Viewtiful Joe

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This article is about the first game in the series and the series in general. For the main character of the same name, see Viewtiful Joe (character) or for the anime see Viewtiful Joe (anime).
Viewtiful Joe
Viewtiful Joe box cover
Developer(s) Capcom Production Studio 4
Publisher(s) Capcom
Designer(s) Hideki Kamiya (director), Atsushi Inaba (producer)
Platform(s) Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2
Release date October 7, 2003 (GC)
August 24, 2004 (PS2)
Genre(s) Platform/Beat em up
Mode(s) Single player
Rating(s) CERO: All Ages
ESRB: Teen (T)
PEGI: (12+)

Viewtiful Joe is a video game developed by Capcom's Capcom Production Studio 4 design team "Team Viewtiful". The other games in the series, including the PS2 port of the first game, have been made by Clover Studio. Atsushi Inaba headed the development of all the Viewtiful Joe games (first at Capcom Production Studio 4, then at Clover Studio). The first game was developed exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube in 2003 and was part of the Capcom Five, but was later ported to the PlayStation 2 in 2004 after Nintendo made a deal with Capcom to make Resident Evil 4 a GameCube exclusive (although it was later released on PlayStation 2). The Japanese version of the PlayStation 2 release is titled Viewtiful Joe: A New Hope, a reference to the movie Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Viewtiful Joe 2 was released for both the GameCube and PlayStation 2 in November 2004. An anime version of the game aired on the Japanese television station TV Tokyo during 2004 and was licensed for US distribution by Geneon in 2005.

Contents

[edit] Plot

While Joe and his girlfriend Silvia are watching a tokusatsu drama during a date, Silvia is kidnapped by the movie's antagonist and taken into the world of the movies: Movieland. Joe is able to follow Silvia after being picked up and taken into Movieland by the robot Six Majin. Inside the movie, Joe must rescue Silvia from the evil Jadow, the game's organization of villains. To help him, Captain Blue entrusts him with a V-Watch, telling Joe to transform into a superhero upon saying "Henshin" (Japanese for 'Transformation'), but Joe made it into his personal catchphrase, "Henshin-a-go-go, baby!"

[edit] Gameplay

Viewtiful Joe's gameplay is very unusual and draws inspiration from classic side-scrolling brawlers such as River City Ransom and Double Dragon. Joe has no blocking moves when fighting, he only can dodge by jumping or ducking. Usually, by successfully jumping or ducking, the foe that attacked him will be dazed, leaving the foe wide open for attack. Joe has three 'VFX' (Viewtiful Effects) powers, which are designed to emulate camera tricks seen in movies such as The Matrix:

  • Slow causes Joe's attacks to be more powerful, as well as increasing his reflexes and giving him the ability to dodge most attacks. While in Slow, striking a dazed foe sets up all enemies on the screen for a chain reaction, causing all points accrued during the duration of Slow to be multiplied by the number of enemies struck. If used deftly, Slow will accumulate a very large number of points due to the multiplier effect. If Joe is attacked while in Slow, he will automatically do a dodge move, and will lose a large chunk of his remaining VFX power.
  • Mach speed allows Joe to run at incredible speed, create multiple after-images of himself when he unleashes a flurry of attacks, and can cause his attacks to envelop himself in a temporary heat shield, which will render him immune to flame attacks and set enemies on fire when struck. When used in tandem with Slow, Mach Speed only increases Joe's walking speed while in slow. It also allows "rapid" punches to be used, by holding the attack button.
  • Zoom In gives Joe access to a new group of attacks and will power up his normal attacks, as well as "dazzling" all of the lesser foes in proximity to Joe into paralysis. Joe's punch is replaced with the "Red Hot One Hundred", a flurry of fists (different from Mach Speed). Joe's kick is replaced with an energetic spin kick, where he levitates in the air as he spins repeatedly. Jumping caused Joe to corkscrew into the air, damaging anything in his path. If the player zooms in while in the air, Joe will careen towards the ground feet first and send shockwaves out from the point of impact.

All of these are used in combat and to solve the game's puzzles. Two of Joe's attack powers can be used at the same time: Slow and Zoom, Mach Speed and Zoom. The most powerful attack in the game, the "Slow Zoom Red Hot One Hundred" (SlowZ-RHOH), is done by enabling Slow, Zooming, and then punching your enemy. Using Mach Speed while attacking speeds the attack up slightly. All of the VFX powers are required to get past at least one area in the game. Joe has a VFX meter which empties as he uses his powers. If it runs out, Joe reverts to his normal state until the first bar of the meter refills. In his normal state, Joe takes double damage, has weaker attacks, loses the double jump ability and can no longer use his VFX powers. The bar can be extended by collecting various film cans scattered throughout the stages. For every fifty collected, a small extension a third the length of the initial VFX bar is added, up to five extensions. Picking up the small blue juice cans gives a small boost to the VFX bar (and can extend beyond the length of the VFX bar available), large blue bottles fill up a significantly larger portion, and red bottles give infinite VFX power for a limited time.

[edit] Inspiration

The premise references Japanese tokusatsu superhero Sci-Fi TV programs, such as Kamen Rider and Kaiketsu Zubat. For example, just before a boss battle, Joe's helmet closes much like Zubat's.

[edit] Cast

Main article: List of Viewtiful Joe characters

[edit] Playable characters

In addition to Joe, the game has several other playable characters:

  • Sexy Silvia – Unlocked by clearing Adult mode. She is the fastest runner in the game but takes double damage when hit. Her attacks are slightly weaker than Joe's, but her VFX meter drains more slowly. She can also jump slightly higher than Joe, possibly because she is lighter.
  • Blade Master Alastor – Unlocked by clearing V-Rated mode, and has the ability to double jump in normal mode. You have to press the Z button to 'Devil Trigger' him into Viewtiful mode, in which he can use his VFX powers. However, being in Viewtiful mode causes an auto drain effect on his meter whether or not VFX powers are being used. The upside is that when you use his powers the drain carries on at the same rate (unlike the other characters where it speeds up if you combine powers) but because of this you will spend a lot more time in normal mode. While jumping in Viewtiful mode Alastor will continue to flap his wings allowing him to descend to the ground dramatially slower but can fall at normal speed if the analog is held down. Using the punch kick combo he will take out his demon sword in his final punch, doubling his reach, both in normal and Viewtiful mode. There is a rumor that Alastor does more damage than other characters, but this has been proven false.
  • Captain Blue – Unlocked by clearing Ultra V-Rated mode. He has the highest single jump in the game but he doesn't have a double jump. Instead, he has the ability to fly horizontally as long as the jump button is pressed. He cannot see the skulls that indicate where an enemy is going to attack, but their movements before attacking can help him bypass this handicap; enemies shuffling their feet mean a low attack, while waving their fists like a boxer indicate a high attack.
  • Dante – Unlocked only in PlayStation 2 version by playing any mode (also unlockable in the PSP version of Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble). In addition to close range punches, kicks, and sword attacks, Dante can use his two handguns to attack faraway enemies. However, if the guns are used while in Slow, the bullets will be slowed down just like when enemies fire their guns. The finishing sword thrust of his ground attack combo (similar to his "Stinger" special move from Devil May Cry) does extreme damage when combined with VFX powers Slow and Zoom, actually enabling a one-hit kill on Fire Leo on Adults difficulty, making him arguably a contender for the strongest character in the game.

In addition to unlockable characters, each character has a "Super" version unlockable by beating Adult, V Rated, or Ultra-V Rated with perfect "Rainbow V" scores in all levels. ( Ratings are letter grades, with V the best followed by A through D. 3 V grades in each mission award a Rainbow V for that mission. ) Super mode gives a player unlimited VFX power, making the game considerably easier. With certain characters, especially Alastor, getting the scores necessary is much harder than with Joe, but get added benefits from their Super modes.

[edit] Reaction

Viewtiful Joe was one of the highest rated games of its console generation.[citation needed] IGN gave Viewtiful Joe a 9.5 (on GameCube), or "Outstanding" rating, citing the beautiful cel-shaded graphics and high intensity action made it one of the best action games on the GameCube and PlayStation 2.[1] Viewtiful Joe won the player's choice awards in Nintendo Power, and was also rated the 27th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Powers Top 200 Games list.[2] . The G4 television program X-Play named Viewtiful Joe the 9th best game of all time for the GameCube. In 2007, Viewtiful Joe was named 17th best Gamecube game of all time in IGN's feature reflecting on the Gamecube's long lifespan.[3]. Later in 2007, ScrewAttack.com listed it number seven on their Top 10 GameCube Games of All Time [4]

[edit] Sequels and re-releases

Viewtiful Joe was originally to be a trilogy, as cited in-game by Captain Blue toward the end of the first game ("There are two more times when the world will be in danger") and at the end of Viewtiful Joe 2, when a third game is hinted at as revealing the secret of the Black V-Watch and Black Film, when a castle suddenly appears in the real world. Whether or not Double Trouble is meant to be the third game of the series is not exactly specified, although both the story and the endings of that game hint that it's not. A new development team called Seeds(now called Platinum Games) has been formed from the staff of the now defunct Clover Studio, opening the possibility of a third game. Also, one of Clover Studio's franchises, Okami, is being re-released for the Nintendo Wii, thus meaning that Capcom could have plans for using other Clover Studio licences (Viewtiful Joe being one of them) in the future.

[edit] References to other media

  • (Viewtiful) Joe wears a large scarf with his costume. This is a homage to Kamen Rider Ichi-go and Nii-go (as well as many other "Classic" Riders), which feature a large scarf as part of their costume.
  • The V-watch bears a slight resemblance to the original Kamen Rider Henshin-belt. The V-Watch also bears resemblance to the watches used in Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets in the US)
  • The pose struck by Joe as he makes his transformation into Viewtiful Joe is almost exactly the same as the classic henshin pose from the Kamen Rider series.
  • One of Viewtiful Joe's moves - the Red Hot Kick - emulates the classic finishing move held by nearly every Kamen Rider: the Rider Kick.
  • "Who ever wins, has to change into a yellow outfit" Joe says this to Another Joe in order to dissuade the twin from winning. This is a reference to the older series of Kamen Rider, in which the protagonist would often have to face an evil double (frequently several) that was (were) distinguished from the hero by the yellow scarf that it (they) wore. It could also be a reference to the Flash and Zoom (the Reverse-Flash) They both have the same high speed powers, but Zoom wears yellow and is evil, while the Flash wears red and is a hero. Perhaps as a nod to this scene, one of Joe's alternate color choices in Red Hot Rumble is a yellow outfit.
  • Joe yells "Toh!" when jumping, like early tokusatsu heroes such as the Kamen Riders when performing super-long or high jumps.
  • The hero costumes worn by Joe, Silvia, and Captain Blue (among others) are clearly based on the costumes worn by the various hero teams from the Super Sentai series.
  • King Blue strangely resembles the Chouriki Sentai Ohranger villain known as Emperor Bacchus-Rage, more commonly known as King Mondo from Power Rangers: Zeo
  • The penultimate battle in the game is set up much like a mecha battle, a prominent feature from the Super Sentai series.
  • Before the battle with Hulk Davidson, Joe is asked "So what's with the V-Watch on your arm? What, you think you're some kinda Mega Man or something?", referring to Capcom's famous little blue robot.
  • Hold the kick button to take out a bomb, before Joe kicks it off, he whistles to the beginning parts of Super Mario Bros. theme. This gag, however, was of course removed from the PS2 version for copyright reasons.
    • Doing the same in the air, he whistles the next part of the song.
  • Next to be influenced by the mechas of the "Sentai" shows, the Six Machine's cockpit appears to be influenced by Mazinger Z's Pilder.
  • On the back of the original Viewtiful Joe box, you can see the classic Nintendo toy robot, R.O.B., in the showcase along with the Captain Blue model. R.O.B. also makes an appearance as an item-box holder at the start of the game's final stage. This was strangely not removed from the ps2 version
  • If you look closely at Gran Bruce's mouth when he regurgitates trash, (during the fight with him) you can see a Nintendo Gamecube. This was taken out of the PS2 version for obvious reasons.
  • The posters that are shown during the ending credits are plays on several famous movie posters:
    • The movie poster for the first stage, Joe the Hero, is a parody of the Horror of Dracula movie poster from 1958.
    • The movie poster for the second stage, Some Like it Red Hot, is a parody of the King Kong movie poster from 1933. The stage's name is a parody of Marilyn Monroe's 1959 movie Some Like it Hot.
    • The movie poster for the third stage, Two Million Leagues Under the Sea, is a parody of the movie poster for Jaws 2, with Silvia water skiing and Gran Bruce coming up behind her. The stage's title is a parody of the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
    • The movie poster for the fourth page, The Viewtiful Escape, is a parody of the movie poster for The Hunt for Red October from 1990. The stage's name may be a parody of The Great Escape.
    • The movie poster for the fifth stage, The Midnight Thunder Boy, is a bit of a play of Capcom's own Devil May Cry, with Goldie in the logo instead of Trish. The stages name is also a parody of a 1969 film named Midnight Cowboy.
    • The movie poster for the sixth stage, The Magnificent Five, is a parody of the movie poster for Russell Crowe's film Gladiator, with Fire Leo in place of Crowe. The stage's name is a parody of The Magnificent Seven.
    • The movie poster for the final stage, Joe & Silvia, is an obvious homage to the classic Star Wars movie poster.
  • Many of the sound effects in the series are also used in the classic Ruby-Spears "Megaman" cartoon, as well as the character Jet Black, who is clearly an homage to the character Jet, from an episode of said cartoon. In the cartoon, at one point, Megaman is sent to a dark future where Dr. Wily has taken over the world, and one of the oppressed citizens he meets (and is a main character in the episode) is named Jet, has red hair, and a similar suit to the Jet in Viewtiful Joe. His hair style and light amount of facial hair are also extremely similar. It should also be noted that his niece refers to him as "Uncle Jet" in a similar manner as Silvia does in the games (although in the cartoon he is an actual uncle).
  • At the start of the level 'Midnight Thunder Boy' Joe talks to his fists saying "Time to go to work guys!" This same line is said by Dante at the start of Devil May Cry except he is talking to his guns Ebony & Ivory.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Dunham, Jeremy (August 20th, 2004). Viewtiful Joe Review. ign.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-05.
  2. ^ “NP Top 200”, Nintendo Power 200: 58-66, February 2006 .
  3. ^ IGN GameCube Team (2007-03-16). The Top 25 GameCube Games of All Time. IGN.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-18.
  4. ^ Gametrailers.com - The Source For Video Game Media

[edit] External links

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