A solid sequel, but not quite as good as the original.
Same great gameplay. But too much the same as 2003's Viewtiful Joe. Despite it's flaws, Viewtiful Joe 2 came with some nice additions. For example, if you press "Z" you can switch between "Viewtiful Joe" and "Sexy Sylvia." Sylvia now has a gun that shoots out hearts. New levels, and VJ 2 gives you much more challenge than VJ 1. Also, new bosses. (The best is Big John, the dinosaur Sergant.) But, Joe's powers are pretty much the same. Kick, Punch, Slow, Mach-Speed, etc. The action still stays top-notch.
Great cel-shaded graphics! The character models are very detailed, and so are the bosses. The level backrounds are all superb. Capcom is very good with giving there games great graphics. (ex. Resident Evil 4) I hope that the next VJ will be just the same in graphics. The character models are very well shaded and the movement is very smooth. The design of the boss battles is very imaginitive but most of the enemies still look the same. There is a good variety of enemies though. The level design is new and great.
The sound really tells a lot about what Viewtiful Joe 2 is supposed to be. The voice acting shows that it's a lighthearted cartoon game and even though it can get somewhat annoying in moments, most of it is great and really suits each character. The music in Viewtiful Joe 2 mixes techno into just average game music and it is very good.
However, Viewtiful Joe 2 doesn't have enough unlockables and the game is pretty short and not very hard either. It falls short of value but as a whole package, Viewtiful Joe is worth a buy especially for fans of the original. If you've never played a VJ game than perhaps a rental would be advised instead of a purchase.