When
Viewtiful Joe made his debut on the GameCube a few years back, gamers were
treated with an original take on the classic side-scroller genre. The game’s
aesthetic and sense of style instantly made it a cult hit among players,
warranting a sequel as well as PS2 versions. Now, the stylish hero is making his
debut on the Nintendo DS, providing the same sense of flair as the console game,
while this time taking full advantage of Nintendo’s unique handheld system. The
game makes great use of both the dual-screen configuration and the touch screen,
and yet remains true to the originals.
Double
Trouble follows the hero Joe as he sets out on a quest through Movieland to find
his sister, Jasmine, who has gone to recover Captain Blue’s latest film, which
was stolen by a group known as Madow. You even take control of Jasmine through
certain sections of the game as you fight to get back the film.
Viewtiful Joe on the DS plays out pretty much the same as the console
iterations, which had a definite old-school feel to them. The game is a side-scroller,
and even though the presentation is in 3D, the game exists very much in 2D. The
bottom touch screen serves as the actual game screen, while the top screen shows
a close-up view of the action. Joe runs, jumps and fights along a plane and
utilizes time-control powers to defeat his enemies and solve certain situations.
You’ll have to slow and speed up time in order to dodge bullets and attacks as
well as resolve environmental puzzles.
A new
addition to the gameplay is the use of the touch screen in order to accomplish
certain goals and defeat enemies. For example, there is a move where you must
hit the R button and then use the stylus to shake the screen around and drop
objects onto your enemies’ heads. There is also the screen-sliding ability,
where you have to actually split the screen in half and move a part it with the
stylus in order to progress through certain areas. One example of this is a part
where you have to move a pipe with running water over a fire in order to put it
out, which adds a great element to the gameplay and uses the DS’s touch screen
in new ways.
However,
the constant use of the stylus on the touch screen can be a little jarring, and
can be frustrating at times. This seems to be more of a limitation of the system
itself than a shortcoming of the game, but it’s still a problem nonetheless.
Graphically, Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble is a treat and represents some of the
best graphics on the DS. While it does move noticeably slower than its console
counterparts, the game is chock-full of cool details and sports the stylized cel-shaded
look that’s made the series famous.
The
sound department is also very faithful to the console iterations, with the same
kind of cheesy pop music and over-the-top voice acting.
Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble is a fun action game that keeps well within the
themes of its console brethren. While technical issues mire the experience
slightly, the game is still a blast to play and makes excellent use of the DS.
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Gameplay: 8.0
Viewtiful Joe:
Double Trouble does a great job of capturing the feel of the console games,
complete with the various time altering moves and old-school side-scrolling
gameplay. While the touch-screen stuff can get a little difficult when the
action gets intense, the game makes good use of the DS’s unique abilities.
Graphics: 9.0
Even though the
graphics don’t quite move as smoothly as the console versions, the DS game does
a great job of capturing the overall look and feel of the series, complete with
tons of detail and the cool cel-shaded aesthetic.
Sound: 8.5
The sound is
great, emulating nicely the zany, stylized music and over-the-top voice acting
of its console big brother.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 8.5
Viewtiful Joe on
the DS keeps the flow of the series moving along nicely, porting it well to a
portable format while taking full advantage of the dual-screen system.
Overall: 8.5
Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble is a great action game that translates extremely
well to the DS. Even with a few technical limitations, fans of the console
versions will do well to check this one out.
