at the end of each level. Each one encourages fighting with speed and style and it is worthwhile getting to grips with what Joe can do to fight more spectacularly and earn more points. My only real gripe is that there aren't exactly that many new moves you can buy and most of them don't really make the game any cooler. For instance one move I bought allowed me to create big time damage on all enemies on screen just by dodging an attack and then focusing in on Joe, he then waves his hands and they all get damaged. To me it was a cheap way of getting kills and there are a couple of other moves similar to that while the rest are pretty ordinary. Fortunately the time control moves are a lot more interesting and strategic.
Bashing around pretty standard enemies with easy to see strategies is all well and good but where this game really gets going is in the boss battles. Although you won't be dropping you jaw at how cool and stunning the boss characters are, you will need to use all of Joes abilities to get past them. Each one has multiple strategies to outwit them and each one unleashes absolute carnage on the screen. They are all very satisfying to beat with each battle building up in pressure from the last.
Graphics 7.75/10
Probably the first thing people will notice about the graphics is its cartoon style cell shaded characters. Cell shaded graphics may not be able to sell a game the way it did for Jet Grind Radio when it was originally introduced to the gaming world in 2000 but it certainly does suit Viewtiful Joe's anime movie style. In keeping with the movie style of the game it was also interesting that while the environments were 3D the backgrounds often tended to be 2D to create a feeling you were in a set. This tended to make backgrounds a bit easier on the designers which allowed them to focus on putting details into them rather than how it looked from each corner.
Where Viewtiful Joe really excels is in the animation, Joe can move from one slick move to another in the blink of an eye but what makes it really cool is that his whole body moves in a believable fashion with his muscles moving with his momentum. When Joe jumps or even dodge's he can sometimes hang in the air for ages but because the animation is so well weighted, it can feel really realistic. It is this sort of over the top realism that can really suck you into the game.
I also loved the transition between changing the speed of time. When time goes slower the background tends to blur and the characters tend to stand out more while when time goes faster everything is blurred and animations look very cool like anime style. The whole effect is very stylish and suitably thrilling.
Sound 8/10
Generally sound effects in the game were quite good. Joe's heave hoeing may be a bit monotonous but at the same time can sound cool. Crunching robotic enemies receives satisfying sounds as are explosions. Sound gets suitably blurred in slow motion and nice and crisp in fast motion.
The voice acting isn't too bad either though lip synchronization does need a bit of work.
I liked the music which was generally Japanese style techno, and it always suited the situation wether it be an adrenaline packed rush for tough situations or a bit more goofy for the humour in the game. It worked quite well.
Lifespan 7.5/10
I tend to recommend this one for rental as there are only seven levels and they took me a total of about ten hours to complete altogether.
As an action game though, you wouldn't want it much longer or else it would get repetitive and some may want to have another go at it on the hard difficulty which would add a hell of a lot of time considering how much you would need to replay the levels.
Cube version Vs PS2 version
There really isn't much different between each version with graphics and gameplay being absolutely identical. If you own the Gamecube version you would probably be very happy with getting it earlier, while if you have a PS2 you would be happy it has become available to you. Not even the different controllers make any difference this time around. It must however be noted that the PS2 version has Dante as a playable character, so if you're a Devil May Cry fanatic I would advise you to get the PS2 version, otherwise it really doesn't matter.
Overall 8.25/10
In the end Capcom has created one must have masterpiece for fans of 2D action games. In particular for those who were born and bread on the likes of Double Dragon and want something meatier to jump into with the extra depth that time control, a few new moves, and more interesting enemies offer. It is easy to go away satisfied with a fighting system so simple but so satisfying.
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