Viewtiful Joe

[Bub, Andrew]

If there's another topic already, let me pre-emptively apologize to the post nazi's who have taken over for Wumpus.

This game ... rocks. I've never written that before. (I found it hard to write, pun not intended, but it fits.) It's a side scroller. I'm thrilled about a side scrolling beat 'em up. What? Is it 1993 again? I love the art, the style, the pacing, the action, the powers, and I really love when the 2D artwork bends around a corner. Why is that a thrill? Why is the bullet time mode so cool? It's been done... I've seen it before... but this is awesome. I just beat the crap out of the helicopter boss. I pounded the hell out of that thing. I've pounded the hell out of countless things in my gaming career... but this was really cool.

Thank you Erik Wolpaw. I had no idea this existed until you spotted it about six months ago. I've been watching it ever since, based pretty much on the name alone.

[Jobe]

Let me know when you get there if you see any reason to plod through Episode 6. That's what derailed it for me. It was a great time up to that point.

[Ergo]

Yep, it is good, though it gets difficult pretty quickly.

[Trixie]

I think the best thing about Viewtiful Joe is that the words *BULLET TIME BULLET TIME* weren't streaming through my head while I played it. While Max Payne and Dead to Rights felt more like their style's purpose was for the bullet... point on the back of the box, Viewtiful Joe does a good job of incorporating a feature so well that you don't have to think about it.

But otherwise, too damn hard... One of these days I'll devote a few more frustrating hours to it, or I'll suck up my pride and try Kid's mode.

[hermyhermit]

I like the game fine, but the gushing reviews have me a bit mystified.

Ok, so its a side scrolling beat 'em up with some fairly flashy graphics.... and???

The hype for this one I truly don't get. I'm enjoying the game mainly because I like sidescrollers, but View Joe won't convert someone who doesn't like a 10 year old retro genre. And it hasn't knocked my socks off really in any meaningful way. I think maybe we haven't had a good beat 'em up side scroller in so long people were just hungry for one and this one is so polished that it just took off. I would never have scored this game 9+ out of 10 like many reviews site are giving it however.

VJ ---> overhyped.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

The manual recommends playing kids mode first and the manual is right.

[Gundaliro]

I haven't played it, but my question is, are the graphics not anti-aliased like in every screenshot I've seen online? Based on those, I still think the Jet ____ Radio series did a better job of using that graphic style.

The other question I have is: is this game alone worth buying a Gamecube for? I know they dropped the price, it's cheap, blah blah, but pretend I'm really cheap (no wait, I am) and humour me.

[Jobe]

VJ is certainly not worth buying a GameCube, because that fact that you don't yet have a GC means that, to you, the usual suspects (Metroid, Zelda, Sunshine, etc.) weren't worth buying a GameCube, and VJ, while excellent, doesn't rise above these.

[Robert Sharp]

The other question I have is: is this game alone worth buying a Gamecube for? I know they dropped the price, it's cheap, blah blah, but pretend I'm really cheap (no wait, I am) and humour me.

Even if it isn't, there are plenty of great GC games out there.

[runesword forger]

I like VJ a whole lot. Dunno if you can break any one part down as being ultra superior to everything else, but it is huge fun for me.

Among the little touches, I like the heavy inking style on the characters and backgrounds. A comic book come to life... or at least the fight scenes.

[TomChick]

The kids mode, which is oddly named, is relatively easy. However, you lose a lot of the strategy of the adult mode, which is certainly hard. However, I don't mind the required replay time in VJ because the battles can play out so differently every time.

FWIW, I think the game is a masterpiece.

-Tom

[Gunmetal]

Viewtiful Joe is one of the best games I've played all year. I think the graphical splash disguises that it's a side-scroller - it certainly plays worlds better than anything from the 16-bit days. The nearest equivalent I can think of are some of the Treasure like Gunstar Heroes and Mischief Makers.
The Slow-mo and Speed-up powers have some very nifty effects on environments and enemies and there's a lot of very clever things you can do with them. I think the voice acting and writing are really quite entertaining, and the cel-shading to a texture method they use to render everything looks pretty spiff, imo.
The control and moves are really tight and it's extremely satisfying to juggle enemies and watch the parts fall off them.
It seems like people have caught on since it apparently sold out in a lot of places (iirc, the original shipment in Japan sold out, but I don't know how many units that was). I think that's great because it's just a total blast - it gets difficult (I'm playing on Adult) but the learning curve is done really well and so far I've never felt like I've taken any unavoidable hits.

[Reed]

I think it's a bit overhyped too, though I have to say it was damn fun for the first two episodes.

I'm just past Hulk Davidson now (you see the problem w/ the Wavebird is that it makes it even harder to resist throwing your controller) and really have to force myself through the beginning of this episode. And it doesn't help that you have to replay it over and over..

[TomChick]

Reed,

I guess I should tell you that there are Crazy Taxi-style undocumented moves that you pretty much need to know to have any reasonable expectation of finishing Viewtiful Joe. The one I learned that got me past Hulk Davidson (without taking hardly any damage, I might add) is the Hundred Hands Punch, or some such thing. While zoomed in, hold down the punch button and you'll dish out oodles of damage.

Also, I presume you've figured out the uppercut you need to learn to knock objects into the air. I was stuck forever at the giant cask until I figured that out.

Come to think of it, without GameFAQs, I'd probably hate Viewtiful Joe...

-Tom

[Mike Cathcart]

I don't think Joe was overhyped at all. In fact I think it was hyped just right. It's a great game with tons of style, lots of cool moves, some boss battles that are actually challenging, and did I mention great character and level design? Plus it brings some new stuff to 2D side-scrollers, which is saying a lot this long after 2D side-scrollers were considered old news.

Also, I presume you've figured out the uppercut you need to learn to knock objects into the air. I was stuck forever at the giant cask until I figured that out.
Oh good, I'm not the only one.

[JD]

The feedback on the game has definitely surpassed my expectations so far. Out of the 'Capcom 5' it was the game I was looking forward to most. Still, I was kinda worried that all the style etc. might be nothing but a gimmick disguising a basically simple game that will be beaten within one session. Doesn't look like it, I can't wait to pick it up when it comes out over here.

[Reed]

Reed,

I guess I should tell you that there are Crazy Taxi-style undocumented moves that you pretty much need to know to have any reasonable expectation of finishing Viewtiful Joe. The one I learned that got me past Hulk Davidson (without taking hardly any damage, I might add) is the Hundred Hands Punch, or some such thing. While zoomed in, hold down the punch button and you'll dish out oodles of damage.
Ahh, that would have definitely been helpful. Will have to try that out, though right now I'm at the part where you fly around in a little shuttle. Which I'm really not crazy about and can't wait to get back on my feet.
Also, I presume you've figured out the uppercut you need to learn to knock objects into the air. I was stuck forever at the giant cask until I figured that out.
Yeah, thankfully I figured that out by accident sometime in the first episode.

[Lee Johnson]

Hey, I'm stuck there, too! What do I need to do to land an uppercut? I think I've done it out of sheer luck once or twice, but I don't remember how.

[Gunmetal]

Hold down and punch to do an uppercut. In slow-mo it does more damage, so things get knocked further up

[Bub, Andrew]

Then speed up to run under it before it falls again.

I wasn't stuck here, it was the first thing that occurred to me. But that's probably because I made an error earlier and knocked a box you use to depress a plate (that raises a portcullis) the wrong way. It got stuck against the closed door you enter from and the only way I could dislodge it was to uppercut it up and get underneath.

Now I am stuck a little further on. The part where there's a city bus, a ramp, and chasm filled with nasty burney acid sewage.

I take it you jump on the moving bus... but then what?

I don't think this game could be overhyped. It's just brilliant. As Tom said, "A Masterpeice." I especially like the puzzles. It takes a while to figure out sometimes but as Dave Long puts it in that article I'll refrain from linking this time, Capcom gives you ample feedback. For example, in the opening tutorial it tells you to use the uppercut to get underneath things.

[Reed]

I take it you jump on the moving bus... but then what?
Yep, jump on the bus then slow down time so their rockets burn.

[Bub, Andrew]

Thanks!
That's great! Talk about an internally consistent yet outside the box solution. The game goes out of its way to get you to think the way it does. Having slowdown make a drop larger, or speed up making a platform rise. I should have thought of that myself... pah, it was really late when I got stuck on this last night.

[GregB]

Keep in mind that when you need to use one of your special powers to solve a puzzle, Joe's wristwatch thingy starts to glow. That's how I figured out how to do the water drop thing.

[Bub, Andrew]

Me too. It doesn't do it all the time though Greg. I don't recall seeing the watch glow when you're on the bus. That's why I got stuck.

[Gunmetal]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the watch stops doing the glowing thing after the first couple of chapters. I can think of a few places in Chapter 4-5 for example....

[GregB]

D'oh. Well that sucks. Still, I kinda like the game though.
I'm not bowled over by it, but it's pretty fun.

-g

[Dave Long]

I love the gameplay, but this game is definitely testament to how good voice acting can make a silly story all the more enjoyable.

--Dave

[Traumahound]

I just had to brag to somebody -- anybody -- that I finished Episode 6 - 'The Magnificent 5' on Adults mode last night.

That level made me want to smash my controller, but, damn, if I don't feel like da Man for having beat it.

I would highly, highly recommend reading Gamefaqs to learn how to beat the actual boss of episode 6 before you get to him, though. I doubt I could have figured that out on my own.

Also, if you've finished or gotten really far in Adults mode, try going back and giving Kids mode a try just for the hell of it.

[Jobe]

I try to avoid GameFAQs with games I really like, just out of bloated pride, but I don't think I'm ever going to get past "The Magnificent 5" without consulting it. I just remember back when there was no Internet, much less GameFAQs, and I had to either struggle through a difficult game or quit, and I felt like I'd really accomplished something if I stuck it out. Now, I criticize games for being too easy, but if a game is hard, I'm usually browing GameFAQs after I'm pushed to the brink of insanity by repeated failures. The last time that happened was in the next-to-last level of Otogi, where, similarly to my crossroads in VJ, I had to fight a bunch of bosses in sequence. It's totally hypocritical, I know.

Trauma: You say there's a boss after those 5 bosses? Sigh. Yet you said you checked GameFAQs but are still proud of completing the task. Does that mean we can still feel good even if we consult a walkthrough? That'd be nice, my conscience could breathe a lot easier.

[Theodore Rex DX]

Look, can we please give this game a 2-3 year grace period before the backlash starts?

Maybe it isn't that great (though I think it is), but I'd like some more games with goofy charm and tightly-designed gameplay. I think a success for Joe will help that dream come true.

Thanks for your cooperation in the conspiracy.

[Traumahound]

Trauma: You say there's a boss after those 5 bosses? Sigh. Yet you said you checked GameFAQs but are still proud of completing the task. Does that mean we can still feel good even if we consult a walkthrough? That'd be nice, my conscience could breathe a lot easier.

Actually, the fifth of the magnificent 5 is a new boss. You fight the first four bosses again and then the fifth guy you fight is new.

Fortunately, there's a Break Time before fighting him, so you can continue as many times as necessary to beat him. Unfortunately, it's not a save point, so you will need to do it in one sitting.

Checking Gamefaqs makes it possible to beat him. You need to use your powers in a very specific way in order to be able to hurt him (and avoid dying in less than 20 seconds). But, knowing what to do and doing it is still two different things. There's still a lot of skill and practice required in beating him.

[Bub, Andrew]

Ok, um, I jump on the bus, right? I hit "slo-mo" and hold it. The camera focusses on the Jets. The bus blows up after about 7 seconds and I'm in the sewage a good distance away from the far wall.

I jump on the bus, right? I hit "slo-mo" IMMEDIATELY (I noticed that you seem to go higher in elevation, so I assume this is key) I go farther and the bus blows up. I'm dumped into the sewage about 10 feet (estimate) from my goal, the far ledge.

I checked GameFaqs. Very helpful. It says "Hold Slo-Mo until you see the far edge." "See... " the far ledge? See it? The camera is focused on the jets... so this bit of advice isn't helping. Is the problem that I only have one extra bar of "VFX"? Maybe I didn't collect enough V's or something?

[Gunmetal]

When I did it, I jumped on the bus right as it spawned. Then I rode it normally until it hit the rampy part right before the pit. Then I engaged slow-mo until the jets started going crazy, and disengaged slow-mo. As long as the bus has some ramp left to travel, it should just take off

[Jobe]

Thanks Trauma. I'm guessing the fake VJ boss didn't make the cut for episode 6, which is fine by me.

[Bub, Andrew]

When I did it, I jumped on the bus right as it spawned. Then I rode it normally until it hit the rampy part right before the pit. Then I engaged slow-mo until the jets started going crazy, and disengaged slow-mo. As long as the bus has some ramp left to travel, it should just take off

Ok, that's my problem then. I'm going to the top of the ramp and jumping onto the bus as it leaves the ramp and then engaging slo-mo. I bet your advice here solves my problem, because I noticed I got MUCH farther if I jumped on the bus and hit slo-mo when it's in the middle of the ramp, jumping on when it's at the bottom should get me there.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think this is an example of a fine puzzle that's just a little bit TOO persnickity. Thank you.

[Gunmetal]

Yeah, it's not that clear what you're supposed to do. Initially I thought Mach Speed would speed up the bus, since I didn't pay much attention to the fact that it was rocket-powered

[Bub, Andrew]

That's not my problem. You can figure out which power to use by observing... my problem was that I knew what to do but had no idea why it wasn't working. Why does it matter if I slo-down time at the start of the ramp compared to the end of it? They could have done something to indicate that was the problem. Like a hint after the 20th failure or something... ;-)

[MikeOberly]

Does anyone know a clean and easy way to take out the freaking helicopter early in the game(yes,I realize I suck....).I've tried about tactic possible,and I continually come up just short.It would seem the easiest way is to get on top of it and kick ass,but I'm never able to get in enough licks.It's starting to drive me a little nutty.

I wouldn't so much mind fighting the freaking chopper again and again,but I *do* mind replaying the entire level again and again to get to the chopper.Now I remember why I hate the save system in platformers so much.

[Bub, Andrew]

Are you jumping and using slowdown... like constantly?

[MikeOberly]

As constantly as possible....I know it shouldn't be nearly as difficult as I am somehow making it.

[Bub, Andrew]

I wish I could help. I just kept jumping on top of it and using slowdown and then kicking and punching the hell out of it. If you're out of position, turn off slowdown, fall like a half inch (of screen) then turn it on again.

[Matthew Gallant]

It helps if you punch the helicopter's bullets back at it. Wait for it to come at you, cannons blazing, and then go slow and you'll see them. There has to be something you can do with the missles it launches too, but whenever I hit them they just seem to spin off in random directions.

[Greg417]

The homing missiles will head back towards the helicopter if the copter is the only enemy on screen. If the robots are walking around, the missiles tend to go after them instead.

But like Matt said, if you use slowdown when the copter is shooting the regular bullets, three hits from them or so will take the thing down. I found that kicking a diagonally falling bullet is the easiest to hit back at the copter.

[MikeOberly]

I'll give the bullets a shot--I have a really hard time kicking the bullets back at the chopper so that they hit it,though.They just seem to come in too low.The missiles are kind of handy for taking out the annoying robots,but I don't see the missiles much while I'm above/on top of the chopper.I think I'm taking the proper approach,it just seems that the freaking chopper can take an enormous amount of damage.Back to replaying the first level one more time....<sigh>....

[Gunmetal]

You may also be able to uppercut the robots into the helicoptor (when they have the pink target on them). Remember to slow-mo when the missiles hit the coptor for extra damage (It's like a valid version of Blaster Master's boss/grenade glitch!)

[Boss]

Bingo...use slow motion when you've punched or kicked the missiles back at the helicopter right when they explode. This technique is used later in the game too to create larger explosions. You'll take it down with like two missile hits in slowmo.

Also...note that if you use slow down when the helicopter isn't firing it will drop out of the sky to the ground. Make sure you dodge the blow of one of the little robots and have him dizzy then unleash hell by blasting him back into the copter along with every other robot on screen you can hit and send flying toward it.

This is the reason Viewtiful Joe kicks so much butt. There are easy ways and hard ways of defeating enemies and you've simply got to use your brain to figure them out.

[Moore]

OH MY GOD! I forgot about that glitch!


/loads save state and resumes blaster, uh, mastering.

[MikeOberly]

I must be something drastically wrong,because I am unable to beat the chopper.I've had it down a few times to minimal hit points remaing,but it always gets in the killing shot first.It appears to have two damage bars that you have to wear down,and more often than not I'm not even damaging it enough to get to the second bar.Knocking its bullets back into it seems the most effective way to damage it,but that's a bit tricky.I'm about ready for a cheat code so I can get on with the game.

Edit:Heh,right after I posted this,I finally got it.I nailed it by going into slow(bring the chopper down) when there were a line of robots in front of me,and just kicked several of them into it.I'd tried it before,but I think the chopper was lined up just right this time.I'm not very good at the game,but I still think this was a very difficult screen for so early in the game.Thanks for the tips,all.

[Boss]

Are you playing on Kids or Adults? You should probably be playing on Kids your first time through. It's really not as easy as "Kids" makes it sound.

--Dave

[MikeOberly]

Playing 'Adult',I'll see how it goes from here.

[mouselock]

I finally found this game used at EB. I haven't had this much fun with a game in a long time. I'm playing kids mode, so I'm sure it will be worse once I try adult and it's difficult, but right now I'm just having a hell of a time causing mass carnage. There seems to be a really great amount of depth with power interactions and such. I haven't had the type of rush playing a game in a long time that I just had pulling off a 800 V combo against the second of the two chopper bosses in chapter 3. (Slo-mo, zoom, and a couple of well placed spinning kicks with the robots in place seemed to set up a most gratifying chain reaciton.)

This game is great.

[Boss]

Got a 9999 last night for the first time. Viewtiful Joe is genius.

[JD]

Ok, does anyone here have brilliant hints for the fight against the last of the Magnificiant Five? (the 'fire guy') For instance, I found the Shark boss really tricky at first, but I found a nice way to beat him now without taking any damage or only a little. Same for all the other previous bosses. However, that boss I'm talking about turns out to be a highly annoying experience and as far as I remember the best I've ever achieved was bringing him down to the orange bar.

For the record, I did a brief check at Gamefaqs and one of the tidbits there in fact states that this is one of the easiest bosses. So, what am I missing here? (And no, I didn't forget to 'go on fire' through Mach at the rocks he drops to avoid his fireballs.)

EDIT: n/m, just beat the damn thing.