Back on the NES and SNES one of the best game types was the side scrolling “beat em up” games. There was Battle Toads, Ninja Turtles, Mega Man, and many others. Since the release of 3D-oriented console, gamers have been seeing less and less 2D side-scrolling fighting games. Last year Capcom decided to revive the genre with the release of Viewtiful Joe, and it turned out to be an instant hit. So they decided to go back to the Viewtiful Universe and bring gamers a sequel, and let me say that it is a blast to play.

The first game has the movie buff Joe rescuing his girlfriend Silva from the evildoers. Now Joe and Silva are once again trapped in Movieworld trying to defeat the malicious Black Emperor who is bent on World Domination. Players will go though many levels modeled from Jurassic Park to Aliens scenes to try to get the rainbow Oscars back to foil the Black Emperors plan. Are you up to the challenge?

Unlike the last game where Silva was the damsel in distress, she will lend a helping hand as she has acquired V-Watch that gives her VFX powers as well. Silva is more of a long-range fighter and her main weapon is a pistol, but she will be able to upgrade to wield two at the same time. On the other hand Joe is more of a melee fighter choosing to use his fists to defeat various enemies.

Someone needs a breathmint!

One of the biggest draws to this game is the ability to use the different VFX powers at any given time. First one that players have access to is Slow, which both Joe and Silva can use, and it makes all of the action onscreen slow down. During this time your attacks become stronger and you can hit bullets back to the enemies that shot them at you. Machspeed is a power that only Joe can use. It allows Joe to move at supersonic speeds and hit enemies with great force. While you are in this mode, Joe’s body becomes fire hot and he can catch various things on fire. Zoom, which both Joe and Silva use, pulls the camera right up on the hero, which allows them to pull off special moves, while the enemies will be frozen solid.

A power that only Silva can use, and the only new power in the game, is called Replay. It allows her to replay her last action up to three different times, which can cause devastation to enemies, but if she gets hit while in this mode it will cause three times the damage to her. Similar to Joe’s Machspeed, while in Replay mode Silva will become statically charged with electricity. Players will have to keep a constant watch on their VFX meter, because if they deplete it they will revert back to their “normal” selves, which have very offense. Players will be able to extend the bar by picking up different collectible items.

Besides the use of these powers to help players in the game, it is also a very integral part of solving the game’s many different puzzles. For instance, players might have to catch something on fire or cool it down using the Machspeed, or cause a volcano to erupt by using the Slow power-up. Not only that but players will have to utilize both Joe and Silva many times during a mission, and players will be able to switch between the two at any given time using the Viewtiful touch. Having this ability creates a wide variety of puzzles that require players to switch between the two of them using their special powers, which creates a very unique and fun gameplay experience.

Silva does a powerkick!

Each time players take out an enemy they will drop some Viewtiful points. After players complete a level and are taken to an options screen, they will be able to buy various upgrades for Joe and Silva, which will really help them throughout each of the various levels they will go though. The upgrades include more powerful punches, more life points, and additional lives.

Viewtiful Joe 2 looks extremely good. It has cel-shaded characters and background that fits really well with the theme that it has going on. I really liked all of the special effects that this game uses that really makes players feel like they are playing though a comic book or even a real movie. The animations for the characters are extremely well done. Each of the heroes plays slightly different and has a different set of moves. Everything has a very fluid look and feel to it which makes the game that much better to play.

The music selection that is used for the different levels really fits the theme. The voice actors that provided their voices for all of the characters did a really good job of capturing the zany over-the-top lines that really fit the characters, even though a lot of the lines are very cheesy and somewhat cliché. The sound effects are also really well done with plenty of explosions and other nice effects.

Joe flexes his muscles.

Even though this game has the ability to switch on the fly between the two characters, it would have been extremely nice for Capcom to include a co-op mode. It would have been a blast to play though several of those levels with a friend changing out on the fly like that. That feature would have really boosted the replayability factor of this game greatly. There is always hope that if there is a third game that it does feature it.

Viewtiful Joe 2 is rated T for Teen for Toon Violence. It will take up to 202KB on your memory card for game saves.

Gameplay: 9.0
Viewtiful Joe 2 is a great game, one of the best 2D side-scrolling games I have played in a long time. All of the VFX special moves are a blast to play and integral to solving many of the different puzzles in the game, which is really great.

Graphics: 9.1
Viewtiful Joe 2 looks really good. The cel-shading used throughout the whole game looks great! The animation for the characters is also really well done. Overall it is a very nice visual package.

Sound: 8.6
The sound is pretty good here. Music is palatable and really fits well with the game. The voiceovers are nicely done and have really cheesy dialog that fits with the whole theme of the game.

Difficulty: Hard
This game is challenging, but that is half of the fun! Plus if you ever get stuck there are subtle clues throughout each level.

Concept: 8.9
Capcom brought the “2D side-scrolling beat em up” genre back to life! What more is there to know?

Overall: 9.0
Viewtiful Joe 2 is an awesome game that every player should have in their collection. It is a homage to older games that proves that 2D side-scrolling games are a blast to play. Pick it up as soon as you can!