Nostalgia: Viewtiful Joe

 

 "Henshin-A-Go-Go, Baby!"

       

        When I was in the seventh grade, I saw a demo of this crazy looking game running in the Wal-Mart video game aisle that looked like some kind of bizarre, Japanese, super hero, anime game. I tried playing it but I didn't give it enough time to figure anything out, but I was certainly interested. In the eighth grade, a friend of mine began to tell me about this totally awesome game that he got called Viewtiful Joe. I borrowed it from him and played all the way to the next to last level and then I went out and bought the game, because it is one of the greatest games ever made.

        Viewtiful Joe, developed by Clover Studios for the Gamecube and Playstation 2 and released in 2003,  is one crazy beat 'em up set in a world where the special effects, characters, and impossibilities of movies are real. Viewtiful Joe starts off with Joe and his girlfriend, Silvia watching a movie together starring his favorite superhero, Captain Blue. In the movie, Captain Blue is defeated in battle and the villain reaches through the movie screen, grabs Silvia and pulls her into the movie. Joe is also pulled into the movie by Captain Blue's giant robot. Inside the movie, Blue gives Joe a V-Watch, a special device that allows Joe to harness the powers of Movieland, and teaches him how to use it.

        The source of Joe's power is the V-Watch. The V-Watch allows him to transform into Viewtiful Joe by saying the word henshin. Joe uses this word to create his own catch phrase, "henshin-a-go-go, baby!" The V-Watch also gives Joe superpowers that resemble the special effects of movies. These VFX Powers allow him to go into slow-mo, speed everything up, and zoom in on the attacks. The V-Watch can also call in his aircraft, "Six Machine". Joe uses these powers to fight through the evil organization, Jadow, in order to save his girlfriend.

        Viewtiful Joe is a hilarious, colorful, and memorable game that didn't get enough recognition that it deserved. The game did have a few sequels, despite being under appreciated. It spawned a direct sequel for the Gamecube and Playstation 2, a spin-off, Super Smash Bros. clone for the Gamecube and PSP, and another spin-off/sequel for the Nintendo DS. The first two games were supposed to become a trilogy ever since the beginning, and was even said to be so in the first game. Unfortunately, Clover Studios was shut down by Capcom before a third one was made, so the story ended with a cliff hanger. You might have some trouble finding this game in retail stores due to its cult status and its age, but a look around on eBay or Amazon will show better results. This game is worth trying out if only to say that you've played it.