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| Viewtiful Joe 2 Reviewed by Pirate Yoshi Over-view: If you need some history on Viewtiful Joe, go read my review for Joe 2's predecesor. Like Viewtiful Joe, VJ2 is a next-gen 3D-2D side-scrolling platforming beat-em-up action film....game....in that order. Oh, sure, it's got some puzzle elements, some driving-level elements, and even some RPG elements about it, but at it's heart, Joe 2 is a solid fighting-platform game. Care to know this "Joe" guy a little better? Then we shall delve into my thorough review of a game too huge to comprehend at a glance (which, by the way, happens to be just about as much reviewing time as I've been able to give VJ2 >_< Blasted 12 days of Christmas...) Graphics: 4.4/10 This was a weak spot on the original Viewtiful Joe, and it's VJ2's Krypton, too. The graphic style is similar to a shoddy comic book; the art is sketchy, crude, and jagged, and the movement is a little lackluster in fluidness. However, as was pointed out in my review of the former Joe, this is the INTENDED graphical style for Viewtiful Joe, not the undesired-yet-resultant style. The developers were obviously shooting for a style similar to the action-packed comic strips and exciting Saturday morning cartoons, and that's what they've essentially achieved. A poor score, but--to be sure--no other style would match a game of this kind. Sound: 8.9/10 Here's a much better aspect of Viewtiful Joe 2. Like the original, Joe 2 has great music in every level, the kind that you can easily begin to jam out to while the game is paused, and completely forget to unpause it later because you've been rocking out with it all night. Exciting, fast, and kickin', the tunes of VJ2 don't disappoint, and (a plus-point), most now also contain some fragment of what has evolved into the Viewtiful Joe theme. Unfortunately, the voice acting has left me much less satisfied this time, possibly because most of the dialogue this time around is actually rather corny and lame. Another complaint goes to the new "Pause voice", who has turned into sort of a New Jersey boxer voice over the drawling narrator-esque voice from the last Joe. Finally, nothing new is under the sun, to speak of sound effects. Over-all, pretty spectacular, but not flawless. Controls: 9.9/10 No real difference in how the game controls from the last Joe. As usual, this catagory is very simple to grade, and very hard to do poorly in. The only suggestion I could make to the developers is to find some better uses for buttons, because the C-stick, D-Pad, and B button are not so very helpful, and the game ends up feeling less advanced because the controls are so overly simplified. Challenge: ?/10 I cannot yet grade this catagory, as I have not finished the game yet, sadly enough. Because this catagory will be no longer existant in my reviews after New Years, however, I will not worry over trying to judge it from what I've so far played. Speaking from experience and the last Joe, however, I have no reason to expect anything less than months needed to beat the game on all diffiiculties, and decades before all grades obtained are Rainbow Vs. Gameplay: 9.6/10 This is actually a step up (or, it should be) from the last Viewtiful Joe, something rare to find in a sequel. Surprisingly, VJ2 is every bit as fun as the last, and--in some aspects--more fun! Being able to swap to Silvia mid-play is somewhat cool, even if barely used except in puzzles, and her Replay ability (although not extremely effective) is pretty sweet. The level design may be better in Joe 2, actually, I haven't taken the time to really reflect on how the levels compare to Viewtiful Joe's... With new unlockables, cool new transforming abilities for the Six Majin, and some adjustments to bosses, this Joe outdoes the last by a slim margin. Replay: 8/10 Though I cannot confirm that players will have a purpose to replay the game over again having beaten it, I have no reason to doubt that, like the first game, it will have plenty of unlockables awarded for completing the game on higher difficulty settings. And, unless I miss my (educatedly-guessed) mark, those unlockables will be new characters--characters who, more than likely, will be well-worth playing for (as extra characters often are). However, the game may feel somewhat dried up by the second time through, so you'll definitely be doing it for new heroes, not for pure entertainment. **Story: .4/1 Unfortunately, this is a mighty tumble from Joe's storyline, and I can only hope that Viewtiful Joe 3 will retain its sense of originality over this game. This time around, Joe and Silvia are out to save Captain Blue and the world by collecting the Rainbow Oscars, trophies that seem to have some mystical power that the Black Emperor finds useful for himself (not the Jadow King? Then what am I supposed to do about this whole Viewtiful Jorg video, huh?!). Lackluster at best, but still a story, and still better than most Mario Parties. **Multiplayer: 0/1 This game does not support mulitplayer, despite earlier rumors that it would. How disappointing. Graphics: 4.4/10 Sound: 8.9/10 Controls: 9.9/10 Challenge: ?/10 Gameplay: 9.6/10 Replay: 8/10 **Story: .4/1 **Multiplayer: 0/1 Total Score: 8.3 Score Explanation: Sadly, this is pretty accurate. Over-all, I think this is stil a step down from Viewtiful Joe, despite a higher gameplay score. It may seem to be more fun, but for shorter an amount of time, and with worse resouces during that time period. I definitely suggest fans of the original to buy it, and suggest to fans of the genre (platformers or side-scrolling beat-em-ups) to at least give it a rent. However, this game won't appeal to everyone, and--unlike the first, which seemed revolutionary--I don't even believe that everyone should try this title. Its fan base has decreased to, generally, fans of the first game alone. Best of luck to the third Viewtiful Joe, the big conclusion to the trilogy could have big scores...or (overly) big expectations... |