Genre: Beat ’em Up
Year: 2003
Developed by: Capcom Production Studio 4 / Clover Studio
Published by: Capcom
Platforms: GameCube, PS2, PSP, DS
#119
Feeling Like: Henshin-a-go-go, baby!
Some games stand the test of time, others are just flashes in the pan. Viewtiful Joe is unfairly unrecognized, for the most part. It stands the test of time, but I don’t ever counted anything but a minor blip in the gaming world. Critical reception was stellar, and sequels were made, but it faded into obscurity as quicky as a red hot kick. This game is slick as hell, and still looks great 20 years later. Unsurprising, since this was the team behind Okami, generally considered one of the most beautiful games ever created.
The word “viewtiful” sounds ridiculous the first time you read it, doubly so when you say it. But as soon as the game starts, it all of a sudden becomes a very sensible word. Naturally, an average Joe that gets pulled into “Movieland” by an evil force who also kidnapped his girlfriend WOULD turn into a superhero thanks to a magic watch.
And he has to say “HENSHIN” to transform.
It feels like a spiritual successor to Comix Zone, in almost every way. It’s hyper stylized to the point where you can’t imagine Joe looking any other way. It’s a 2D game, with a bit of 3D effect mixed in there. You don’t move fast at all and there are generally only a few enemies on the screen. It’s tough as nails. Every punch and kick feels like you’ve launched a fist-sized truck at your enemies.
Where it veers from like-minded brawlers are the speed-up and slow down powers. Dodging enemy attacks builds the VFX meter, which you then use to slow time down. Slowing down time means your attacks do amplified damage. There’s something immensely satisfying about dodging a shark’s jab, slowing down time and seeing Joe uppercut them in the chin in extreme slow motion. Bon.
I bought this at the end of one of my summer stints at Prince of Whales. I’d saved up enough money to foolishly purchase five GameCube games at full price – I was heading east again and I was damned if I wouldn’t have an arsenal of entertainment at beck and call. Most were multiplayer games, like Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour but a few single player games slipped in. Viewtiful Joe was one of them. It remained on my shelf for a year or two before I cleared out everything else and was only left with this strange little gem from Capcom. As soon as I booted it up, I knew I’d been silly to hold off for this long.
I zipped through it in my 2nd year in a few days. Since it was September, I didn’t have any tests to study for and I was a master at pumping out mediocre papers at record speed. Hey, there’s a reason this blog is about video games and not how good my GPA was (it was not a 4.3, I will tell you that). A few fellow students would come by and watch me play for a few minutes, but it didn’t seem to have the allure of an Ikaruga or Resident Evil 4, where the spectacle would mesmerize anybody who came in to chat.
Maybe it was too weird looking. The speed-up power would help in certain situations, but I could barely make out what was going on, so I doubt onlookers would either. There are LOTS of silly catch phrases used. In 2003, we were becoming obsessed with graphics that looked as realistic as possible, so something this cartoony may have turned some potential players off. Didn’t for me necessarily, though it didn’t exactly pull me in right away. Without the high review scores, it’s very possible I would have avoided it entirely.
Two boss fights stand out above anything else in my memory…well two boss fights and that bastard helicopter I could never beat. The one on one fight against Another Joe was outstanding. It’s essentially your Dark Link confrontation, where he looks nearly identical and uses a similar moveset to you. And says “HENSHIN A BYE BYE!” which always stuck with me for how stupid it sounded, especially when he was beating my face to a pulp. The quick combos, counters and finally landing a hit felt great and highlighted how good the level of challenge was. I’m always up for a one on one slugfest, particularly if the entrants are evenly matched. Easily my favorite part of the game.
The Inferno Lord, Fire Leo on the other hand was a nightmare. Three phases of pure terror, each one requiring different timing to evade the various environmental dangers and opportunities to fight back. I died so many times, I had to take a week long break to get my bearings. Online guides weren’t all that helpful, but eventually I learned to use Mach Speed and various maneuvers I’d obtained to take him down. It didn’t help that he was lightning quick and I couldn’t just button mash to defeat him. Out of all the bosses I’ve mentioned and yet to mention on the 500, Fire Leo has to be among the elite who mercilessly kicked my ass. I don’t know if I mastered the game enough to beat him easily, more like I finally got lucky enough to get his life bar to zero and move on. Quickly. Don’t look back.
I don’t even know if I remembered Viewtiful Joe until I saw it pop up on the Almighty Spreadsheet. It’s an odd one, but a good one. Everybody here is cracking wise, the cel-shaded graphics still hold up and the combat is bizarre enough to work. The movie theme works perfectly, with the director yelling “CUT!” when you get a game over, or Joe calling out standard storytelling tropes before yet another confrontation.
“Viewtiful” indeed.
The 500 