Viewtiful Joe 2 - GameCube (GC) Reviews


	Platform GameCube Genre Action Publisher Capcom Developer Clover Studios / Capcom ESRB T (Teen) Released November 2004

- Great looking game - Intense action - Better save feature that makes for less frustration - Still presents a challenge

- Sylvia adds very little to the overall game - The hardcore crowd will deem it a little "dumbed down"

Review: Viewtiful Joe (GC) Review: Alien Hominid (GC) Review: Metroid Prime 2 - Echoes (GC)
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Viewtiful Joe 2

Score: 9.1 / 10

As a sequel, Viewtiful Joe 2 (VJ2) hits all the right marks. It’s just as fun as the original, it features more moves, another playable character and is much less difficult to complete. Yes, whereas the original actually gave me hand cramps with it’s exacting boss fights, VJ2 only cramped the trigger finger on my left hand. The thought did cross my mind that my gaming skills are so good it just seemed easier but upon replaying some of the original I would have to say VJ2's actually easier. (A phenomenon that can be traced to it’s multiplatform release.)

VJ2 starts with an alien invasion and the kidnapping of Captain Blue. It sets Joe and his pom-pom wielding girlfriend Sylvia on a course to crush the invasion and save Capt. Blue.

At the press of the Z-button you can switch between Joe and Sylvia. Or the button can be held down to perform simple combo moves. Sylvia totes a gun, which is useful in dealing with some of the flying enemies from a distance but for the most part Sylvia will see very little use. Joe stays front and center.

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Stylistically, VJ2 is consistent with the first game. The VFX powers are used to meet objectives or dish out more damage via some slick moves. The action still moves in the sidescrolling manner without actually feeling like a 2D game. When Joe or Sylvia depletes the VFX gauge, used to perform the VFX powers like slow down, the screen still blinks back to a scratched-film perspective and snapping to cel-shaded detail as the gauge refills. As for being “better” then the original, VJ2 doesn’t try to outdo itself. (If it ain’t broke…)

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The action itself, while somewhat easier than the original, still proves to be frantic. Joe and Sylvia meet their fair share of death but thanks to more generous save points you’ll feel a lot less frustrated. (The original made you replay large chunks of the levels again if you died.)

It’s also during the option to save our game that new abilities and upgrades can be purchased with the VFX points you’ve earned during the course of the level. What’s more, is that if you die and have to restart from the save point you can revisit the upgrade shop and make a purchase with the VFX points earned before you died. On a few occasions I actually played through a piece of a level a couple of times then died on purpose so I could upgrade before carrying on. (Yet another feature that makes VJ2 easier than the original.)

Though there are minor improvements over the original, Viewtiful Joe 2 is a rip-roaring ride with plenty of fun packed into the experience. Definitely worth a purchase if you enjoyed the original.

- Omni

(January 8, 2005)