Viewtiful Joe is simply one of the best 2D side scrolling beat-'em-ups since the invention of games themselves. Nothing can top the sheer quality of the gameplay or the quantity of it. It is a true classic that will appeal to hardcore gamers and fans of niche games or 2D side scrolling beat-'em-ups, but not so much the casual or unskilled gamer, because this game is hard. But that's not necessarily a bad thing because you feel rewarded when you finally beat that boss or level, and it's the kind of feeling that reminds you of the reason you started playing video games.
Graphics - 93 / 100: The graphics on Viewtiful Joe's shiny screen utterly blew me away the first time I popped in the disc. From the pulsating scenes from the opening cinematic to the cut scenes during normal gameplay to the beautifully rendered environments and enemies, I knew I was in for a treat. You never really notice the small details like the etching on bullets when you slow down the game with your VFX powers or the blur effect on your punches, but it all adds to create a very epic feeling game that makes you believe where you are and what you are doing.
Sound - 84 / 100: The first thing I noticed when I turned on the game was how loud it was. I had to turn down the volume on my television to keep the neighbors from thinking I was having a drunken rave in my house. Besides that fact, the sound is very good, but unnoticeable during normal gameplay. Except from unusual events like Hulk Davidson trying to crush you with his butt-stomp or the enemies that shoot bullets at you, the only time I noticed the sound was during cut scenes and boss battles. The background music is a composure of techno and 1950's era movies music, which may sound weird until you actually listen to it. The sound effects are also very cool as they try to make you think you are actually slowing down or speeding up time when you use you VFX powers, and the background music slows down or speeds up along with it. The only problem I have with the sound effects is that some times, they sound a half-second off and make the game seem a bit off kilter.
Controls - 95 / 100: Since Viewtiful Joe is a 2D side scrolling beat-'em-up, controls are not really an issue. L (which slows down time) and R (which speed up time) controls two of your three VFX powers, but the C stick (which controls the third VFX power, zoom in) would be my only gripe with the controls. Zoom in is one of the most useful VFX powers, especially during boss battles. But because boss battles can get very hectic and the C stick requires you to take your finger away from the attack buttons and the jump button, it momentarily slows down your offensive and defensive, which caused some untimely deaths on my part. Although not a huge deal because you can also use the B button to zoom in, it would've been nice to be able to map the controls and put zoom in on the Z button.
Gameplay - 89 / 100: As I have mentioned, Viewtiful Joe is a 2D side scrolling beat-'em-up, and these types of games aren't know for there deep gameplay, brain numbing puzzles, or smart enemy AI, but this game changes those rules. You start the game by choosing a difficulty level, which at the start consists of "Kids" and "Adults", and increases to three new ones after you beat the game. And did I mention this game is incredibly hard? At the beginning of the game when you haven't mastered any of the moves or enemy patterns, this game can seem quite daunting. Luckily it lowers you slowly into the game by teaching you basic theory in how to play, and you gain more experience by actually playing it. Viewtiful Joe has three types of VFX powers which you learn gradually during the course of the first level, and you use these powers to solve (some occasionally very hard) puzzles and beat certain enemies and bosses. You receive a certain amount of "FX points" for every enemy you kill and combo you complete, and you can use these points at the end of every level to upgrade your move list and health bar and buy disposable bombs and boomerangs. After you beat the game (which can take upwards of 8 hours) you can unlock three progressively cooler new characters with new moves that resemble the original list of moves . My only real complaint of this game, which although very long by this genres standards, could have been at bit longer. This generation of games has seen in increase of length and I was hoping that would've applied to this game. Sadly it didn't.
Ingenuity - 91 / 100: Viewtiful Joe is the first game in a long while that attempts to rewrite the standard 2D side scrolling beat-'em-up genre, and it does it admirably.
Overall - 90.4 / 100: This game earns my "To Buy" recommendation!
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