Can you stand the heat?
- JP release: 29th September 2005
- NA release: 8th November 2005
- EU release: 24th February 2006
- Developer: Clover Studio
- Publisher: Capcom
- NGC Magazine Score: 61%
- Mods Used: Widescreen Code
The Viewtiful Joe games were well liked but not massively successful, so a spin-off seems like an odd choice. It turns the side-scrolling beat-’em-up into a Smash Bros-style platform fighter. While this seems like it’s in the same ballpark as the core Viewtiful Joe gameplay, the core aspects of the games – the VFX – don’t really work all that well with multiplayer.
And, as you’d expect, the fast forward and slow motion mechanics are gone from the main gameplay, instead both are downgraded to power-ups where others are slowed down or you’re made bigger. They have very little impact and feel rather pointless. It’s like the soul of the franchise has been removed.
As with all Smash Bros clones, there needs to be a gimmick. Fighting your opponents directly is a rather small portion of the game as most rounds are objective-based, involving collecting items or beating up enemies. You’ll also get whisked away occasionally to compete in minigames which have zero introduction or reminder of what you’re supposed to do. Think microgames from WarioWare (but without the different styles) that take place in the middle of a fighting game. It’s just odd, and not in the good way that Viewriful Joe is known for.
This isn’t a terrible game, it’s just a few bad ideas messing with an alright core gameplay (a watered down Smash Bros). I’m not sure why so many developers of Smash Bros clones tried to add strange gimmicks to the game. Even if they know they can’t be as good as Smash Bros, they can still provide a viable alternative option, especially on other platforms, which makes it strange that this only released on GameCube and PSP.
Fine
It’s a brave experiment though, and we’re fascinated to see where Joe is going to go next. Just imagine the possibilities on Revolution…
Jes Bickham, NGC Magazine #117
Remake or remaster?
No harm in including it in a Viewtiful Joe remaster.
Official Ways to get the game
There’s no official way to buy Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble
Europe
Japan
North America
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2005: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2006: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
