Viewtiful Joe
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: 10/07/2003
AWARD WON: BEST PLATFORMER 2003
Alexander Lucard
Stylish, hip and oh so attractive. Viewtiful Joe was proof positive that 2-D gaming not only had a big place left in American Gaming, but that it could still be better looking and most importantly, more fun, than the 3-D variants dominating the scene. Sony of America would eventually eat crow and swallow its “2-D games are for losers” attitude and allow Capcom to bring Viewtiful Joe to the Sony Playstation 2 after it had dominated the Nintendo Game Cube Charts. Viewtiful Joe was on the top of the list for most of the original Kliq when it came to the must haves for the system. It’s great to know we weren’t let down.
Tom Pandich
Ah, remember the Capcom 5? This was one of the five games that Capcom announced as “Gamecube” exclusives along with P.N.03 (sucked), Resident Evil 4 (PS2), Killer 7 (PS2), and something that was cancelled. So what is so great about the original Viewtiful Joe where as the franchise is sucking wind now?
Well first off, it’s hard. Not old school hard, but Super Nintendo/Genesis hard at the very least. It’s a funny thing about hard games at Inside Pulse. We like them. We like them a lot. Our favorite games are 2D shooters, old school RPGs, 2D fighters, and puzzle games. Viewtiful Joe fits nicely into the hard category.
What else then? Well Viewtiful Joe is stylish as hell. The combination of the cell shaded art with the Power Ranger like villains really gives this game a distinct feel. Unlike most games though, Viewtiful Joe’s gameplay mirrors it’s style. The various film powers that Joe has are really awesome. Slowing things down and speeding them up adds a distinct feel to the game that hasn’t really been copied since Viewtiful Joe. Furthermore, Viewtiful Joe had a combo element like Devil May Cry that added a ton of depth to the game.
Viewtiful Joe is well deserving of Best Platformer simply because it’s one of the few games that blends old school action with new school style. It’s a great game that is well worth playing.