Viewtiful Joe 2

In our modern world of mega-3D-eye-candy, you’d think the genre of the old-fashioned 2D side-scrolling beat-em-up would be six feet under, right?  Luckily for those diehard fans of the genre, Capcom and Nintendo Gamecube have other plans!  When the original Viewtiful Joe came out it surprised many hard-line critics and gamers alike.  Despite the prevalence of 3D fighting games and FPS shooters, Viewtiful Joe managed to provide a fresh new single-player 2D side-scrolling experience.  Boasting a dynamic mix of brightly colored graphics, great sound work, simple controls, and a cool time scaling feature (you could switch from slow-motion to super-speed on the fly), Viewtiful Joe had what it took to breathe new life into the beat-em-up genre!

The good news is that Viewtiful Joe 2 takes off exactly where its predecessor took off, and it throws in a few new ideas that are sure to make it just as popular.  With a bigger and bolder plot, Viewtiful Joe must now face tougher enemies in a larger world.  Welcome help now comes in the form of Sylvia, Viewtiful Joe’s lady-friend, who is kitted out with her own V-watch and supersuit!  So instead of just one character running around beating the absolute crap out of people at insane speeds, you can now control both characters by switching on the fly to take advantage of their respective abilities.

In addition to slowing down and speeding up time, the ’zoom’ ability returns to allow players to focus in on a character while he or she pulls off some ridiculously complex martial arts moves.  A cool new ability is called the ’replay’.  It effectively allows you to record a sequence of moves and then repeat it several times in succession on the same pack of enemies for as much as triple damage!  All I know is that someone is going to end up on the floor after that.

Interestingly enough, the replay ability isn’t just about dealing out damage.  Players can take advantage of the idea and eat a snack three times in a row for a triple health bonus.  Other new additions include the inclusion of the Six Machine, which is the duo’s vehicle throughout the game.  You’ll get to use it later on in a number of great levels.

Look for Viewtiful Joe 2 on store shelves November 18^th, 2004.  This is one of those must-haves for the Gamecube this holiday season!