Retro Rewind - Viewtiful Joe

2002 -
T'was many years ago, originally part of the Capcom V, until things seem to fall apart. It was meant to bring out a new exciting era in gaming at the time, being a cross multiplatform launch on all consoles (including PC). VJ was one of the proud, the tough, and the many that did not falter. But the amazing thing was, the team that developed this title turned out to be one of the most amazing crews around!

Thus is their little baby that grew into an awesome superhero.
Welcome to Retro Rewind - Viewtiful Joe

To introduce this game, all you need to know is that an everyday Joe was on a date with his girl Sylvia. Till all was well, and then during a film, the baddie kidnaps his girlfriend thus forcing him a date with destiny. Joe becomes... well he isn't a hero quite yet. Until players take this new hero on his journey, propelling him through his origin story! Until he meets Captain Blue (Joe's fav hero), a classic being of the silver screen.

Once gaining the powers of the V-Watch, the dazzling array of powers become a part of his psyche enhancing his strength, agility, and power.

During your quest, Joe will obtain unique powers, manipulating time, slow down, speed, and enhanced smack down powers. Mixing all of these techniques up in battle offers a variety of gameplay styles. But be forewarned Joe's powers have limits! Once your XP bar runs out (in the form of film reels) its back to "Normal Joe" until it recharges.

One major note about this game, is its difficulty curve. From the start you can choose between "Kids" (normal) or "Adults" (hard) mode. Progression is key when playing this fun super hero title. Some parts may frustrate you to no end, and others may surprise how well you've learned its play style. Or what I would call the "Ghosts n' Ghouls" formula.


**For those of you youngsters, this game was notoriously tough but would reward players with unique upgrades! King Arthur vanquishing monsters left and right, all the while staying alive. Only limitation was 3 lives, and armor that could take a few hits. www.hardcoregaming101.net/gng/gng2.htm‎
**Coin-OP TV made a special video (including commentary with gameplay)




What also made this series (Viewtiful Joe) unique was its art style + character design. Mixing it up with graffiti  + comic book inspired imagery, both go hand in hand in making it come to life. And the soundtrack is all around excellent, from edm to rock, and sometimes a call for orchestral. It is literally all over the place in sound design, and that is a sweet thing.


Alternate editions: VJ was released on gamecube, and ps2 ( including a version featuring Dante and Trish from DMC) *playable including special ex moves using the VFX system! Sadly this edition was only on the PS2, but fans that did get a chance to play it had a great time.



The Development team:
Clover Studio: A dream project team, from unique backgrounds in storytelling, music, and character design. For a few years, they created some unique adventures. *Okami is a prime example, as their last game (as the title company) *which is now known as Platinum Games.

*Last game:
*Okami is the tale of a wolf spirit, guided by a mission to bring color back into the world. With a paint brush, the lost colors and expressions return to the environment shaping her destiny. www.okami-game.com/‎

Until next time, stay Viewtiful!