Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble (Nintendo DS) Review

The game starts off with a nicely visualised story with Captain Blue filming his latest piece, but having to stop as Joe intervenes believing that he should be part of the action. However, before proceedings can continue further, the set is invaded and the film is stolen. Off goes Joe, only made Viewtiful by a special V-Camera left in the charge of Jasmine, ready to save the world again...or at least retrieve the movie!

The first thing that will hit you in Double Trouble is just how damn impressive this looks for a Nintendo DS game. Okay, so it would not win an award for the most viewtiful Nintendo 64 game ever, but since most of the DS content has been sub-N64 levels the level of improvement over most Third Party outings is vast. Solid 3D models fly around both screens, the crazy artistic style of the VJ series leaves a very strong mark on the title and everything moves around at a lightning pace and is hardly ever hit by slowdown or affecting by being too chaotic like its GameCube brother, Red Hot Rumble. A triumph indeed! It may run at half the speed of the GC game and not throw as many enemies at you in one go, but these sacrifices are not noticeable at all. And thankfully the sound is nowhere near as annoying or cheesy as Red Hot Rumble's. I really dreaded playing this after that crazy GC fighter, but it appears that the DS's sound system required a different style from the heavy cheesy rocking of RHR, which is a definite bonus.

For those that played the GameCube original, or even its sequel, you will be right at home with this Nintendo DS version. Okay, so that might not exactly be the most positive of comments, but go have a look at the GameCube review of Red Hot Rumble and you will quickly understand why I am extremely happy the formula was not changed too dramatically for the first ever portable edition. Sticking with the tried-and-tested formula, plus including some special extras is sometimes the best way to go. A poor Smash Bros.-a-like is NOT...

So anyway, the usual mix of old-school 2D side-scrolling fighting action ensues as you control Joe in both ordinary Offspring-esque appearance and Viewtiful form. Players throw combination punches, kicks, slides and uppercuts around like there is no tomorrow, and it feels oh so refreshingly familiar – especially to fans of Final Fight as well! However, after playing the exact same thing twice on the GameCube you could be wondering what is the point of this new edition? Does it even take advantage of the system at all? The answer is a resounding ‘yes’. Thankfully for newcomers there is an introductory sequence to make the moves perfectly clear, and the same goes for veterans when it comes to the newly included aspects. The action is not quite as intense as the GC versions, but this works out better as there is an increased puzzle aspect mixed in instead. It uses the DS in ways that you would not imagine possible with the VJ series, so Clover Studio deserves a thorough pat on the back.

There may be less enemies flying at you as well, but this is compensated for by cleverly designed stages and interesting puzzles that can only be solved by combining various special moves. Players can slow time, avoiding enemy hits, confusing them and then slamming home some counter-attacking goodness. This move it learned very early on in the game, but using too much of your VFX power reduces Joe to human state and then players must wait until its power recharges again. Added to this familiar move, there is the ‘Scratch’ ability, which is pretty useless in all honesty. Clever, but not easy to use in-game when fighting. Holding down ‘R’ activates it and pressing the stylus on an area of the screen causes rumbles, nudges items, dropping objects on enemies and so on.

A better inclusion is the way players can 'Scene Split', moving the stylus horizontally across the screen to literally split the scene and move either the top of bottom for your advantage (move water over a fire, suck up rubbish, open up hidden entrances...). Sliding the screen downwards as well is very handy as the zoomed-in scene on the top screen appears at the bottom instead, allowing touch-screen interactivity with it (for entering codes, for example), before sending it back upwards. Other than when things become a little clumsy from switching between the stylus and holding the DS with both hands, the gameplay mechanic holds very strong. Getting through levels in the best possible manner and time is imperative, as well, to earn credits for new items and moves, so there is definite incentive to play through this properly, not just rushing.

And there is no real need to worry, as the game is not quite as short as some would have you believe. Okay, on 'Kids' level the standard may not even make you break a sweat, but 'Adult' packs a much more hefty challenge across the plentiful supply of stages on offer. Then there is the replayability aspect as you strive to collect more credits to access the various extra moves and such available. There are many ways to play through the game, which really does extend the experience enough to make it worth more than a passing glance.