By Anthony Swinnich on September 25th, 2004

It seems the good folks at Capcom know a good thing when they have it. Viewtiful Joe is one of the freshest franchises to have come out of them in a long, long time, and they’re prepared to make it their next big series. Viewtiful Joe 2 is now on its way out to the GC and the PS2. How does it look when compared to its forerunner?

To be honest, nearly exactly the same. Is this a bad thing? Not at all. Viewtiful Joe is one of the greatest games on the ’Cube, and now the PS2 as well. This time around, Joe’s girlfriend Sylvia will be a second playable character off the bat, and will also be available via 2 player co-op, which is a great addition. Apparantly when one player uses the VFX powers, both are affected. While not confirmed, it would make sense they run off the same meter, making teamwork and co-operation key in this mode.

Sylvia plays differently from Joe. She has a gun, and can use it to stun or kill enemies, greatly expanding the combo system, which is used to take out the game’s 40-plus enemies. She’s also slightly faster, can jump slightly higher, but doles out less damage than Joe.

Joe’s "Six Machine" will also play a more integral part this time around, with the ability to turn into more vehicles, and other items, such as a sniper rifle.

A new VFX power has been added as well. "Replay" will now be available for players to take advantage of, which works kind of like Microsoft’s Blinx but not as in-depth. For example, Joe will kick an enemy. Activate Replay and he’ll kick the enemy 3 more times, for 3 times the damage, but if the move is ineffective, and the enemy hits you, it does 3 times the damage to the player, meaning you’ll have to be careful how you use it. It will almost assuredly be used in puzzles as well, but nothing has been announced.

With more stages promised, a bunch of new powers, and an awesome sounding co-op mode, Viewtiful Joe 2 is looking to be a worthy follow up to the original title in every way. The presentation and game play may be mostly the same, but quality of the first title plus the new additions equals more fun for everyone.