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PRE-GAME

His mentor had fallen and his girl was abducted by an unknown evil. The world was in danger. 

Yet none of this mattered to Joe when he became “Viewtiful.” 

Powered by the V-watch, Joe fought countless minions of evil and was triumphant; and, in the end, saved the world, his mentor and his girlfriend. He once again knew peace.

For about 30 seconds.

Now Movieland finds itself in danger again. The Black Emperor has arrived, and evil is afoot.  However, Joe is not alone this time. With “Sexy” Silva at his side, along with his ride the remodeled "Six Machine", Joe is primed and ready to play hero again, which is not a problem for our young hero. 

Even with all this help, can Joe live up to this task? Of course he can, that’s why HIS name is in the game’s title! 

Henshin A Go-Go Baby!

EYE-SPY

THE HOOK: The original Viewtiful Joe was not only well-received by critics, but took home a series of awards which lead to a PS2 port. With his return, VJ2 offers everything the original game did, the addition of a second playable character from the start.

HOW IT LOOKS AND FEELS: A year after its debut, VJ2 offers gamers one of the best visual experiences to date. While the game doesn’t out-do the original in the looks department, it’s still sharp and crisp. VJ2 actually manages to surpass the original in freaky-ass boss designs. Joe is pitted against Dinosaurs, Soldier, Cops, an Evil Squid Mad Genius, and a very ticked off living weapon from “Devil May Cry” for starters.

On the control side, there have been some changes to VJ2 but nothing veterans of the previous installment couldn’t pick up on. Since VJ2 offers the player the option to switch from Joe to Silva in mid-battle, Joe’s Zoom-In button has been reassigned to the Right Analog controller (which has lead to me getting my ass kicked a few times more than I had planned on during the game.). Non the less, the game’s controls are tight and precise and with a little practice, anybody can pick up on them and master them even if they haven’t played the original. Most importantly, Capcom kept things fun by not touching any of Joe’s FX powers, which was undoubtly one of the biggest draws of the original.

HOW IT SOUNDS: Ugh. Nothing new in this department. The soundtrack is just as uninspiring as it was the first time around, and it lacks any bonuses like the original “Viewtiful World” single. While it’s not horrible, I was hoping for something new and approved in this department. It’s still hit or miss.

However, you’re not going to find any better voice acting for some time. While VJ2 lacks a star-studded cast that you’ll find in such titles as GTA: San Andreas and Halo 2, it does prove that you don’t have to have celebrities to make a game’s voice overs good. The cast does a great job with the outrageous material they have to deliver, which is saying a lot, considering the caliber of the games cast. There are some hilarious lines in this game (some of the best coming from new villain Cyber Phantom: Cameo Leon) and the quality of the voice acting only enriches them. Naturally, the action/FX sound effects are as well executed in the sequel as they were in the original. To make a long story short, Capcom may have dropped the ball in the soundtrack department but it rebounded on the other sound fields making the overall package pretty damn good.

EXTRAS: The 36 chambers.  

While this may sound like a bad kung-fu flick or a best of Wu-Tang Clan album, this unlockable extra rules. Basically, by performing certain tasks at certain points in the game, you unlock a different chamber.  Each chamber offer a different goal for the player, most of them that would make the most hardcore of players think they were playing some old school NES game that kicked their asses when they were wearing underoos.

CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE: Just plain awesome.

Seriously, words cannot describe the caliber of Video Game goodness delivered in this game. Proving that looks aren’t everything, the cinemas are carried out by the in-game graphics.  As if some of the most unique graphics ever weren’t enough of a treat, what transpires in these events are the icing of the cake. You will wet yourself as most of these unfold, just because they are so great. Over the top and funny as hell, the cinemas in this game kick as much ass as the stars. If they awarded video game character Oscars, Jet Black (Joe’s dad, not Spike’s partner from “Cowboy Bebop”) would win enough to make Tom Hanks cry......on the large pile of money he must sleep on.

BEST PLAYER: Now that the upstart from “Devil May Cry” isn’t in his game, Joe is the best out of the duo. Although Silva does fit the costume better.

CHEAT CODE YOU NEED: None, unless you’re one of the losers who uses a cheating device. Joe hates you.

CHEAT CODE YOU WANT: How about playing the game as Joe’s dad? I mean, you got to as Silva’s if you beat the first one.

OH MAN! MOMENT: The Ice level. Not only do you have to deal with the occasional brain-punching puzzle, you’ll have to deal with the brother of the original VJ’s hardest boss. Wonder if Spidey ever had these sort of problems...

GLITCH ITCH: The Capcom developers really need to go back to school and brush up on some courses because this game, like every other Capcom game I’ve played for the last 2 years, has some serious collision problems. As if running around in that tight as hell costume made it hard for Joe to be taken serious, the fact that his girlfriend’s cape will often fly through his head in the cinemas isn’t making his situation any better.

FAN SERVICE: Where to begin? It seems like the entire game itself is a parody of Hollywood, titling each level after a movie, having the levels look like movies like “Jurassic Park” and “Indiana Jones”, making the main objective saving Oscars and...well you know what, my fingers would fall off if I mentioned everything this game pays homage to or makes fun of. Just go out and buy it now to find out for yourself.

END GAME:

Resident Evil 4 this ain’t, though I wouldn’t say it’s Devil May Cry 2 either.

It’s hard to review a game like Viewtiful Joe 2.  This games strengths work for it and against it, making it hard for me to recommend it to everyone.

If you’ve never played the original Viewtiful Joe (BOO! BOO! BOOOOO!), chances are the sequel won’t appeal to you. You’ve missed a lot my friend, and why you may want to risk playing this game anyway because any and every hardcore gamer loves it, you’re better off picking up the original first. I say that because you’ll be coming into the middle of the story (think of it as watching “Empire Strikes Back” before watching the original Star Wars), the learning curve won’t be as merciful as it was the first time around, and you’re going to hate Silva from the get-go.  Which leads to my next problem.

Ahh Silva, I wanted to like you, really!  Your addition to this game was so hyped up. Look at you, all V-ed out, ready to lend your man a hand....too bad you’re more or less useless in a fight, unless the developers created a certain puzzle that only your “unique” abilities can solve. I know VJ2's supposed to be “old school beat em up fun”, but that doesn’t mean Silva had to fall into the whole “faster than Joe, but weaker” mold that so many female characters of old did. It’s a shame. I would have rather have played as your old man, Alastor or that striking fellow from Devil May Cry who made an appearance in the last game.

What of the Joe faithful? The ones who embraced the original and loved every minute of it? Who played it over to unlock everything? Fear not my brethren, Capcom has tailored this game to you! More moves? Yup! Believe me, they rock! More Six Machine? Oh yeah, and not only does it rock as well, but those familiar with the Mega Man games of old will be hit with  plenty a wave of nostalgia (it’s like Rush all over again, only way cooler). Harder than the last Joe? You betcha! Now that Silva’s been added to the mix, she only makes certain puzzles tricker. In fact, the majority of the puzzles in VJ2 are harder, but you know what, you’ll feel better about yourself when you solve them.

Of course, a hero is only as good as his villain. Once again, VJ2's arch enemies rival those of say, Spider Man (Only way dumber, and a lot more Japanese influenced).  While the last cast of foes were memorable (stupid Leo, how I hated his stupid burning head), this time around you got a soldier/samurai/cop-dinosaur by the name of Big John , a living statue named Flinty Stone, squid faced Dr. Cranken and his murderous creations, a returning threat from VJ, the chilly sibling of an original VJ villain and some other surprises I won’t dare ruin for you.

As if this wasn’t enough to run out and trample the homeless on your way to buy it now, VJ2 excels in the humor department as well. This Devil May Cry/Mega Man hybrid is possibly one of the funniest games you’ll play to date, with villains reading from wrong scripts, plugging the previous game in case you didn’t play it (BOO!), rambling on while they die and fall for each others devious traps. In addition, Joe and Silva tend to clash with each other and their fathers, which leads to some of the better dialogue in the game. Since Capcom has enlisted the same cast as the original, you’ll get one of the finest VA casts to date.

Anyone who digs the Capcom games of old, the original Viewtiful Joe, or just wants a game that will challenge you will love it.   Curious gamers may want to pick up the original first before tacking VJ2. Those who tend to favor games like “Halo”, “Grand Theft Auto” or whatever mass marketed crap EA promotes that you feel you must buy to fit in (NBA Street, pay no to attention to that insult, daddy loves you very much), may want to stick to something a little more mainstream. Anybody just looking for some time to kill before playing “Devil May Cry 3", I can guarantee you’ll have fun with it until then.

While at times this game feels more like a expansion pack than a sequel, Viewtiful Joe 2 will, for the most part, cater well to the audience it enticed in the original. However, it may alienate some gamers who haven’t played the original VJ. Which is a let down, because this is probably one of the best franchises to come from the land of the rising sun in a while.

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