Viewtiful Joe

Yesterday I was walking through the mall, and stopped by GameStop. Now, I’ve been a gamer for who knows how long, but I’d like to think that I’ve tempered my “obsession” over the past few years. I have yet to get on the whole “next-gen console” craze, and so I only own a Playstation 2. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that I’m not a gamer. It’s just that I’m not done with the good games of yesteryear yet.

In any case, as I was browsing through the old PS2 titles, especially the used games that were in the “$9.99 or less” rack, I came across a game that I had played when I was in high school over five years ago. It was called Viewtiful Joe. It looked liked it was in pretty good shape, and for $5.99, I figured it would be worth a play. I mean, a rental at Blockbuster is around seven bucks anyway, so I figured if I didn’t like it, at least I could trade it in for something else later.

That night, after my last class, I put the disc into the system, and was immediately blown away. Not exactly by the graphics, because though they were unique, they were about as far from “realistic” as possible. It was a very cel-shaded look, akin to the style of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. To me, it looked as if the characters had been pulled right from a comic book. All the proportions were cartoony, from the big heads and small bodies to the accompanying “SMACK” and “POW” feel of hitting your enemies.

And this isn’t a 3D game, though you’d really be hard-pressed to notice. This is a side-scrolling, fast-paced brawler akin to Double Dragon on thirteen double-latte cappuccinos. The action is fast, furious, and sucks you right in, even if it does get a little too wild for me to handle at times. (I mean, there are moments when there are over thirty little baddies all over the screen, and I’m just struggling to keep the hero alive.

But it’s the unique, tongue-in-cheek story that really sets this game apart from the crowd. We’re introduced right off to Joe, just an average movie-loving guy, and his girlfriend, Silvia, who clearly doesn’t want to spend her date night at the movie theater, again. But, just as Captain Blue, Joe’s favorite superhero, falls to the the movie’s antagonist, Joe is busy trying to get Silvia to take the film more seriously.

Then, as cheesy as it may sound, the antagonist reaches through the screen, kidnaps Silvia, and takes her back into movieland. Joe, the wisecracking little film nut that he is, gets pulled right in, and ends up entrusted with a superhero “V-Watch”, courtesy of Captain Blue’s “essence”. As soon as you can say “Henshin-a-go-go, baby”, Joe is off to defeat the Jadow, the group of villians who have kidnapped Silvia, and get his girlfriend back.

Now, I never played the game all the way through, and I’m only on the beginning stages, but man am I having a great time with it. More games need to be given the care and time and creativity that I’m sure this one was given. There are countless references to pop-culture, especially old movies and video games. The entire story is riddled with little jokes and references, along with the constant barrage of Joe’s personal dialogue.

So, if you’re up for some laughs, and want to get lost in one of the best Playstation 2 games every made, or even, one of the best games ever made, period, see if you can track down a copy of Viewtiful Joe.

- Kyle

~ by Karratti on Wednesday, 31 October, 2007.