Last updated on April 28, 2013
We’re coming towards the one year mark here at Theology Gaming, and that’s pretty rad. Unless you live in a different time period, then it might be groovy or cool or awesome. Whatever the case, come along and read about random things Zach does when he’s not writing about video games, or theology (which mostly consists of video games, actually!).
Viewtiful Joe – If you didn’t play Viewtiful Joe, shame on you for letting Clover disband! Or, alternately, good thing you didn’t buy it because Platinum Games now exists, and so do many other games that probably wouldn’t exist either. Well, either way, you should play Viewtiful Joe now. I just beat Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance on Very Hard, and I found myself in the mood for something a little more lighthearted and less stressful. Since I hadn’t actually played the game in nearly a decade, it felt like I needed to play it to make sure nostalgia wasn’t clouding my memory. Surprise: it did not!
Directed by my favorite video game director Hideki Kamiya, Viewtiful Joe takes his stylish action tendencies into the world of sidescrolling arcade Final Fight/Double Dragon action. Yes, it’s an action game in that same vein, but it also lays new complexities into the mix that incentivize certain ways of play. Specifically, Viewtiful Joe’s status as a “movie” action star means he has access to several super powers related to that same environment – specifically, the ability to slow or speed-up time. Slowing down time makes it easier to dodge attacks, as well as seeing bullets (otherwise, they’re too fast to see) and causing explosions to…well, explode wider than they usually would. This all sounds rather rout until you find out the various hidden uses of each.
In fact, just describing it makes me realize that these are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of use – I’d call Viewtiful Joe a puzzle game in some aspects more than a straight brawler. Each and every combat situation gets a rating and score (based on time, how much damage you took, and how much stuff you destroy – bonuses for no damage, of course!), but you also need to think out of the box to solve various puzzles at the same time as enemy spawns. It’s truly unique in this aspect, and I’ve never had to multitask in quite this way before. I’m intentionally being vague so I don’t spoil anything! Mach Speed does much the same, speeding the action up – if you punch something long enough, you’ll set yourself on fire, and yet another puzzle piece reveals itself. As well, Joe receive the “Zoom In” power which enhances his attack power and stuns all enemies – this can be combined with either of the aformentioned powers, enhances its uses.
I would note that these solutions do requires the player to perform some dexterity and reflex-heavy stunts. Unlike a pure puzzle-platformer, however, I can make excuse when the game offers a robust and frequently challenging combat system. Limbo just had that aspect for no particular reason (other than forcing you to die), while here they make platforming into a central mechanic in many spots. Plus, the combat’s actually quite enjoyable (as you’d expect)! Most enemies telegraph their moves, and you merely press up or down on the control pad/stick to dodge; once they’re stunned, go into slow motion to put enemies into X-Bonus mode (indicated by the crosshairs on all enemies onscreen). Hit them in this state, and they’ll fly off into whatever direction you hit them towards; hit other enemies while in this slow motion status, and you’ll add a score multiplier that gets you big Viewtifuls, the game’s upgrading currency of choice. Merely hitting enemies while they’re stunned gets you Viewtifuls, but X-Bonus multipliers can get you HUGE point totals; playing correctly actually makes the game easier, all said, although it doesn’t do the work of avoiding attacks and learning enemy patterns. You’ll still need to optimize when you dodge attacks, when you get the X-Bonus, and what enemies you dodge because some enemies can’t get stunned unless you get them into X-Bonus mode – an easy way to eliminate them is dodging weaker enemies first. Approach each encounter like a puzzle and you’ll see each enemy thrown at you and proceed accordingly.
Like those arcade games of old, Viewtiful Joe does not hold your hand in any sense; it gives you the basics and then lets you run wild and free to figure out everything yourself. If you read this before playing, you spoiled the experience a bit, but rest assured you’ll find the intuitive nature of the game rather refreshing. When there’s a dangerous element or some kind of area with a specific strategy for progressing forward, the game usually shows you that object or enemy first; the obstacles appear in advance. Still, even with all this, the game is rather difficult (on Adults Mode, anyway) and uses a traditional lives-based system. Lose your lives, and start over; you can only save at the beginning and the middle of the game’s seven stages, and it is at these save points that you can get upgrades (also before the boss, but no save point there). You need to actually (GASP!) play well, and play according to the rule set, in order to win. I haven’t even mentioned the bosses yet, which all requires creative use of your abilities to conquer – they’re puzzle unto themselves, most times, and we even get a Mega Man gauntlet at the end. Throw all these great things into a blender, and you can see why Viewtiful Joe captured the hearts of a lot of a people in the early 2000s.
Also, the graphics haven’t aged a day, and they look great even now. To think, this small budget game ended up looking better than most of the “cel-shaded” craze games that came out around the same time. Truly a unique gem, you’d be depriving yourself of a lot of light-hearted, mechanically interesting, and fun times if you didn’t pick Viewtiful Joe up for some system or another. I’m sad to say it isn’t available for anything but the GameCube and PS2 at the moment, so dust off an old system and take a crack at it – it’s pretty cheap, and still looks amazing in progressive scan.
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That’s all for this week’s Monday Update. More gushing about things ahead, I’m sure!
