It was recently announced that Capcom is interested in reviving some of it’s “dormant” franchises. What this means precisely only time will tell, but when I read those words, my heart dared to dream. Because beneath Megaman Legends 3, Okami 2, God Hand 2, Devil May Cry 5, and even my silent wishes for a remake of P.N.03, one game has stood in my heart as the quintessential Capcom wish: Viewtiful Joe 3. A TRUE Viewtiful Joe 3, not Double Trouble or Red Hot Rumble. Because it’s about time we pay our fucking respects.

From the very start, on that beautiful Gamecube demo disc, Viewtiful Joe aimed for that beautiful goal of player happiness. The game was just delightful, a beautiful love letter to Tokusatsu, comics, and movies. The game was positively gorgeous, with stunning cel shading that felt like the next evolution of Comix Zone, even on the less visually impressive PS2 port. Colors were vibrant with life and energy, all the character designs were fun and unique, and the music was this exhilarating, high tempo electronica that gets your heart pumping and your fingers twitching (hell, I’m listening to the soundtrack while I write this!). Every aspect of the design felt expressive, like the creators put themselves into every texture that graced your screen and every note that caresses your ears.


I feel like a kid waking up on Saturday morning and I LOVE it.



And the gameplay was just as incredible. The game was short so that it never overstays its welcome, but it’s still satisfying. It has a proper ending that leaves itself open for more, but doesn’t REQUIRE it, a nuance it seems some developers are keen on forgetting. Every action is an explosion of color, and every single punch and kick has a weight that you can feel that’s extremely gratifying. The movie-based super powers idea is amazingly implemented, and cleverly utilized for puzzles and combat, feeling as natural as the jump button, and the same goes for the dodging. And the game is extremely difficult, but at no times does it really feel unfair, just challenging. The game has a lot of replayability too, with 4 (5 in the PS2 version) playable characters, and 4 (5 in the PS2 version, again) difficulties, and an added infinite super meter mode that you had to really earn by perfecting ALL 7 STAGES (or you could cheat, another great feature that time has forgotten). The game really did feel like a throwback to the beat em ups of the 16 bit days; challenging, short, and satisfying.


But the greatest part of the game, what makes it amazing instead of just great, is it’s capacity for love. Viewtiful Joe loves you, and before you start getting weird about it allow me to explain. As I’ve said above, Viewtiful Joe is a love letter to the corny Tokusatsu, comics, and other geeky stuff everyone loved as a kid/ loves now. The story is about a fan of all those things becoming one of those heroes. He punches and kicks with the best of them. Almost all the villains are parodies of back issue comic villains. They show up, quip with Joe, and they’re gone. They’re tropey, they’re corny, and they’re fun, plain and simple. The game has a narrator, who constantly asks you about your bodily functions whenever you pause and yells cut when you die. Hell, the name of the world Joe traverses is MOVIELAND, which makes all the references make more sense. The game never stops showing it’s affection for all these influences, and I feel that only makes the games better.


“Pee break, again?”



But it’s not just the influences it loves: it loves fans like us. The whole game is about a super fan ascending into herodom like the idols he’s loved for so long. And his enthusiasm is palpable. Every jump is accompanied with a shout of jubilation, every power up with an ecstatic “OH YEAH”, every attack name shouted with a childlike glee. Joe is just happy to be there. His interactions with the villains reeks of being genre-savvy, and even when things are getting a little serious, the game never stops having fun with the things it loves. It’s just so...genuine. And that’s really what it all boils down to. Viewtiful Joe has so much heart it’s astounding. Every lilt in Joe’s voice when he sees something cool and every pose he strikes unnecessarily is just another reflection of EXACTLY what I would be doing in his case.


And for all the love VJ gave us, it hasn’t gotten much back.

As of right now, Viewtiful Joe had an excellent direct sequel, a pretty good handheld spinoff, a very mediocre Smash clone, and a pretty shit anime, albeit with a catchy theme song. VJ has also appeared in a bland mobile game called Combo Crew, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, and I suspect he’ll be making an appearance in the upcoming Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite as well. With some nearly direct references in Wonderful 101 aside, that’s it. To a certain extent this makes sense I suppose. For as well as VJ did critically, the games didn’t sell in any phenomenal fashion. Still though, for a game as well polished, addicting, and heartfelt as it is, it seems reasonable to AT LEAST let the series have it’s conclusion with the third game instead of the cliffhanger that 2 gave us. I realize that Hideki Kamiya is no longer affiliated with Capcom, but he is on record stating that he would’ve rather made VJ3 before Bayonetta 2, so a team up between Capcom and Platinum isn’t impossible.


But the only chance of getting the red hot conclusion to this Viewtiful trilogy is by speaking up and telling Capcom we want it instead of Dead Rising 5: Easter Edition. By telling Capcom to give Resident Evil, Street Fighter, and my poor blue baby boy Mega Man a break, and bring us home someone we haven’t seen in awhile. Maybe then, if those of us who still have faith in justice and honor call out loud enough, we can see the return of the ultimate superhero. I can only pray.


“Who, me?”

