The Best Nintendo Game Every Year 1983 - 2024
22. 2003 - Viewtiful Joe
Nintendo have a long and checkered history when it comes to third-party support, partly in thanks to their choice of hardware. First cartridges and now proprietary miniature discs but, regardless, they managed to land a pretty sweet deal with Capcom to bolster their library in 2002.
This was a series of Gamecube-exclusive titles called the Capcom Five (of which four were released and only one remained exclusive. Hilarious).
The second of these was Viewtiful Joe. In an era that was embracing realism, 3D exploration and adult themes, Hideki Kamiya’s stylish action platformer went almost the opposite way every time: 3D environments that were merely a background for a classic 2D beat-em-up, visuals that were vibrantly cel-shaded and goofy writing that was full of referential humour.
Inspired by tokusatsu film in Japan, like Super Sentai and Kamen Rider, Viewtiful Joe’s full embrace of the love of movies also made for unique gameplay that utilised slow motion and after-images in both combat and puzzle solving. It was a game that was bursting with joy for its inspirations, and its own world.
A game with this kind of oddball character could only debut on the GameCube. It may not have sold well, but Viewtiful Joe made a believer of every player who picked it up in 2003 and beyond.