viewtiful joe impressions

[Bobs_Hardware]

Well I figured Viewtiful Joe was going to be one of the exceptions, given the nature of the game, and the fact that it\'s by Capcom.  And given the massive amounts of praise it\'s received thus far.

Oh, and come on MSN some time, Ryu!

I got it, I played it, I loved it. I\'m not going into any more detail than that.

[Living-In-Clip]

I love Capcom and it pains me to say that I haven\'t enjoyed any of their newest releases since Devil May Cry 2.

I had hopes for Viewitful Joe and I am goin\' to give it more play time pretty soon - but at points it seemed like I was just goin thru the motions.

As for P.N.03 - I don\'t know what Shinji was thinking. Take a cool character and put her in the most borin\' enviroments, with messed up control. The game is based off doin\' fancy moves, dodging fire - yet you can\'t dodge and fire at the same time? Just screws with me, big time.

Viewtiful Joe isn\'t perfect.. the action can get repetitive.. as it can in most games.

This is one game that can remind us (despite how 2D is still viable and entertaining) that 2D games are set in a more limiting environment than 3D. The extra dimension isn\'t always an upgrade, but it creates more possibilities obviously. I gotta say that it\'s not a big deal though, seeing as how \'Joe is unique enough that I\'m addicted to it. The gameplay is a change-up from typical side-scrollers and the art and presentation are very polished.

[Bobs_Hardware]

I think in many cases that the simplicity is what made 2D so great..

Yeah. Like 3D, it has its advantages and disadvantages.

3D is, of course, more popular today partly because it\'s been around a shorter time. Less exposure.

It\'s also got a lot of extra potential; if correctly harnessed, can make a 3D version of something better than the stellar 2D version. (See: Metroid Prime) It\'s not required though, as the PS1, GBA, and even current hardware show us with games like Viewtiful Joe and Castlevania:AoS on the GBA.

[Bobs_Hardware]

I don\'t think it has anything to do with exposure.  More so on the fact that it\'s prettier, and allows games to be more movie-like.  And as you stated before, it has the potential for more depth, but given what some of the best selling games have been recently, it makes you wonder if depth sells games at all.

I think the game is pretty good, but it\'ll be forgotten in a couple of weeks time.  I don\'t see it being remembered as one of the greatest games ever, that\'s for sure.  It\'s fun, but I think a lot of its greatness is being overblown by reviewers and fans who have missed 2D gaming on a home console for so long.  It\'s kind of why Ikaruga was so critically acclaimed in the first place -- people missed solid 2D gameplay in their shooters.  It\'s not to say that both games are a whole lot of fun when you play them, but after a couple of weeks, I doubt many people will pick this one up again.

Flash in the pan if there ever was one in my opinion.

Ryu: Maybe, maybe not.

I feel that I could be playing this one within the next few years when I need some entertainment.

Surely a keeper after I beat it.

I\'m not so sure Ryu put enough time into VJ.  The game REALLY opens up once you start rounding out Joe\'s repetoire with new abilities.  Most of the fun is not just pounding through baddies, but putting together strings of esoteric attacks, both direct and indirect, into HUUUUGE combos that net you sick points, which in turn can be used to buy MORE abilities that extend your COMBAT opportunities that much more.

I was blown away when I first started utilizing upgraded Mach speed combos into my style, only to see multiple Joes dart back and forth on the offensive, some actually jumping into the BACKGROUND to destroy boxes that are impossible for you to get to normally!

I loved pounding on a poor fool night unto death, then uppercutting him and sending him flying into other, healthy enemies on his downward arc, then quickly sprinting to the new bowled over punching bags, and juggling them to extend combos, occasionally sending one flying into even more enemies or certain background elements susceptible to destruction through such means.

The sheer sense of style the game allows you to encompass (as rewarding as it is optional, ultimately) is what makes this game timeless, imho.  If you merely play Viewtiful Joe as a single player Final Fight game... you won\'t get anything out of it that you couldn\'t get in 15 year old games, gameplay-wise.