Henshin-A-Go-Go?
I can credit a lot of games with having a major impact on my view of the hobby. Dragon Warrior was the first major game I played where I felt overwhelmed and had something to work toward. Chrono Trigger opened up how I felt about narratives in the medium. And games like Viewtiful Joe constantly reminded me of how a bit of simple style can go a long way when it comes to crafting pure joy.
Viewtiful Joe, a platformer about a regular guy who becomes a super hero, was released in 2003 as Clover Studio’s first game (or what would eventually become the legendary Clover). It was so popular that it spawned a sequel a year later, as well as two spinoffs in 2005. Several years later the director of the original,Hideki Kamiya, and his crew moved away from Capcom and into their current outfit of Platinum Games; the series has remained dormant. Kamiya would like to change that.
Speaking to Nintendo Enthusiast at PAX East, Kamiya says that although he has “no control” over the series anymore as it is in Capcom’s hands, he’d love to see it return, specifically on Switch. Kamiya opines, “Personally, I really hope that it comes back. I don’t want it to be lost in the sands of time, so to speak. I’m requesting it! I would love it if that would happen.” He goes on to say that he would love to “finish that trilogy” with Viewtiful Joe 3.
You don’t hear about how Kamiya has unfinished business with this series that often, so this is a pretty big moment for Viewtiful Joefans. With all the talk of a potentialOkamifollow-up, maybe the possibility of Platinum and Capcom collaborating is becoming more and more likely. At the very least, Platinum is taking matters into their own hands with a new IP, Project G.G.
Hideki Kamiya & Atsushi Inaba talk Wonderful 101, Mega64, and Viewtiful Joe 3 [Nintendo Enthusiast]