Support NeoGAF

[Kumiko Nikaido]

I played a couple of hours of the PS2 version of Viewtiful Joe, and the port turned out surprisingly well. If you haven't divulged in the previous GameCube incarnation, the PS2 version will suit you just fine. (Even better since Dante is an unlockable bonus)

Booting up the game shows the new Clover Studio logo, then segueways into the familiar Capcom logo where Joe kicks around the letters. Title screen and options remain the same, although the "new" addition of the "Sweet" mode of difficulty (seen in the Japan rerelease of the GC incarnate) will satisfy those who can't stomach the beat-downs and pummeling of the game's wacky villians.

Controls are easier using the Dual Shock 2 pad. You can use the digital pad or left analog thumbstick to move Joe, punches are handled on Square, kicks on Triangle, jumps on X, Slow-Motion on L1, Mach Speed on R1, and Zoom-In/Out functions on the right analog stick.

Graphics, effects, and nuances are on par with the GC rendition. When you use the zoom-in or out functions, the enemies and effects are slightly more grainier and pixelly, but nothing real bad. Tad bits of slowdown occur here and there when everything gets real hectic (like when busting out multiple combos on many enemies), but it's not an issue since you'll be busy concentrating on slow-moing or mach-speeding for brutal V-points. Heh. Sound-wise, the speech is still garbled like it was heard on the GC version where you sometimes can't understand the banter exchange between Joe and the bosses. Would it have been hard to add subtitles!? Geez.

Level designs and placement of enemies are the same from the GC one, so if you remember where everything was, you'll have no problems blazing through this rendition.

Clover Studio did an impressive job of porting Viewtiful Joe to the PS2's hardware, considering Capcom said it couldn't be done since VJ was orginally made and tuned specifically for the GC's hardware.

For $29.99, Viewtiful Joe is an outstanding (if difficult) 2D cel-shaded romp that shouldn't be missed by all you PS2ers. Indulge in some crazy Joe antics, and have a viewtiful time with Viewtiful Joe!

Henshin a Go Go Baby! And bring on Viewtiful Joe 2!

 

[Schmo Florez]

I shall add to the Viewtiful love. Been playin it all day. Side scrollers fo' life!

 

[cvxfreak]

Thanks for the impressions, Kumiko.

 

[Lord Error]

Really great port and a fantastic game. The sounds really is a bit weird when some of the bosses talk, it's hard to understand, but it's not a big deal. I was really surprised how well the graphics ported over. I didn't play the GC version by no means extensively - maybe 10 minutes total - but so far I couldn't see any visual difference that would stick out. Even the mentioned zoom-in mode visuals looks pretty much the same to me, but I don't remember the GC version perfectly. However it just looks really good and pretty much flawless.

Oh, and the Clover studio logo animation is sweet!

 

[JJConrad]

What else has Clover Studios done and who's doing VJ2?

 

[Kumiko Nikaido]

Thanks for the impressions, Kumiko.

Welcome! ^_^

...but so far I couldn't see any visual difference that would stick out. Even the mentioned zoom-in mode visuals looks pretty much the same to me, but I don't remember the GC version perfectly.

The graininess and blurriness when you zoom-in is more apparant in the PS2 version. It was the first thing I noticed when I implemented it. Not a big deal though, since everything else about the game is perfect.

What else has Clover Studios done and who's doing VJ2?

Clover Studio is doing both the PS2 and GC versions of Viewtiful Joe 2. Their other project is Okami for PS2.

 

[Lord Error]

The graininess and blurriness when you zoom-in is more apparant in the PS2 version. It was the first thing I noticed when I implemented it.

Wow, kudos to GC version then! I really have no complaints on how it looks in the PS2 version though. Characters and effects are 3D objects, so they don't seem to lose any fidelity when it zooms in, but they likely used even higher res textures on the GC.

In any case, this is one of the sweetest looking games ever... Clover have some crazy talent in their team. Okami can't come soon enough!

 

[Kumiko Nikaido]

Okami can't come soon enough!

SCEA will face death if they disapprove Okami for U.S. release.

Also forgot to mention that Clover Studio added a Viewtiful Joe 2 trailer in the PS2 VJ game. It's already accessible and viewable by simply going to to the V-Gallery.

The Viewtiful Joe 2 trailer looks to retain all the hyper-activity, fun, and style of VJ. Joe and Silvia's antics will be taken to the max in duo-control form. Even the new locales look whacky and crazy as ever. November 24th can't come soon enough! ^_^

 

[Mejilan]

The game really needed to get more love. Those of you experiencing it for the first time. Enjoy...

 

[Wario64]

I don't have the PS2 version but Viewitful Joe does rock. Glad this game is getting new players to try it out

 

[Buffy4ever]

I can't wait to buy this game. Ima going to get it for PS3 and if this game is as great as people say, i will rebuy it on the GameCube for any extra effects the ps2 missed, when I buy a GameCube in 2005.

 

[Brandon F]

Progressive Scan>>>?

Been thinking of trading up the GC version for this. I never did beat Adult mode myself, quit at Fire Leo, but I also didn't put half the motivational effort into this game as most other similar action spectacles that release. All this talk is giving me reason to begin have a Viewtiful renaissance though.

But I'll probably just keep pecking away at Tales of Symphonia...

 

[distantmantra]

I picked it up last night at Fry's for $23. I never played it on the GC (hell, I've never played a Gamecube), but I'm really enjoying this one.

 

[Deku Tree]

I have the GC version... awesome game! Buy it (whichever version)!

 

[Riskbreaker]

The Magnificent 5 stage is pretty hard.. Ayone have any tips to beat this stage?

 

[Deku Tree]

The Magnificent 5 stage is pretty hard.. Ayone have any tips to beat this stage?

Practice and use a Take Two.

 

[NWO]

For $29.99, Viewtiful Joe is an outstanding (if difficult) 2D cel-shaded romp that shouldn't be missed by all you PS2ers. Indulge in some crazy Joe antics, and have a viewtiful time with Viewtiful Joe!

Isn't this on PC for the Cube for $19.99? If it is then Capcom should have released it for $19.99 and not $29.99. Hell VJ2 is coming out at $39.99.

 

[Lord Error]

You can buy it for something like $22 at Fry's.

Forgot to mention - there's the preorder bonus at EB that they gave away - 5 trading cards with VJ characters

 

[Vlad]

The Magnificent 5 stage is pretty hard.. Ayone have any tips to beat this stage?

Well, it all boils down to being good at fighting the bosses, really (well, that, and knowing the trick to the last one). Is there a particular part that's giving you problems?

The first part of the level is pretty easy once you know how to beat them:

For the first one:

Spoiler

There's two good ways to go about beating him. The easiest is to get a batch of Voomerangs, then chuck one at him. This will knock him out of the sky, where you can beat on him for some damage. However, as soon as you let the first Voomerang fly, start charging another one. Once he's on the ground, toss the second Voomerang away from him. It will fly out a bit, then circle around. While it does that, walk up next to him, and right before the second Voomerang hits him, Slow-Zoom-Punch the heck out of him. The combination of the punches and the Voomerang in Slow mode will take a HUGE chunk out of his life. If you use this tactic when you fight him in the first level, you can beat him in about three seconds.

The second way takes a little longer, but doesn't require Voomerangs. When he does his attack where he bashes into the ceiling and sends stalagtites crashing down towards you, you can hit one of them back at him once they've hit the ground. This will knock him down and allow you to do some damage. You can also knock him down when he does his sideways drill attack. If you use slow, you can punch him out of it before he hits you, dazing him and allowing you to get some more hits in.

Also, be sure to grab all the V canisters that you can find. Use Mach Speed on him when he's dazed and near his coffin to get the red canister from the box in the background. There's also two columns of blue canisters way up in the middle of the room. You have to punch a stalgtite into these to collect them.

Second:

Spoiler

I had the hardest time with Hulk at first, but once you get his pattern down, he's easy. The best way to beat him is to stand right next to him after he lands from a jump. If you do this, he'll ALWAYS do a low swing with his axe (three skulls along the ground). Do an upward dodge to avoid it. After he misses three times, he'll put his axe back and get ready to charge at you. Hop up on one of the platforms and let him smack into the wall. This will make him dizzy, allowing you to do some damage. However, be careful when hitting him, because he will come out of the daze eventually, and if you hit him then, he'll block it with his axe, then do a nasty counterattack (one giant skull), which does a ton of damage. Once he comes out of his daze, just get away and wait for him to jump again. Once he does, you can just get in close and make him do the low swings again. It takes a while, but it's easy. Also, one of the times you dizzy him, hit him with Mach Speed attacks, as there's a hidden box behind his desk which will give you a red V cannister.

Third:

Spoiler

Another really easy one. He tends to start out by spitting a bunch of junk at you. Stay back to avoid it. Eventually he'll start his chomping attack. Make sure you stay out of the water, as he's a lot slower then. Avoid him for a while and he'll get tired (you'll hear him wheezing). Run over to him and Slow-Zoom-punch the heck out of him. After you do some damage, he'll either raise the water level, or retreat back into the pool. If he retreats, follow him, as he's going there to get his health back. Once he's in the pool, he'll still be tired, and you can stop him from healing by beating on him some more. After doing some more damage, he'll raise the water level.

Once he raises the water, he usually starts by throwing a bunch of fish at you. They'll either be the black ones that just fly straight then explode, or the green ones. The green ones swim around for a little bit, then attack. Make sure to take them out quickly, or you may get chomped by one and be stuck once Bruce starts choming again, then you're really in trouble. Before Bruce starts chomping this time, though, he'll send out a bunch of bombs (the red spiny things). Since Bruce always will always swim straight at you when chomping, just put one of the bombs inbetween yourself and him and he'll swim right into one, getting it stuck in his mouth. Punch it while in Slow and it'll explode, doing signifigant damage. You can also punch him while it's exploding to do additional damage. Usually he lowers the water at this point, and the whole process starts all over.

Fourth:

Spoiler

If you're just trying to beat Another Joe, then just make sure you keep on top of him at all times. Once he appears, Slow-Zoom-Punch him until he does his spin kick (you'll auto-dodge this if you're still in Slow). Get out of Slow and Zoom immediately and watch where he goes (you'll see a faint trail). Follow him and start beating on him again with Slow-Zoom-Punches. If you keep on his tail the whole time, he'll never be able to call his clones or Six Machine.

However, if you wanted to collect the cannisters, then you'll have to deal with his more elaborate attacks. You'll always hear him call them out "Henshin a go-go, baby", "Henshin a bye-bye". If it's one of his clone attacks, just be ready. If you see a bunch of clones flying around the arena right at you, immediately go to Zoom (not Slow, though) and start jamming on the kick button. Your spinning kicks will kill the clones before they can hit you. If a bunch of clones appear around you and start circling, wait until they turn red and start pulsating, then start Zoom-Kicking. If he calls his Six Machine, make sure not to turn on Slow. If it shoots its blaster at you, then the shots will become huge and difficult to avoid.

I won't go into the fifth part, as figuring it out and doing it is quite satisfying, simply because it's so damn hard .

 

[Riskbreaker]

Thanks Vlad Leo was tough at first, but once you get his pattern he isn't as difficult as I once thought.

 

[Vlad]

Thanks Vlad Leo was tough at first, but once you get his pattern he isn't as difficult as I once thought.

Yup. He can still be pretty nasty (especially when his health gets low), but I can usually beat him without losing a life now.

 

[DarienA]

Why isn't this game even listed at BestBuy.com I have two RewardZone coupons I was going to use to pick it up!!!

 

[btrboyev]

I just don't get why people would trade the GC in for the PS2 one..or ignore the game until it hit the PS2. Its good to see interest in the game, but if you own both systems, picking the ps2 version makes the mind boggle.

 

[levious]

it has an extra playable character

 

[Lord Error]

I just don't get why people would trade the GC in for the PS2 one..or ignore the game until it hit the PS2. Its good to see interest in the game, but if you own both systems, picking the ps2 version makes the mind boggle.

For me, it's simple - I don't have a Gamecube. Also, you would probably be surpised at just how damn close both versions look. You have to be a VJ guru to actually spot any difference in visuals, PS2 conversion is that good.. There's an extra playable character in the PS2 version, which a nice addition. Not something I'd trade GC version for if I had it, but it's not like the PS2 version is somehow inferior to GC as you made it sound.

 

[jarrod]

I demand a PSP version! PSP needs to get both games!!

 

[Defensor]

Dante rocks in this game! "Devil May Cry is a Rockin Baby YEA!"

 

[Oh! My Car!]

prog scan compatible?

 

[jett]

Well, I got Viewtiful Joe for my PS2 as well. It's definitely a cool, fun game, but I betcha that if he had been a multiplatform game from the start it wouldn't have recieved the amount of love it did.

I'm on the Magnificent Five right now...is this stage just a re-encounter with all the previous bosses? Kinda disappointing that theres only 6 real stages in the game.

 

[Kiriku]

The Magnificent Five became easier when I discovered that you'll begin at the fifth boss if you manage to reach that boss, lose all your lives and choose retry.

 

[Vlad]

I'm on the Magnificent Five right now...is this stage just a re-encounter with all the previous bosses?

Yes, but they're all harder (they've got more life this time around), and the boss of that level is nothing to sneeze at, either.

Kinda disappointing that theres only 6 real stages in the game.

Ummm...

 

[cochese]

One more time....Does it have Prog-scan???

 

[cochese]

*bump*
So does anyone know if this game has Progrisive Scan like the gamecube version???

 

[cvxfreak]

megamail@capcom.com

 

[Lord Error]

I haven't looked in the manual. When I get home I'll look, and also try several usual button combinations on the controller to try to activate it, if it's there.

The game certainly works in the full frame buffer mode, though, so I'd imagine it can easily be forced into a progressive mode using the Blaze VGA adapter.

 

[Socreges]

For me, it's simple - I don't have a Gamecube. Also, you would probably be surpised at just how damn close both versions look. You have to be a VJ guru to actually spot any difference in visuals, PS2 conversion is that good.. There's an extra playable character in the PS2 version, which a nice addition. Not something I'd trade GC version for if I had it, but it's not like the PS2 version is somehow inferior to GC as you made it sound.

If by "VJ guru" you mean "played both versions", yes. Granted, weeks apart and you wouldn't notice the drop in visuals. My friend played my copy months ago, bought the PS2 version recently, and didn't notice that there's a difference. Only when we actually played one after the other was it obvious.

 

[jett]

There's quite a bit of slowdown in Fire Leo's fight(enough to become annoying). I haven't played the GC version, so I don't know if it had slowdown there too.

 

[Lord Error]

Granted, weeks apart and you wouldn't notice the drop in visuals. My friend played my copy months ago, bought the PS2 version recently, and didn't notice that there's a difference.

Well, that's what I'm saying... I did play GC version LONG time ago, and for a very short time, but I usualy am able to spot differences if anything sticks out. Granted, I haven't made it to far in the VJ yet, but nothing seemed to stick out so far. Even the mentioned zoom mode seemed the same to me, but I of course won't question statements made by people who could compare both games more closely.

 

[UltimateMarioMan]

Why would anyone want to play this game with the horrible PS2 controller?

 

[Lord Error]

The PS2 controller works just great with the game. I'm using the new cordless Logitech, though, which is just as fine.

 

[GDGF]

I can't wait to hear more about the Nintendo DS version, myself.



(great game, BTW!)

 

[jett]

Why would anyone want to play this game with the horrible PS2 controller?

It works perfectly with the Dual Shock.

 

[tenchir]

For me, it's simple - I don't have a Gamecube. Also, you would probably be surpised at just how damn close both versions look. You have to be a VJ guru to actually spot any difference in visuals, PS2 conversion is that good.. There's an extra playable character in the PS2 version, which a nice addition. Not something I'd trade GC version for if I had it, but it's not like the PS2 version is somehow inferior to GC as you made it sound.

I bought JV for PS2 yesterday just because I saw it at fry's for cheap, the game was so damn fun why wouldn't I buy another copy with extra?(I expected to get the game to run of the HDD, but no dice) Any, I noticed right away the graphic difference in the game like the poster made. Even if he didn't mention it, I would still have noticed. I have beaten the GC version like 2 times on easy and 3 times on Adult, so I pretty know the game inside and out. Besides, you admitted that you only played the game for GC in like 10 minutes did you not? The controller on the other hand took awhile to get used to, does anyone who have PS2>GC controller adapter tell me how well it works? The dual shock stick isn't as sensitive as the analog stick on the GC.

 

[JJConrad]

Does anyone know what they've replaced the Nintendo related stuff with?

What Joe whistles.

ROB

GCN garbage

 

[Defensor]

Does anyone know what they've replaced the Nintendo related stuff with?

What Joe whistles.

ROB

GCN garbage

I don't remember if Joe whistles and the GCN garbage, but ROB is still in the game.

 

[GDGF]

:lol Capcom tagged the PS2 with Nintendo propaganda.

 

[Lord Error]

I have beaten the GC version like 2 times on easy and 3 times on Adult, so I pretty know the game inside and out. Besides, you admitted that you only played the game for GC in like 10 minutes did you not?

Yes I did, and it's not like I was trying to hide that either. As you can see from my post above, I don't have any intention to question statements made by people who could compare both games more closely. On the other hand, the difference is obviously too small to bother me personally.

 

[dark10x]

Why would anyone want to play this game with the horrible PS2 controller?

Perhaps because there are plenty of people who believe the Dual Shock 2 is vastly superior to the Cube controller? The Cube controller is great, but I find it less comfortable and less functional overall. I mean, whenever a new Cube title is released and I played it for a week straight...I always end up with sore hands.

Which controller is superior is obviously quite objective...

 

[tenchir]

Yes I did, and it's not like I was trying to hide that either. As you can see from my post above, I don't have any intention to question statements made by people who could compare both games more closely. On the other hand, the difference is obviously too small to bother me personally.

For your information, I didn't even look at it closely, I just noticed the difference. It's not a graphic difference like trilinear implementation between ATI cards and Nvidia cards. It's just much more noticeable, you don't have to get close to the television, pause, and squint to notice right away. What would you think if had said I don't noticed the difference between XBOX and GC version of Splinter Cell if I played the XBOX version recently and the GC version like 6 months ago for may be 10 minutes(it's an exaggeration, but I am just using this scenario as an example).

 

[MaddenNFL64]

ROB is in the PS2 version?

:lol