Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble

Capcom's bright, loud, Viewtiful PSP edition of a modern classic hits home.

The original Viewtiful Joe was released to little fanfare but found a place in the hearts of gamers who missed their side scrollers and fast paced combat games. Its move to the PSP maintains the colorful game play and the blistering pace of the original, plus now you get to be on the receiving end of “he’s enjoying that game far too much” stares on public transport as you frantically scramble to keep ahead of the AI, or your mates in networked matches.

Viewtiful Joe Royal Rumble compresses the side scrolling action of the original into Smash Brothers-esque maps, and awards points based on how often you beat your opponents senseless, completion of mini-games, and successfully pulling off stylish combat moves. The storyline is weaker than the original, as you should expect from a game which focuses on melee combat, but it is still loosely (and humorously) centered on the rickety world of film making. While we’re on the subject, Matt Damon (!) does not make an appearance.

The beautifully rendered cut scenes and in-game detail are stunning, which comes as no surprise, as the series has its own anime spin-off. The cell shaded bouts in Viewtiful Joe let you pick a character and play through a series of acting and stunt roles on a Hollywood action movie, a pretext for level design that glistens with all the cheese that made the original famous. Extra characters can be unlocked by clearing the various trial modes. Naturally, they all have special moves (the director throws people around and uses golf clubs as a special, which is a nice touch if you’ve ever been on a film set) and you get to play through the stories with them as well as in the vs. mode.

Viewtiful Joe has made the transition to handheld nicely, especially when you realize how much action is taking place on such a small screen so close to you. Gameplay changing items like slow motion, double size and speed all add to the game without making it too complex and ungainly. Loud and fast handheld gaming at its best.