While I don’t regret getting a PS4, it marked the first time I felt dissatisfied enough with a console to go back and hook up an older one. Part of the beauty of the PS2 isn’t just its gargantuan library, but that so much of that library is so "out there." It hasn’t had a new release since 2013, and yet I still find it exciting to think about all its underappreciated, oddball titles I missed out on when I was little which I’ve now got the opportunity to try for the first time. The first “new” game I decided get was Viewtiful Joe, and it was a rainbow V ranked decision.
Little did we know that cinematic-ness in video games isn’t achieved via claustrophobic over the shoulder cameras or unskippable cutscenes, but through sick action sequences with fancy window dressing. Weaving Joe in and out of swarms of enemies, most of whom attack simultaneously on higher difficulties, is best described as like playing through the corridor scene from Oldboy as a Power Ranger. It’s relentless, but you have just the right amount of tools to always be able to shirk your way out of sticky situations and look viewtiful while doing it. Ducking, jumping, sliding, using Red Hot Kick to create some space or automatically dodging in exchange for a hefty amount of your VFX meter ensures that things never feel unfair, while also making Joe a joy to control. Slap a cool cel-shaded art style and lots of film bars on top and you basically have your own playable, self-directed tokusatsu show.
All that stuff helps make Viewtiful Joe deceptively complex, which can be said for the combat too. Even standard punches and kicks have some nuance to them you might not initially notice, with the former always launching enemies straight up or across and the latter always launching them at diagonal angles. They also nudge Joe forward a bit on use and can be instantly cancelled into each other, which can help you stay in the air or with spacing whenever sliding is too committal. Important stuff for making the most of Rock On attacks (i.e. knocking enemies into each other), which apart from funny slapstick value are pretty integral for getting good scores. Like seeing numbers go up? You’re in for a thrill. You WILL grin the first time your score counter taps out at 9999 even though you’ve clearly gotten more than that, amidst enemies bouncing off walls and CMON BABY YEAHs echoing ever into the distance.
It’s impressively lean for a Kamiya game too. There’s only one part that could be considered a minigame(!!) and it isn’t even, arguably. All that really changes about the core mechanics in the Six Machine segment is that you can’t turn around or jump and you shoot instead of punching/kicking. I don’t mind most Kamiya minigames in the first place (maybe that’s my Stockholm syndrome talking), but this is probably his best for how it twists the gameplay in a way that keeps things fresh without deviating to the point of making you dread it on future playthroughs.
And you are gonna be revisiting this for future playthroughs. You’ve got your standard action game shtick of switching up enemy placements on higher difficulties (I call it “standard” but it’s leagues better than how most games outside this genre handle difficulties), for one. But it’s bolstered by the short runtime (not counting the time you’ll probably spend dying, a lot) and other clever ideas, like removing enemy attack indicators on Ultra V-rated, plus the fantastic incentive of unlocking a new playable character for beating each difficulty. This version specifically even has Dante. And not just any Dante, but Drew Coombs Dante for all you Reuben deniers out there. How about that? I doubt I’ll ever forget the time I finished off the final boss with Dante, pushed to my limits and one hit away from death on my last life, with this game’s equivalent of a taunt. Just like one of my Japanese Devil May Crys.
I play Viewtiful Joe and think to myself, “what about this would I change?” And I always come up short. There’s no level select, I guess? But it’s short enough that you can blast through to whatever point you want to play in less than an afternoon anyway, which also enhances its arcadey feel. I suppose it’d be nice if you could use Rock On attacks on bosses instead of zoomed in punches being the go-to for all of them? But the homogeneity of how to best damage them is more than made up for by the variety in terms of actually getting them to the point where they’re vulnerable; no two play alike in that regard. There’s not much else to be picky about outside of these. Music, art direction, pacing, humour, you name it – it’s all 10/10 stuff.
Kamiya isn’t my absolute favourite game director, but he’s up there to the point where I keep an eye on pretty much anything he works on, and not just because he’s literally me. This and The Wonderful 101 aren’t just two of my favourite games ever, I think they’re also both good showcases of what I can only assume he's really like beneath his coarse, Twitter-addled exterior. Goofy, free of cynicism and dedicated to putting a smile on your face.
Little did we know that cinematic-ness in video games isn’t achieved via claustrophobic over the shoulder cameras or unskippable cutscenes, but through sick action sequences with fancy window dressing. Weaving Joe in and out of swarms of enemies, most of whom attack simultaneously on higher difficulties, is best described as like playing through the corridor scene from Oldboy as a Power Ranger. It’s relentless, but you have just the right amount of tools to always be able to shirk your way out of sticky situations and look viewtiful while doing it. Ducking, jumping, sliding, using Red Hot Kick to create some space or automatically dodging in exchange for a hefty amount of your VFX meter ensures that things never feel unfair, while also making Joe a joy to control. Slap a cool cel-shaded art style and lots of film bars on top and you basically have your own playable, self-directed tokusatsu show.
All that stuff helps make Viewtiful Joe deceptively complex, which can be said for the combat too. Even standard punches and kicks have some nuance to them you might not initially notice, with the former always launching enemies straight up or across and the latter always launching them at diagonal angles. They also nudge Joe forward a bit on use and can be instantly cancelled into each other, which can help you stay in the air or with spacing whenever sliding is too committal. Important stuff for making the most of Rock On attacks (i.e. knocking enemies into each other), which apart from funny slapstick value are pretty integral for getting good scores. Like seeing numbers go up? You’re in for a thrill. You WILL grin the first time your score counter taps out at 9999 even though you’ve clearly gotten more than that, amidst enemies bouncing off walls and CMON BABY YEAHs echoing ever into the distance.
It’s impressively lean for a Kamiya game too. There’s only one part that could be considered a minigame(!!) and it isn’t even, arguably. All that really changes about the core mechanics in the Six Machine segment is that you can’t turn around or jump and you shoot instead of punching/kicking. I don’t mind most Kamiya minigames in the first place (maybe that’s my Stockholm syndrome talking), but this is probably his best for how it twists the gameplay in a way that keeps things fresh without deviating to the point of making you dread it on future playthroughs.
And you are gonna be revisiting this for future playthroughs. You’ve got your standard action game shtick of switching up enemy placements on higher difficulties (I call it “standard” but it’s leagues better than how most games outside this genre handle difficulties), for one. But it’s bolstered by the short runtime (not counting the time you’ll probably spend dying, a lot) and other clever ideas, like removing enemy attack indicators on Ultra V-rated, plus the fantastic incentive of unlocking a new playable character for beating each difficulty. This version specifically even has Dante. And not just any Dante, but Drew Coombs Dante for all you Reuben deniers out there. How about that? I doubt I’ll ever forget the time I finished off the final boss with Dante, pushed to my limits and one hit away from death on my last life, with this game’s equivalent of a taunt. Just like one of my Japanese Devil May Crys.
I play Viewtiful Joe and think to myself, “what about this would I change?” And I always come up short. There’s no level select, I guess? But it’s short enough that you can blast through to whatever point you want to play in less than an afternoon anyway, which also enhances its arcadey feel. I suppose it’d be nice if you could use Rock On attacks on bosses instead of zoomed in punches being the go-to for all of them? But the homogeneity of how to best damage them is more than made up for by the variety in terms of actually getting them to the point where they’re vulnerable; no two play alike in that regard. There’s not much else to be picky about outside of these. Music, art direction, pacing, humour, you name it – it’s all 10/10 stuff.
Kamiya isn’t my absolute favourite game director, but he’s up there to the point where I keep an eye on pretty much anything he works on, and not just because he’s literally me. This and The Wonderful 101 aren’t just two of my favourite games ever, I think they’re also both good showcases of what I can only assume he's really like beneath his coarse, Twitter-addled exterior. Goofy, free of cynicism and dedicated to putting a smile on your face.
2 Comments
Cheers tater, glad you enjoyed it. There are dozens of us.
taterboyega
1 year ago
i can confirm that kamiya is also literally me.