Viewtiful Joe

Playing Viewtiful Joe is like getting punched in the face by a dinosaur wearing sunglasses. It hurts, and it will most likely leaving you wondering what you did to deserve such punishment. But the very idea of it is just so awesome.
The plot, as it were, involves Joe and his date going to see a movie at the theater. All is well until the villain of the film decides to hop out of the picture and snatch up Joe’s girl. Well, Joe apparently has no recourse but to follow him into the flick, turning into a superhero in the process.
Coming from Clover Studios, the guys behind the gorgeous Okami and the totally sweet God Hand, Viewtiful Joe plays like an old school beat ‘em up, Final Fight-style. The only difference is that rather than an isometric 3rd person view it’s a straight up side-scroller. The game has an incredible visual style, as excepted of Clover, with vibrant, fast-paced action set up like you are progressing through a film, similar to what Comix Zone did with making it like an interactive comic book back in the Sega Genesis days. You basically punch, kick and destroy your way through wave after wave of enemies until you reach the boss at the end. The difficulty in general is fairly punishing even on the lighter settings, relegating the game to the persistent and hardcore only. Given its cartoonish, hyperactive visual style and the tie-in cartoon series made after its release, one would think the developers would have made it more kid friendly. Somehow though, I feel it would have taken away from the sense of accomplishment you get after defeating the bosses. As you progress you learn new abilities that become integral in beating back the swarms of enemies, culminating in an old-school-style “beat every boss you’ve already beaten before getting to the big enchilada” finale.
I highly recommend this game for its striking graphical style as well as its humor and sheer fun factor. Although a warning to the timid gamers among you who don’t remember the days when platformers and beat ‘em ups were maddeningly difficult and rewarded perseverance and skill, this game is not for you unless you only like to see the first level of a game. For the serious gamers out there, this is a no-brainer purchase.