Many automatically fell in love with Capcom’s stylish and fresh semi-2D-quasi-3D sidescroller, Viewtiful Joe, when the company released the action-adventure on GameCube in 2003. The game combined a deep, satisfying combat system with plenty of non-stop action and a wave of personality unlike any game on the GameCube or any other console out there. It’s no wonder the title was received so well by critics and gamers alike.

Capcom later followed-up the game with a sequel, Viewtiful Joe 2, which quietly released just last year amongst the holiday onslaught of software. While filled with even more of what made the original game so successful, the sequel didn’t draw quite as much attention as its predecessor and remains one of the GCN’s many sleeper hits.

This year, the company behind the series is trying something a little different. Replacing the 2D sidescrolling adventure is a 2D four-player battle game. Indeed, it sounds like Super Smash Bros. with Viewtiful Joe characters, but there are a few noticeable differences between Nintendo’s game and Capcom’s new Red Hot Rumble. Most disappointing, Capcom’s game just isn’t all that great, for a lack of a better way of putting it. When it gets down to it, the game isn’t that much fun, and it is filled with too many flaws that are at blame for this sad truth. At times it entertains but at other times, it frustrates.

Some Facts

• Viewtiful Joe meets Super Smash Bros. Melee in a colorful four-player split-screen multiplayer extravaganza
  
• 12 playable characters, including Joe, Sylvia, Blue Jr. and many other trademark characters from both the anime and game installments
  
• Use VFX moves against friends or the CPU-controlled opponents in a number of both familiar and new ways
  
• Over 20 different stages inspired by both chapters from both Viewtiful Joe and Viewtiful Joe 2
  
• Rated T for Teen
  
• No Dolby Pro Logic II support
  
• Developed by Clover Studios and Publishers by Capcom

Not So Hot
Red Hot Rumble opens up with Captain Blue preparing to produce his latest flick. However, the famous director and producer has a pretty big problem. He can’t decide who will star in the movie’s many chapters, and who will be the film’s main star. One of the series’ characters sexy young ladies, Sprocket, comes up with the grand idea that Blue should hold auditions for the role, and let any characters who think they’ve got what it takes to duke it out on a live set. Not too complicated.

But it doesn’t get anymore complicated – not that this is a huge problem. Those looking for a more story-driven game, though, won’t find Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble their antidote. However, there are some positive things about this universe. As always, there’s plenty of personality spread throughout the game’s sizable cast. Characters include everybody from Joe himself – the star of the series – to Sylvia; Joe’s gal. Captain Blue Jr. is also along for the ride, though we’d feel guilty if we didn’t enlighten readers that the voice work for this character is incredibly annoying. Gamers haven’t been annoyed until they’ve listened to the same one-liners from Blue Jr. for an hour at a time. Moving on, other characters, like the adult Captain Blue, are memorable and add a lot of personality to the action title.

The singe-player features a number of scenes to complete. Each scene features three different takes along with a final boss battle. Some battles take place between gamers and just one character, while others take place between more than two characters.



Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble

Those that played either of the two other Viewtiful Joe games will feel right at home with Red Hot Rumble. The control scheme works well, though it might take time to get used to if one has never played the franchise before. Every level takes place on a 2D stage much like the levels found in the Super Smash Bros. series. The A button is used to hop into the air, while the B, X and Y all use different attacks. Our biggest complaint in regards to control is that there isn’t much depth here – at least not in comparison to Smash Bros. We don’t mean to compare Red Hot Rumble to the game so much, but readers will likely draw the same comparisons upon playing Capcom’s brawler. Both games have a lot in common, after all.

There’s one major difference between the two games, though. Whereas Smash Bros. focuses on knocking opponents off the stage, Red Hot Rumble focuses on something pretty different. Every stage has three takes. Each take features its very own challenge or objective that all players must complete. Objectives can be as easy as killing the most enemies or racing to do the most damage to a final boss. On paper, this theme sounds fine – and in reality it actually offers some fun times here and there – but some balancing issues make the experience a lot more frustrating than it could have been.