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Very good with some glaring flaws

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: March 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

From his first appearance on the GameCube several years back Viewtiful Joe has always been kind of an odd bird. The art style is completely unique in video games and the gameplay has a real charm to it. It was obvious pretty early on that Viewtiful Joe was going to be a different kind of franchise if for nothing more than the bizarre name of the title character. The series has a spectacularly satisfying fighting engine that never grows old. There is such a visceral pleasure in unleashing punches on robots as parts fly from their increasingly demolished frames.

The DS version of Viewtiful Joe carries on the tradition set by the console versions of collecting movie reels, purchasing additional powers and hearts and using special effects to (VX) solve puzzles and gain an advantage during fights. The graphics are a very cool mix of 2D side scrolling and a pseudo 3D depth and height. There is still a lot of fighting but the DS's touch screen has allowed Capcom to create all new puzzle designs based on screen manipulation.

One of the potential issues I foresaw with the DS was any game that would attempt to use the touch screen AND control pad at the same time. Successful games like Trauma Center and Kirby Canvas Curse use the touch screen exclusively. Sonic uses the touch screen in some sections and directional pad in others. Viewtiful Joe attempts to have the player use them both at the same time to predictably disastrous results. Imagine trying to move your character with the pad while fumbling about with the stylus. Some of the VX moves require a quick right or left motion with the stylus while others require an up or down motion. Under optimal conditions, with no distractions it can sometimes be challenging to pull off but when you're in the midst of a boss level battle forget it. As if that weren't enough sometimes successfully pulling off a VX move isn't even worth the effort since it only buys you a couple seconds of time. In most boss battles I just said to Hell with the touch screen VX moves and stuck with the bread and butter moves like `Slow' that only require pressing the shoulder buttons.

The new Viewtiful Joe is a very good game but some of Capcom's attempts are ultimately flawed and should have been scrapped or modified. Game makers should learn that it is just too much to ask of players to control the directional pad and stylus at the same time. Luckily players can just avoid using these techniques so at least the game can be completed.

Henshin a Go Go Baby

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game captures the feel of the "2003 USA Today Game of the Year" original and it's sequel gloriously. Now multiply it by two.

Double Trouble does what no other DS game has done so far and displayed 2 views of the same action in 3D. In truth, we could have done with out it and doubled the frame rate of the bottom screen but alas, it is still a great game. This is a very impressive game graphically. The cell shading is awesome and very close to it's Gamecube counterpart.

It is more puzzle oriented than its console bretheren whose focus is on the fighting. This is by far not a negative since the touch screen is put to use in very imaginative ways. Dragging your finger across the touch screen to cut the scene and place it in a way that favors you? Classic Clover Studio imagination at work here. Need to extinguish a fire? Slice the screen and take the fire hydrant to under it to kill it.

To keep things short, if you love sidescrolling brawlers, this game is for you. If you like innovation, this game is for you. If you like Viewtiful Joe, why don't you have this game yet?

Not as Viewtiful

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 11
Date: November 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Viewtiful Joe was critically acclaimed for its originality when it came out on the Gamecube several years ago. It took action games back to their side-scrolling roots while introducing a flavor not tasted by gamers for years with its simple but difficult fighting. With the third VJ game, Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble, the touch screen features and audio downfalls of the DS console really hurt the experience.

The fighting concept remains the same: use Joe's "viewtiful" powers to eliminate enemies to live through progressively harder levels until the game is done. The only problem with the otherwise fun gameplay is that these V-Powers aren't as fun to use on the DS. The slow-down function seems to slow the frame rate far too much, the scratch feature isn't important enough to use unless it's forced, the slide feature is annoying and touchy, and the swipe function doesn't serve a big enough purpose to make it stand out. All of the moves that involve touching (which includes the swiping and sliding) are difficult and annoying to implement into fighting because they require you to take your fingers off of the action buttons and onto the touch screen.

Another problem with VJ:DT is that the levels are repetitive, long, and far too frustrating at certain points. This might have been passable on a console, but it's not as easy to get by with such problems on a handheld. If I'm getting mad at a handheld game, I'm gonna swap it for something else. That's all there is to it.

Still, the old-school gameplay and graphic styles return from the Gamecube/Playstation 2 titles, and because of that, Viewtiful Joe fans will definitely want to give this a try. Everyone else should try Mario Kart DS or Castlevania instead.

Decent but not as good as the original

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 16, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Viewtiful is a side-scrolling action franchise by Capcom. This is the first version for Nintendo DS. The same basic premise is present with the DS version but in a smaller form. I found the game to be very fun in the same ways the older games are, but I also felt like the game was too short, even for a handheld. One could easily beat this game in a few hours. Another aspect that I didn't like about it was the fact that it used alot of touchscreen gimmicks that weren't necessary. I felt like these gimmicks slowed down the game and weren't polished - some of the touchscreen maneuvers were hard to perform. Viewtiful Joe still shines as being a great side-scrolling action game and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the franchise or someone who is looking for a decent action game for the DS.

COOL

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 10
Date: December 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

All I have to say is this game is cool I don't have it yet but I have played it at my friends house

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