How good is Veiwtifull Joe?

[SMB]

How good are either the ps2/gamcube versions of this slow time fighter?

I seen videos but it doen't explain much except Joe dodging punches real slow.

So what is this game like exactle,y is it something worth playing that has some good replay value and game mechanics?

http://www.lawrence.com/art/apps/pennynews/1065631459_view%202.jpg

[jerkov]

I've had this game for almost a year and I haven't even bothered to even beat the first level. A lot of people and magazines were raving over this as a 2D classic, so I decided to ask for it for Christmas. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to play a lot of my games, and the impression I got from VJ was that it's a very generic 2D brawler. I'd like to give the game another chance, maybe one of these days. I'm not too big on the slow-down effects, I don't really like "gimmicky" gameplay, but the game might have some potential.

[punkoffgirl]

check out this thread:
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=40294&highlight=viewtiful

[Gamereviewgod]

http://www.digitpress.com/reviews/viewtifuljoe.htm

Can't beat that score. Not sure who wrote it though... :o

[FlufflePuff]

I thought it was ho-hum. Interesting story. Very novel. Not that much fun though. It turns into a button masher all too quickly. The quirky dialogue becomes annoying before the end of the first boss. And the "bullet time" is cool, but other games have done it better. In all, buy it if you see it for $10 or less. Avoid it if not.

[MegaDrive20XX]

After comparing the two, the game is awesome in both verisons, but the one thing that got me, was wow this game is difficult...Bruce the Shark was the worst boss battle I thought...but then again Captain Blue is another story.

The gameplay is very unique...it feels like you are the director of the movie, you control the speed, either slow-mo or fast as hell.

for $19.99 on Cube or $29.99 on PS2, it's your choice

replay value, hidden characters are nice, but they feel the same as Joe, so no real originality when it comes to playing as Joe's gf or Cap'n Blue

[gamergary]

Good and popular to have its own anime which the third episode raw should be coming out soon and the first episode subbed should be released soon. 8-)

[SMB]

I always think that adding the right touch of slow mo in games spices it up like lets say Max Payne. Great Game but makes it up with tons of bullet time.

Now on the other hand (Viewtiful Joe) it seems to me dodging bullets in bullet time (slow-mo) and kickn' ass sounds kinda cool to me but.. It just might suck :o

[Habeeb Hamusta]

I loved the first viewtiful joe for GC. I'm also looking fror it right now. I haven't played the 2nd one yet. Can't wait to get both.

[TheRedEye]

It's SO good, that when it sits around the house, it sits arOOUUNNDD the house!

[SMB]

It's SO good, that when it sits around the house, it sits arOOUUNNDD the house!

8-)

[AnAngel]

Henshin A GO GO Baby (What is that anyway? I heard of the Henshin Tigers but..oh well)

I actually bought this last week or before and I heavily doubted the game and it has been acclaimed as a great "sleeper hit." I like the game and I think when you see something about slow motion, it's too stressed - it's only a feature, not the whole game. I mean he can use the big V on his head as a "Voomerang" and do all sorts of other stuff, it's just that when you slow motion the gameplay, you feel like you're in the Matrix, LOL. I'd recommend getting it - isn't it the ONLY 2D side scroller on the GC anyway? I'm not too sure but...

Yeah, Bruce the shark, I couldn't understand anything he was saying and he was pretty difficult to beat. And then those stages with the rolling pins in it get on my last nerves...I just beat "The Other Joe" so I'll see what's next when I have the time to play it again.

P.S. - Did you all know that the WindWaker was at Target for $16.xx now?

[abdul]

I've had this game for almost a year and I haven't even bothered to even beat the first level. A lot of people and magazines were raving over this as a 2D classic, so I decided to ask for it for Christmas. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to play a lot of my games, and the impression I got from VJ was that it's a very generic 2D brawler. I'd like to give the game another chance, maybe one of these days. I'm not too big on the slow-down effects, I don't really like "gimmicky" gameplay, but the game might have some potential.

exactly, its stupid, gives you no direction as to how to do the puzzles, and has cheap ass bosses.

Avoid and buy some good old Snes or Genesis brawlers

[Jasoco]

I thought I'd like it. But I didn't. I found it rather hard, boring, and well.. not for me.

Same with Sims: Bustin' Out. Thought I'd like it, but hated it so much.

[Crush Crawfish]

Why so much hate? Viewtiful Joe is easily one of the best current-gen games I've played. I had a great time playing it, It was really unique and challenging. I can't wait for the sequel and the DS version.

Ehhh, whatever. :P

[wufners]

In the end, I really liked it, but it didn't happen for me right away. I was completely underwhelmed by the first level and the graphics in the opening cut scene were weak (hard to look at weak.) Once I got to the helicopter at the end of level 2(?) I was so frustrated and pissed at the game I was ready to toss it aside for good.

But then a funny thing happened, I beat the helicopter (somehow with much luck), and got completely sucked into the game's world.

Despite my initial lackluster response, what I like most about the game is its art direction and tone. This game is just dripping with style. From the totally unique and funny graphics to the overtop silliness of the characters. I love it when Joe comes flying up 100 feet out of sewer, strikes a ridiculous superhero pose, and the crowd starts cheering wildly in background. Or how at the end of each level a totally overwriten, over dramatic narrator rambles on and on to set up a serial cliff hanger. Or Joe's over the top narcissism. Or the self-referential plot. It's all highly entertaining.

The gameplay perhaps gets a little repetivie by the end, but there's enough depth to it that it doesn't get boring. Make no mistake tho, this game is HARD. My style of gaming is usually to just rush at enemies and pound the hell out of the buttons. This game is very unforgiving to that style of play and it kicked my ass hard in the early levels. However once I took a deep breath, started paying attention what I was doing and what was going on around me, I found the game very fun and rewarding. While the game definitely gave me a serious challenge all the way thru, after the helicopter I never again came close to tossing the darn disk into the garbage disposal.

So would I recommend it? Well, yeah. But keep in mind that what I loved most about this game was its sense of style and fun. If this isn't a style you dig, then you probably won't care for the game. Keep in mind, too, that the first level and screenshots don't do the game justice.

[Dahne]

I like it. It's a tough, modern 2D side-scroller. Not an awful lot of those these days. I got the PS2 version, and I'm glad I did.

Does the PS2 version have Dante, or is that in Viewtiful Joe 2?

[Jasoco]

I watched my brother play and get so frustrated. I don't want any of it. If HE gets frustrated, I most certainly will. And did. It doesn't appeal to me.

[whoisKeel]

As far as the slow motion thing goes...yeah you're in it constantly.

I sorta like the game and sorta don't. I got up to maybe stage 5 or so (the one with the giant rockets running you over horizontally)

it's kinda repetitive...wait for the icon, dodge, go into slow motion, chain, repeat. the game is tough, yeah, but mostly its figuring out the trick or pattern. in a nutshell, the game is about countering...so once you figure out how, when, and what to counter you got the boss beat. much easier said than done tho.

but there's also ultra mega fast speed, and zoom, and then zoom+slowmo for mega punches/kicks. and at least one puzzle per level. My final answer is you definitely should at least play it for an hour or two. There's alot of really good ideas, and awesome style, but something just seems missing from the game that i can't quite put my finger on.

[Sylentwulf]

I'm REALLY glad to see so many negatives here. I thought as usual, I'd be the only one.

For current gen games, out of EVERYTHING I've gotten, I've only sold 2 games, and gotten really pissed off at one recently.
I sold Wave Race, and Viewtiful Joe after playing for a couple hours each because I thought they were such HORRIBLE games. Viewtiful Joe, I even got stuck in the sewers repeatedly and couldn't figure out where to go next, and I only got that far by playing on the kiddy level.
Luigi's mansion I just played recently. Got to the final boss and GOT MY ASS KICKED. Tried three times, I only hit bowser once with those things he throws, and took like 20 out of 500 HP off of king boo.

[dethink]

i don't get why i don't like this game. i should, but i don't.

i felt the same way about ninja gaiden, it does SO much right, yet there's something about it too that doesn't feel quite "finished," and for games that are supposedly both wonderful exercises in style, i really didn't find anything other than the combat interface all that memorable.

both games have such wonderful combat systems, but they only really seem to flow right against weaker enemies.

i tried really hard to like it, and was just put off in the end. i made it through pretty far, and just got bored. the game is relentlessly cheap, "challenging" be damned, and while i'm not a fan of the handholding that's prevalent in most of today's action games, a lot of times you're just dropped off with absolutely NO clue of what to do against boss characters and level puzzles, and dying a bunch of cheap deaths as a result, then having to trek for 30 mins through a level again is not fun.

highly overrated, IMO.

[MegaDrive20XX]

I'm REALLY glad to see so many negatives here. I thought as usual, I'd be the only one.

For current gen games, out of EVERYTHING I've gotten, I've only sold 2 games, and gotten really pissed off at one recently.
I sold Wave Race, and Viewtiful Joe after playing for a couple hours each because I thought they were such HORRIBLE games. Viewtiful Joe, I even got stuck in the sewers repeatedly and couldn't figure out where to go next, and I only got that far by playing on the kiddy level.
Luigi's mansion I just played recently. Got to the final boss and GOT MY ASS KICKED. Tried three times, I only hit bowser once with those things he throws, and took like 20 out of 500 HP off of king boo.

well thank god I never bought Wave Race for Cube, I perfer the 64 verison always

[Jasoco]

Ditto on Wave Race. I loved the 64 version. To me, that was the pinnacle of realism in graphics. It really looked real. Even back then. And it felt so right. I loved it to death..

Then the Cube one came out.. I played the demo and it was well, NOT realistic looking and controlled horribly. I wondered what the hell Nintendo did to make it so bad.

Glad I got the 64 version, don't care for the Cube one.

[YoshiM]

Chalk me up as another negative view on Viewtiful Joe. The concept of a merging between old school 2D with a 3D makeover seem cool but for me in the end it was pretty repetitive and boring. The speed controls and zoom feature added style but to me they didn't add to the depth. The difficulty factor wasn't a problem except by ramping it up the computer became more "cheap" (like cheap attacks).

Like others said, it's a button masher that hands out puzzles that sometimes don't make sense.

I also have to chime in on Wave Race Bluestorm. Graphics aside, the 64 version beats the Cube version hands down.

[Kid Ice]

I was really addicted to VJ at first, but it gets tiresome. Overrated.

[davidleeroth]

I liked it a lot. :( (Yes, I played it through)