Viewtiful Joe 2

"Reel 2:Viewtiful Joe and his annoying sidekick Silvia do more of the same"

Here is another helping of the same experience us Viewtiful joe players had about a year ago in the first game. Is too much of the same bad? Viewtiful Joe 2 offers little knew in the experience, but keeps the same pretty charm as the first title.

STORY 5/10

Story is overly bland and uninteresting. You get more connected to the story at the end, but it still ends up offering zero unique and memorable story. It is clear, that the story means little in this game. I thought the little tale they were telling was lame and offered nothing new. the story did not keep you as enthralled into the game as the stellar graphics and addictive gameplay did.

SOUND 7/10

Music is a bit catchy, but nothing spectacular. There really is not much to say about the sound, except that it is standard.

GRAPHICS 10/10

The most interesting asset to this game is the graphics. Through the middle of the game the gameplay may get a bit stale, yet the graphics keep the gameplay more fresh and different, and your constantly being reminded on how well done and unique the graphics are. The style and smoothness of it all is exceptional. The graphics are what keeps this whole franchise new when the gameplay gets more stale and repetitive.

GAMEPLAY 8/10

Well, the one most major addition is the switching between Silvia and Joe. This addition is basically useless and is just a gimmicky new addition. The combat mechanics do get repetitive, like stated before, but picking up Viewtiful Joe 2 will offer you an experience only found in one other game, and that is Viewtiful Joe 1. And this is where a problem comes in, because beating Viewtiful Joe 2 and getting to the end, you realize the story is not as interesting as other titles are, and the replay value is pathetically weak. You beat this title and there is zero need to go back and play through the whole boring story line again. Now i loved what Viewtiful Joe 2 offered, but you have seen it all before in the first title. There is a new tactic for the Silvia to use, called Replay, but it offers little new to the experience and is only necessary to get past puzzles. and this brings in another point. The puzzles are creative, but they can be frustrating beyond belief. And having too switch between Silvia and Joe is unnecessary and once again, only used for a few puzzles.

FINAL THOUGHTS?

Viewtiful Joe 2 is sadly too short, and there are very few differences from the first title, and the differences that are there are unnecessary and gimmicky. The gameplay is fun, and for a decent amount of the game will stay fresh and new. The graphics are the best part of the title, which improves the whole experience considerably. Joe 2 is a fun quick little game, with zero replay value, and a unique concept and gameplay that will leave you wanting to play until that ending video shows up.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/14/05