Viewtiful Joe Red Hot Rumble for PSP Reviews by Gamers

Capcom delivered a bit of a surprise with the original Viewtiful Joe. It won praise from both sides of the gaming world, critical and commercial, and reenergized the sidescroller genre. And it did so with fresh sense of style. Capcom later released a sequel, Viewtiful Joe 2, and it too won the crowds with a blend of action and flamboyant chic. Then came Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble, a frenetic brawler based on the Viewtiful universe. It shipped earlier in the year for the Nintendo GameCube, and now Capcom has brought it to the PSP.





To start, you should know it's largely the same game as the console version. It looks, plays and sounds about the same. Those looking for a portable version of Red Hot Rumble will definitely find it here. Similarly, those wanting something a little extra in may find it all a little disappointing. Plus, the PSP version of Red Hot Rumble doesn't mend the problems of the original, so it doesn't come off as improved in any particular way. On the other hand, it does offer some lighthearted action for those looking for that kind of thing.





In seeing Red Hot Rumble in action, you can't help but think of Nintendo's own Super Smash Bros. franchise. And for good reason. The two games share more than a little in common. Both feature an oddball cast of recognizable characters, for one. They both feature multi-tiered, interactive stages set on land, sea and air. Stages also pack a ton of items and power-ups, all of which do something wildly different for your character's offensive and defensive capabilities. And, perhaps most importantly, each title works best as a multiplayer affair.





The game splits different modes, like most fighters. You can play the Story Mode, which has you vying for a spot in a new movie. You choose a character and then head off into battle. You'll watch a number of scenes filled with light, coked-out dialogue and banter. The story is pretty much inconsequential and doesn't really effect gameplay. You can also play Trial Mode, which is exclusive to the PSP version. Then there's the basic computer vs. player mode, which has you select a character then go at it solo-style. Finally, there's Network mode, which is where you'll find all the multiplayer options.





And this is where the game shines. Not much, mind you, but shine it does. When you have four players battling atop an airplane or rooftop, you can see what type of experience the developers wanted. They half delivered in that it's a fun game, when playing with friends, but it's otherwise a little dull. More than that, many of the battles feel too chaotic for the game's own good. It's supposed to be, no doubt, but when you can't see where you character is or you can't (at all) tell what's going on, then something's not right.





The fight mechanics themselves have a lot of potential. Moving a character about the screen is a breeze and developer Clover Studio has even thought of some of the Smash Bros. basics. Pressing down on the control stick and the action button will cause one's fighter to drop between platforms, where they can continue brawling below.





Performing punches, kicks and combos is as easy. And executing these moves is usually entertaining and satisfying. On top of everything else, Joe and friends can use their collective VFX powers for dazzling results, such as slowing time, speeding up time, performing showboating zooms and even spitting out damaging sound effects. All of these play into battles seamlessly.





Giving the above, there are times when playing alone or even with a second gamer, that Red Hot Rumble shows a hint of its full potential. The action is not so intense and out of control that it's impossible to gauge what is happening on-screen and therefore gamers can slow it down a little bit, dish out their moves, throw down some special attacks, dabble with the VFX powers, and generally try to have a good time. It's during these moments that the game is at its best and it's primarily because of these situations that recommending the fighter to unbreakably diehard Viewtiful Joe fans is easy.





The aforementioned trial mode consists of training challenges (obviously) but also some 40 mini-games. Most revolve around destroying targets or collecting things, and many of them looked like they're strictly timed affairs. Problem is, for every well-designed challenge here, there exist three not-so-well-designed ones. So what you end up with is rather poor mix of games. Again, it's not all bad. Not at all. In fact, some are downright addictive. It just would have been nice to have more of them.







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