Just a warning, this blog skews wildly between multiple topics.

Viewtiful Joe and its sequel brought back old school, and it brought it back hard. It came during a time when 2D games had largely been relegated to the portable realm, and shone as a bright beacon of hope to the hardcore. With higher difficulties that would test the thumbs of the gods themselves, and an attitude that spoke to the movie buff in us all Capcom was sure to have a hit on its hands.



However, as far as I can tell Viewtiful Joe seems to have sold less than a million copies on both the PS2 and GC, perhaps even combined they still fell short of that magical threshold. I honestly have no idea how many copies of Viewtiful Joe 2 were sold, but I can only imagine it was at least a similar number. This means that these games were almost definitely profitable for Capcom, but not the huge sellers that drive the mega-budgeted super-sellers of today's gaming world.



Recently I've been realizing more and more that my eyes have grown tired of Gears' bleary browns, and the too-dominant modern practice of keeping color out of games. I've been drawn heavily into games like Mirror's Edge and Team Fortress 2, not just because I enjoy playing them, but because I enjoy being in them and marveling at the bright palette that their developers dared to use. I like Left 4 Dead, it's fun and an awesome time with friends, but the colors manage to bore me. The problem is that Left 4 Dead is using the correct color scheme for its world. It looks like what I would imagine it to be like, but it still doesn't draw me in the way that brighter games have been.

I think Fallout 3 is what finally burned me out on this generation's graphical skid. I poured so much time into the game world that I eventually just couldn't stand it anymore (which is why more of my mod reviews are on hold for a bit). It was at that point when I picked up Mirror's Edge and realized what it was that now drew me in, color. I'm not sure how long this will last, as I've never been drawn to games almost solely based on aesthetic before. I've gone through phases in which I favor RPGs, FPSs, etc., but never something as genre spanning as color.

This leads me back to Viewtiful Joe. Viewtiful Joe and it sequel and offshoots were developed by Clover Studios, of God Hand and Okami, two other games that didn't shy away from color. I'm highlighting Viewtiful Joe, because I feel like it wasn't as widely received as it should have been. People always say that they'll pick up a game "someday", but in the case of Clover Studios, "someday" didn't come soon enough. You know there will be enough copies of Halo or Gears, so why not take a chance on the little guy while you still have the opportunity?



I realize that parts of this blog are disparate. I talk about a few different topics, and Xbox 360 owners it might feel like I'm talking most directly to you. This is because I am. As much as I dislike it, I have come to terms with that fact that the younger 360 owners of today will form the "core" gamers of tomorrow.Sure, PS3 owners will be there too especially if they retain a higher sales rate than the 360 had. But in America it seems as if the 360 will easily reign supreme, which as the largest market holds more and more power with each cycle.

So this post has no evolved from some minor tribute to Viewtiful Joe into a request to 360 players. Go back and play some older games that don't have the blood, guns, dirt, and online play you're used to. Hit up Yoshi's Island or Viewtiful Joe, and understand that color is beautiful and 2D is viable. I doubt very many of the 360 owners I'm thinking of frequent the C-Blogs. In fact, this plea may fall on completely deaf ears.



I'm considering the 13-and-under crowd. Those whose family might have a Wii while they consider themselves the sole owner of the 360. Many of those obnoxious racists who clutter Xbox Live fall into this category. The fact that they spread their hate through a game like that makes me feel as if they don't truly appreciate the game itself. Perhaps some schooling in old-fashioned hand-art and level design will rectify this situation.

I'm turning 20 this Friday, and it feels very weird to almost not be a teenager anymore. I had been erecting defense in my mind to try and ignore this fact, that I can't consider myself a little kid anymore, and I think I tore them all down and may have regressed in gaming tastes as a result, but it feels good. Color hasn't captivated me in this way for a long time. It's tougher to define than just color though. There is a cleanliness that goes with brightness, and I have been enjoying that tremendously. The film grain in both Left 4 Dead and Mass Effect is odd, because I think it looks good, but it feels weird at the same time.

I hope the game industry doesn't succumb to dark and 3D. I know it won't, but I want to see bright and 2D, not necessarily together (Example: Mirror's Edge), to return to a place of prominence in the gaming world.



I want gaming to be Viewtiful forever.