vixendark Reviews

Viewtiful Joe (2003 Video Game)

One of my favorite games.

[5 November 2005]

Take a cheesy superhero movie and a dorky fanboy. Add a damsel in distress, some cool costumes and superpowers, and you've got Viewtiful Joe.

Basically, it is a return to the glory of cel-shaded side-scrollers.

The hero, Joe, is the average idiot. He originally becomes a hero to save his girl, Silvia. By the time you finally find Silvia, Joe is having so much fun showing off his superpowers that he forgot about her. At any rate, he'll keep you amused.

Gameplay is beautiful, or shall I say, viewtiful. You can slow things down, speed things up, or go for the close up and show off. Combining these abilities leads to impressive results. There are small, relatively simple puzzles, and plenty of baddies to bash The bosses can be difficult, and are generally amusing. Unlike many bosses in video games, each of them has an odd personality. I particularly like Gran Bruce, a shark who is stupidity incarnate, and Alastor, the demon swordsman who begs to be in the game just a little bit longer.

Once you beat the easy mode, kick it up a notch to Adult mode. After that, there's a few more difficulty levels and playable characters to unlock. And watch the music video. It is amusing. But I recommend going to the Capcom site and watching the alternate version. Its even better A little thing to try: whenever you reach a new level, pause the game. The announcer makes stupid comments that are quite hilarious, generally assuming you pause the game only because the porcelain god summons. Anyway, listen to it. You'll fall over laughing.

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003)

This is a true masterpiece!

[10/10 · 5 November 2005]

I am a big Daft Punk fan. Actually, a huge one. I play the Discovery album on a loop, all day, quite regularly. So when my friend first informed me about this movie, I was ecstatic. I immediately borrowed it, and the magic began.

It tells a fairly simple and predictable story. But when you watch it, you won't care. The music and art are expressive and captivating. They alone carry the film, as there is no dialog anywhere to be found. You will never miss the dialog, I can promise you. Instead, you will be dancing, then on the edge of your seat. You'll laugh, you may cry. But you will be left stunned.

A tip: watch the 'extras'. Many amusing scenes are merely random bystanders doing silly things.

Though on the surface, this is nothing but a long music video, in truth, it is an epic musical journey.

The Princess Bride (1987)

One of the most quotable movies in existence.

[10/10 · 22 June 2005]

I first watched this movie about 5 years ago with my dad. He had loved it, and decided to force my sister and I to watch it. We were immediately turned off by the title. The Princess Bride? Sounds like a rather stupid film.

It wasn't. For the duration of the film, my sister and I were entranced. Then we watched it again. Before long, we could recite half the movie.

Then, a few years later, we were having out annual Halloween Movie Fest. We decided, on a whim, to watch the Princess Bride with, say, 5 or 6 of our friends. Half had seen it before, the others never had. Well, needless to say, they learned quickly. Within minutes, we were all going along with Vizzini's infamous "Inconcievable!", and laughing our heads off.

If you enjoy movies that have a nice blend of action, comedy, and a little romance, then this movie is great for you. If not, watch it anyway. You may be surprised.