Viewtiful Joe

aka: Red Hot Man, Viewtiful Joe Revival, Viewtiful Joe: A New Hope
Moby ID: 10626
GameCube Specs
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Description official descriptions

Joe is your normal everyday guy, watching movies and hanging out with his girlfriend, Silvia. But when Silvia is sucked into a movie reel by an evil force, Joe's life is turned upside down. It's up to you to take everyman Joe and turn him into a superhero to end all superhero's and save his girl.

With a heavy dose of comic book visuals, Viewtiful Joe is an action-heavy 2D side-scroller inside a 3D world, that will have you using the amazing abilities of the hero in question as you slice and dice the many enemies on screen with VFX special moves, such as Slow and Mach Speed. You'll have the chance to earn 'Viewtifuls', which will boost your abilities with new killer moves and special items. You'll need them as you progress further into the seven episodes and big bosses at the end of each.

Spellings

  • 红侠乔伊 - Chinese spelling (simplified)
  • 뷰티플 죠 새로운 희망 - Korean PS2 spelling (Hangul)

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (GameCube version)

66 People (54 developers, 12 thanks) · View all

Director
Producer
Executive Producer
Lead Engineer
Stage Programming
Authoring System
Technical Support
Character Design & Modelling
Stage Design & Modelling
Motion Animation
Special Effects & Interface
Music Composition
Sound Design
Voice Over by
  • Soundelux Design Music Group
Voices
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 89% (based on 68 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 74 ratings with 6 reviews)

Classic platforming action returns. New console, new look, same great fun

The Good
The style of the classic platform shooter games of yesteryear returns with a brand-new style. As Joe, you find yourself thrust into a movie world filled with gorgeous graphics and bizarre movie-esque villians in a battle to save your girlfriend. Veteran games who remember the challenges of classic NES and SNES games will not be disappointed, and even new players will find the action incredibly enjoyable.

The Bad
Some players may find the minimal frequency of save options makes the game artificially difficult.

The Bottom Line
If you like platform shooters, and want to play one of the best platformers ever, buy Viewtiful Joe.

GameCube · by Shadowcaster (252) · 2003

Mad Japanese crazy superhero action!

The Good
It looks stunning! It uses old comic book techniques such as blurring, thick black lines and pretty, bright colours that give it a real classy look unlike any other game out there! The game plays like old’ side scrollers of the past and is best for it, though it has a few features which bring it out the past. These features are VFX which allows you to slow down, speed up and zoom in giving you handy abilities to clear out each room of enemies. The fighting because of this can be really joyful, using these techniques. Coupled with this a real comic book/ cheesy superhero movie feel, like the old batman programmes with Adam West that really tops it off.



The Bad
There’s too much of an emphasis on using slow VFX to get a good grade in each section of a level, while this isn’t necessary a bad thing as slow mo is fun, but I find that it doesn’t give you time with the other two VFX powers. Another bad thing is that it isn’t as hard as the Japanese version, perhaps in a effort to make it more attractive to the casual gamer. Also ironically, it is frustratingly hard in places. Also music is annoying after a while, but suits it the game sum what. The last thing that ticks off is that the graphics strain my eyes, but I don’t think this will applies to everyone.



The Bottom Line
Side scrolling fighters are back! VIEWTIFUL!!

GameCube · by Garland (12) · 2004

Side Scrollers Return

The Good
I've been waiting for a next-gen system to deliver a quality side scroller for a while, and here it is!

The combination of 3D rendered characters playing on a 2D plane looks fantastic. If that weren't enough, Viewtiful Joe has a number of other graphical treats up its sleeve. Slow-Motion, Fast-Motion, and Zoom-In effects (all which are essential to gameplay) create constantly changing environments.

The graphic style, a sort of anime-comic book, is also a tremendous innovation.

The game itself is a definite challenge. You'll probably think back to those early side-scroller games like mega man when it comes to the pre-final boss stage (a series of previous boss refights). Extensively complex gameplay elements, primarily revolving around fighting styles, sets the learning curve a little higher than most games; however, the payoff is worth it.

The cine-story presentation (complete with intentionally over-the-top announcer) moves along the plot in a refreshingly self-aware manner.

Lastly, the inclusion of power-ups based on previous level success is great.

The Bad
There is actually a little lag when the screen becomes consumed -- however, after years with the original NES side-scrollers, it almost feels like it was intentional.

The Bottom Line
One of the Must-Have Gamecube titles.

GameCube · by Game22 (35) · 2004

[ View all 6 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Viewtiful Joe appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Alternate Packaging

Europe saw two GameCube releases of this game; one with a yellow front cover and the other with a pink front cover. There are no gameplay or story differences between these two versions; it is purely cosmetic.

Black Cat

A black cat appears throughout the game: * Illustrated in posters on street scenes * Driving the runaway jet-powered buses * In a space suit at the beginning of the space station

Catchphrase

"Henshin" in Japanese means "transform", so Joe's catchphrase when he changes, "Henshin a go-go, baby!", translates (obviously) to, "Transform a go-go, baby!"

Influences

In an interview on 1UP, Hideki Kamiya mentions the movies that influenced the design process: Life is Beautiful inspired the Viewtiful Joe bonus video, and the bus in the movie Speed was the inspiration for the bus in Viewtiful Joe. Jaws was the inspiration for the Shark Boss.

References

  • When holding down the X button, Joe will throw up a bomb, jiggle it on his knee, and whistle the first 6 notes of the Mario theme. If doing it in mid-air, he'll whistle another part of the Mario theme. In Slow Motion, he'll whistle yet another part.
  • In level 2, Some Like It Red Hot, there are billboards with a scantly clad women titled Playguy, which is a reference to the Playboy magazine.
  • Sometimes the third boss, Gran Bruce, spits out a Nintendo GameCube.
  • Gran Bruce's name is quite possibly a reference to Jaws. More specifically, the mechanical shark used in the movie, which was nicknamed Bruce by the crew.
  • The Japanese PlayStation 2 version is called Viewtiful Joe: A New Hope, after the later added subtitle of Star Wars.
  • Most of the names of the stages are puns regarding famous movie names: Some Like It Hot, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Great Escape, Midnight Cowboy and The Magnificent Seven.
  • Take a look at the back of the US GameCube box. It has a robot that looks very much like the R.O.B accessory for the NES console.

References

The final level has many references to Star Wars: * The space dock interior with the the ranks of troops on the black mirror floor looks like the Death Star reception for the Emperor in Return of the Jedi. * The Die Fighters have hexagonal wings. * Blue tells Sylvia: "I am your father, Sylvia". * In the end titles, the Joe and Sylvia poster is subtitled: "In a viewtiful galaxy, far far away".

Viewtiful Joe Revival

Capcom re-released Viewtiful Joe in Japan with some new content and a new, easier difficulty mode titled Suwito (Sweet) on December 18, 2003. The upgraded version is called Viewtiful Joe Revival and is priced at 3,980 Yen ($36).

Awards

  • 4Players
    • 2003 – Biggest Console Surprise of the Year (GameCube)
  • GameSpy
    • 2003 – #4 GameCube Game of the Year
    • 2003 - Most Stylish Game of the Year (GameCube)
    • 2004 – Better Late Than Never Award (PS2)
  • Golden Joystick Award
    • 2003 - Unsung Hero Game of the Year

Information also contributed by CaptainCanuck, [Garland](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,48990/), [German Cruz](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,99948/), [Jiguryo](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,9748/), [piltdown man](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,168784/), [Rupert Breheny](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,40963/), [Tiago Jacques, [timebender](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,39366/) and [Thomas Dowding](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,532749/).](http://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,46057/)

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  • MobyGames ID: 10626
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Kartanym.

PlayStation 2 added by crbr.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, okJigu, Shoddyan, Sciere, Freeman, Patrick Bregger, Rik Hideto, FatherJack, Deleted.

Game added October 10, 2003. Last modified January 8, 2024.