 Latest Music
Reviews
|
 Latest Wrestling
Reviews
|
|
|
Better late than never, baby.
Publisher: Capcom/THQ
Mon, 1 August 2005
by: Australian Ninja
Email the Author
Australian Ninja a go go baby!
Basically VJ2 is an old skool side scrolling beat em up game tricked out with fancy "cell-shaded" graphics and technically is in 3-D, but plays exclusively as a 2-D game. It's tough but fair, annoying and massively addictive fun to play. Just think Streets of Rage plus some Klonoa with ten tons of in your face attitude, bright superhero costumes and the Japanese wacky factor.
Viewtiful Joe 2 (VJ2) is a combo lovers paradise. If you enjoy a good punch up in the real world, or the movie world, then you must play this game. Very little is different from the first Joe game. What was fun and worked in the first game has been retained for the sequel. It's a clear case of "if it aint broke, don't fix it." If you loved the first game then there is more of the same in VJ2. I want to complain about this being yet another sequel, un-original, derivative etc but instead I'll shut up and tell you that I had soooooo much fun playing this game. In fact it's not much of a sequel or even a refinement over the first game. It's more like an extension of the first game as it continues straight on, has the same level layout, some repeat bosses and almost no changes to the core gameplay. All the special moves and stylish combos from VJ1 are present and accounted for sir.
The major new feature is the addition of changing to Silvia. It's possible to swap between Joe and Silvia any time during the game. It's a really cool feature that is under used. What could have been a fantastic play mechanic is only half-baked. Silvia can solve certain puzzles that Joe cannot. Silvia has one exclusive ability - the triple kick - that Joe does not have. The only purpose of this move is solving puzzles and breaking special crates. The game could use more crates.
 | | Not much of a fighter, but she does have a nice rack |
Joe fights well and kicks ass, Silvia is a crap fighter and only useful to solve those certain puzzles. It's pretty redundant to be Silvia for any reason other than to solve puzzles. It would have made far more sense for Joe to be able to solve all the puzzles himself and for Silvia to be an equal fighter. Are you sick of the word puzzles yet? They are the single stupidest feature of VJ2, be prepared to be frustrated.
For some reason the four playable bonus characters (Silvia, Blue, Dante, Alastor) from the previous PS2 version of VJ1 are missing in action. Sure Silvia is here, but really Joe and Silvia in this game are the equivalent of one character. It would have been ultra cool to swap between Joe and Dante (from "Devil May Cry") in game. Henshin Devil May Cry is a go-go rocking baby. What's odd is that the repeat boss from the first game is "Devil Boy" Alastor, Dantes sword from D.M.C.
The storyline is absurd as ever, and that is why it works so well. Other than Joe and Silvia being inside a movie, the story and motivations of the various characters are pure nonsense. I would like to see more games that attempt to be this consistently silly and laugh out loud funny. It's a refreshing change of pace from the depressing shoot everything dead games that dominates today.
Music takes a turn for the better in VJ2. Funky-ass beats, honky-tonk piano, stylish rock 'n roll are some of the reasons why it's good to be foolish and play this game nice and loud. The other reason is the kicking sound effects that thankfully remains unchanged from the first game. Good thing too, they were perfect smashing, crunching, exploding and bashing SFX then and they are just as good now.
VJ2 is a little easier than VJ1, though I don't recommend this game for beginners. The real highlights of VJ2 are the wacky bosses. They are all tough as nails S.O.B.’s and this game is chock full of them. If you don't like endless hard boss battles then be warned, you may not like this game for that reason alone.
VJ2 is a guilty pleasure to play. Beating the living snot out of multiple enemies with stylish combos is brilliant fun. Learning the pattern of a tough boss who you've died on several times in a row and that whipping him good is a truly satisfying experience. Mastering big combos and flashy special moves make for some spectacular carnage on screen.
What starts out as a "ho-hum more of the same" game soon becomes an addictive button mashing experience. Just one more level, just one more new move, just...one...more.
The save points are more frequent and this is a welcome change. Once started it is seriously hard to stop playing VJ2. The only genuine criticisms I have for this game are the puzzles and the uselessness of Silvia. There is nothing wrong with them this is just my bias. Capcom are the true unrivalled masters of obscure, weird and stupidly frustrating puzzles. Puzzles that make no logical sense in any world - real or imagined. Puzzles that make you want to smash the controller, snap the game in half, and then introduce a sledgehammer to your T.V. For these consistently bad puzzle designs, I salute them, those crazy bastards.
 | | That is just plain cool. |
The major unlockable extra(s) is the Shaolin style chambers. Basically these are a series of one level challenges with special criteria to pass. For example beating a certain amount of enemies within a time limit. These are not the main game levels, but specific challenges that are unlocked from playing the main game, then accessed in a different mode from the main menu screen.
The Shaolin part comes from the training the ancient Shaolin Monks would go through. They passed through certain specially designed chambers (inside their own temple building) that would test their abilities in a variety of ways. It's said that some people have even died from facing those challenges. Anyone who's seen the old Kung-Fu show will probably know the scene where Cain carries a scalding hot urn out into the snow, which burns / tattoos his forearms with a tiger and a dragon. This was the final challenge of a true Shaolin monk.
The bottom line is that Viewtiful Joe two is some serious fun, baby. It's hard, but not too hard. You will need to learn the moves well to finish the game. If you don't earn enough Viewtiful points to buy the special moves then you may have to start the game over again. The puzzles will drive you nuts, but this is so minor as there is not many overall in the game. If you loved the first game then I highly recommend this to you. Just don't expect anything new or innovative. If you've never played a Joe game, then baby, you better know what's good for you and go play one or suffer a lifetime without Joe, your loss. Just stop reading and go, go baby and play some Viewtiful Joe right now.
by: Australian Ninja
Email the Author
More articles by Australian Ninja
Who wants some disco themed levels in the next Joe game? I do. | |
|
|
|
Latest Game
Latest DVD
By Australian Ninja
