Time to get Viewtiful....again! (Viewtiful Joe 2 (PS2))

Member Name: Souther

Product:	Viewtiful Joe 2 (PS2)
Date:	10/02/06 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: More characters, more levels, more Viewtiful moves.

Disadvantages: Caution - May require patience

Here we go again - Joe is back....and this time around he has brought his girlfriend Sylvia to join him permanently by his side. For those of you who haven't heard of this series of games, you might like to check out my review on the first one and you can get an idea of the style of the game as I wont be covering it in as much detail here.

Firstly, the sequel to the original (cleverly titled Viewtiful Joe 2) could be mistaken for being a carbon copy of the original in terms of graphics. The same mixture of 2D/3D images and cell shading are present. Some may find this a disappointment, but I prefer to think of it as a pleasant continuation of a unique style. Much like these visuals, things may appear to be the same, yet they are definitely not.

The first thing that you will notice is that Joe is not alone any more. His girlfriend Sylvia can be called upon whenever you like and can be switched in real time. Not only does this function allow some completely new abilities (more on those in a minute)but it is sometimes necessary to solve certain tricky puzzles in the game. Both of the characters have certain benefits. Joe is immune to fire after using Mach speed on objects/enemies for a small period of time and has the zoom-in and slow motion functions. He also still uses the same moves in the previous game with the addition of a throw and a upgradable team attack when the two characters switch. Sylvia looks just as Viewtiful with her pom-poms and guns. That's right....Sylvia can unload balls of energy from her guns. Who said guns were for blokes? She is also immune to electricity on activating the new function that only she can use - Instant Replay. Once activated, if you hit any enemy, it will be replayed and do 3 times the amount of damage immediately. The bad thing is that if it is activated and the enemy hits you, it will hurt you 3 times as much. Ths new function means that Sylvia cannot use the Mach Speed function as it is replaced by Instant Replay.

The addition of a new character with specific abilities is a very welcome addition as it bings more chances for creative enemy bashing and looks twice as cool. However, I still prefer to use Joe as I am a lot more conscious of how to control him in the best way. The new Replay function is effective, but it does use a lot of the V gauge in using it.

The length of the game is noticably a lot longer as well and will add around 2-3 hours of gameplay compared to the first installment. A water level is a new addition as well in which you can use Six-Machine (portable transformable machine) as a submarine/drill. The boss' are just as sneaky and crazy which is always a pleasure as they do also make you laugh. Given this, the difficulty can be sometimes infuriating, but in a good way. I challenge you to try and not shout your lungs out at the screen when a certain boss pummels you into the ground every single time. When you beat him/her, you will feel quite happy indeed.

Even after you complete the whole game, more difficulty settings are unlocked and a new mode is the 36 Chambers of Viewtiful. These are mini challenges that you can complete when you are not playing through the story mode. They are very hard indeed and require a lot of dexterity and reaction times. I've only completed half of the challenges and it was no mean feat by any stretch of the imagination.

Overall, if you enjoyed the first game, then this will be just as much fun and probably even more given the new additions. Whilst the core gameplay is still in tact, it does feel like a different adventure. I would recommend that you play the first one before this one though as you will enjoy it a lot more - quite a few inside jokes and 'possible' re appearences by enemies. Enjoy!

Summary: Solid and faithfull sequel to a unique and absorbing game experience.