Summary
During the early 2000s, Capcom had begun skyrocketing in popularity, proving themselves to be one of the most exciting developers in the video game industry. However, because they had multiple franchises that were already doing extremely well, such asResident EvilandDevil May Cry, a smaller subteam going by the name of Clover Studio was formed to work on a few new IPs that could be a little more experimental and unique in their gameplay.
While Clover Studio was only around for a couple of years, within that time, they managed to come out with some incredibly innovative titles, some of which were well received upon arrival, while others took a little while to grab the attention of audiences. Some of the most prominent members of Clover Studio such as Shinji Mikami and Atsushi Inaba have since moved on to continue their development journeys elsewhere, but there’s no mistaking that they still came out with some amazing titles during their time at the studio.
After the immense critical and commercial success of the first twoViewtiful Joegames,Red Hot Rumblehad pretty big shoes to fill to maintain the momentum, but it fell very short due to its clunky mechanics and unresponsive controls. The game is often compared to theSuper Smash Brosseriessince the side-scrolling fighting gameplay is more or less identical, but it also includes random mini-games and absurdly overpowered abilities that appear mid-match, which severely harm the balancing.
Additionally, because so many items are thrown onto the stage at once, it also makes it very easy to lose track of what’s even going on. Still, the game does have some very flashy and vibrant visuals, and the large roster of unlockable characters does grant a nice sense of progression to the experience. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, butRed Hot Rumblecan still be a lot of fun in short bursts.
Viewtiful Joe: Double Troublethrew the gameplay back to the series' roots, with players taking control of the powerful and endlessly charismatic Joe who travels through a giant theme park known as Movieland to retrieve a special roll of film that has been stolen by a group of villains. Of course, there are also plenty of enemies along the way that Joe must beat up to progress, and while it is quite a bit slower than previous entries, it’s still very satisfying to pull off big and eye-catching combos.
Since the game was only released on the DS, it makes use of the touch screen, which ultimately ends up feeling a little needless and more of a gimmick rather than anything interesting. With that being said,Double Troubleis often regarded as one of the best beat em' upsavailable for the DS, which restored a lot of people’s faith in the series afterRed Hot Rumble.
God Handis quite a fascinating game in the sense that, when it was first released in 2006, it was almost universally disliked by critics and reviewers, but as the years have gone on,it’s become somewhat of a cult classicbecause of just how tight and focused its gameplay is. The story may not be anything to write home about, with the game barely even having a consistent plot running through it, but the action gameplay is truly something special, with players being given a significant amount of freedom to take on enemies in any way they want.
There are over one hundred moves that players can learn in this game, and with the addition of the powerful God Hand, some of these abilities are devastating, making Gene more or less unstoppable by the end of the game. This not only adds a very satisfying sense of progression, but it also leans into the admittedly ridiculous tone, which feels like it’s all one big parody of the action-adventure genre.God Handis a refined taste, but there’s no doubt that fans of action games will have an absolute blast digging into its deeper mechanics.
Viewtiful Joe 2doesn’t feel quite asbig and bombasticas its predecessor, but it still retains the endless charm and addictive gameplay that made the original so beloved. For the majority of the game, players will be fighting their way through some jaw-dropping environments while making use of their VFX powers, which allow Joe to mess around with time itself to execute some incredibly powerful attacks. While Joe still has his Mach Speed, he can also freely switch places with his girlfriend Silvia, who has an incredibly unique Replay ability, with this mechanic going a long way to keep the gameplay from ever becoming stale or predictable.
While the series has never been most well known for its story,Viewtiful Joe 2’s plot does feel a little undercooked in its presentation, but the addictive gameplay, along with the striking visuals, helps to make up for this. Pair this with some great boss fights and the brutally challenging 36 Chambers of Viewtiful extra game mode, and it results in a fantastic beat em' up that is seen as a pretty worthy successor to the original in the eyes of many fans.
A huge reason whyOkamiis such a beloved game is due to its incredibly unique setting and world. While it’s rooted in Japanese history,it also ties in some elements of mythology and folklorethat come together to create something special. What also helped the game stand out was its art style, which looked like an ink-washed painting that had been brought to life, with every color popping out of the screen to grab the player’s attention.
The gameplay follows the classic action-adventure formula, but the challenging puzzles and platforming sections also help to break up the incredibly intense combat sections. Players could also make use of the Celestial Brush mechanic to restore parts of the environment, which itself was a ton of fun to play around with, and also just a perfect fit for the art style and aesthetic of the game.Okamiis often cited as one of the shining examples ofvideo games being considered art, and it’s not hard to see why when taking in the beauty of its world.
BecauseViewtiful Joedoesn’t feature too many complex mechanics or systems that the players need to get to grips with, it creates a game that is easy to learn, but so much fun to master. What really blew people away was just how fast-paced the game was, especially when using the VFX abilities at just the right time to wipe out hordes of enemies in one go. It’s also just so enjoyable to play around with these explosive powers, especially the Mach Speed which lets Joe move lightning-fast, and the Zoom In ability which boosts the damage of Joe’s regular attacks, making him a true force to be reckoned with.
The story, while straightforward and very easy to follow, also contains some unexpected twists and turns which keep it engaging throughout, and the constant cinema references are extremely charming and help to add some creative flare to the story. Speaking of flare, it’s hard to find a game that is more stylish thanViewtiful Joe, with many often likening it to theDevil May Cryseries for how effortlessly cool it feels as an experience. While it’s unfortunately unlikely that fans will ever see a brand-newentry in theViewtiful Joeseries, it would admittedly be difficult to ever capture the exhilarating rush that many people felt when jumping into that first game for the first time.
