=====================================================================

Viewtiful Joe
VFX Guide Version 2.5
Created by Warrior of Zarona
Email: [email protected]
AIM: WarriorofZarona
Copyright 2003 Andrew Bautista
This guide should only be found on:
http://www.gamefaqs.com
http://faqs.ign.com

This may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any website or otherwise
distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this
guide on any other web site or as part of any public display is
strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.

All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by
their respective trademark and copyright holders.

I will try to find the VFX for the other characters in the game. For
now, I'll concentrate on Joe.

Please feel free to e-mail me with any information you may have to
help support this guide. You will be credited for your contribution.
Thank you for your help!

=====================================================================

Table of Contents
1. Revision History and Updates
2. Introduction
3. What is VFX?
4. VFX Meter
5. Henshin A Go Go Baby!
    5a. Slow
    5b. Mach Speed
    5c. Zoom
    5d. Other VFX
    5e. Using Items with VFX
    5f. Miscellaneous
6. Closing and Credits

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1. Revision History and Updates

2/05/04 Version 2.5: After playing through the game, I decided to add
some extra notes and things I've discovered with the VFX in the game.
Also forgot to add the Red Controller in the Items section.

10/28/03 Version 2.0: Some Major Updates. I've changed the Voomerang
section to fit someone else's use for it. I've also added a beautiful
strategy to gain V-points as best as you can. Check under
Miscellaneous
for details.

10/27/03 Version 1.5: With the voting process taken at the GameFAQS
message board, I've managed to make the unofficial names for the Zoom
In Attacks. Thanks to all those who participated.
10/19/03 Version 1.3: This guide has recently been added to IGN. Also,
fixed grammatical errors in the guide.
10/14/03 Version 1.1: Named some of the moves on my own. If anyone has
the official names, feel free to e-mail me.
10/11/03 Version 1.0: Started this FAQ with basic knowledge of
everything

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2. Introduction

Welcome to Viewtiful Joe! By now, you must be experiencing the
wonderful world of Movieland where Joe, our hero, transforms into an
action-packed hero with many tricks under his sleeve! This guide is
designed to give a better explanation of the moves Joe will use most
often in the game, because it's essential to use them in order to kick
everyone's butt and to move on.

I won't get too detailed into the actual game itself, as the focus for
this guide is VFX. It's assumed you know the basic default controls,
so I won't explain which control layout. Enjoy!

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3. What is VFX?

Standing for "Viewtiful Effects," it is the source of Joe's power. In
the world he's in, VFX allows Joe to slow down the environment, speed
it up, or use special attacks while zoomed on, and all this while
keeping it stylish. Note that all of these moves are NEEDED to past
certain parts of each episode, so get used to juggling all three basic
VFX with crazy combinations and moves that'll make your head spin.
Remember that to perfect Joe, balancing each and every single one of
these VFX into the game is important.

=====================================================================

4. VFX Meter

This blue meter, near the top of the screen, measures the amount of
VFX energy you have. Each time you use VFX, the energy bar drains
slowly. When it is completely drained, Viewtiful Joe reverts back to
Regular Joe, who can no longer use any of the VFX benefits. But don't
worry: when you're not using VFX, this meter begins to refill again.
Once the first basic bar is filled, Joe will transform once again into
his alter ego. On Adult, the VFX Meter will drain much more quickly
than it would on Kid. Likewise, the recovery rate of the VFX Meter is
slower on Adult than it is on Kid.

At the beginning of each episode, the VFX Meter starts off relatively
small. However, each time you collect 50 Film, you'll gain an
extension of the meter in a form of a small bar. There are 5 extra
small bars that can be gained, totaling in 250 Film in each episode.
It isn't NEEDED to get every single film, but if you want to have an
easier time defeating the episodes, you might consider taking your
time into doing so.

=====================================================================

5. Henshin A Go Go Baby!

Let's get started on each and every single VFX there is in the game.
Note that I'll give a detailed description of what exactly happens when
you use the VFX, and how you can use it against enemies and your
environment.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

5a. Slow

This is the first VFX acquired by defeating Captain Blue the first
time, and can be activated by pressing and holding the L button. The
screen, as well as Joe and the environment, begin to move in slow
motion.

Things that can happen when using Slow:
- Joe deals much more damage, if not twice as much, to any opponents
he faces. If an opponent has an aura of pink energy around them (a
barrier of sorts; Captain Blue has a similar shield colored in Blue),
it destroys the aura and leaves them open for attack.
- If Joe is attacked, he will dodge it, taking out a large chunk of the
VFX meter. Works on most attacks. If you revert back to Regular Joe
because of this, Joe will be invulnerable for a few seconds. If you
have the VFX Charger, he will be invulnerable long enough to transform
back into Viewtiful Joe.
- Any propellers that are moving are slowed down, thus bringing down
whatever it was carrying. (I.E. Helicopters, Flying platforms, etc.)
- Any bullets that are shot out of guns and cannons are extremely
slowed down and visible, whereas normally you wouldn't.
- Any explosions by bombs or mines are blown to proportion.
- Any water that drips from pipes enlarges and become heavier.
- Anything equipped with a jet propeller to push it forward gets more
powerful and launches the object even farther (I.E. The bus on episode
2 and the giant missile during Episode 4).
- When in Rock-On, attacks knock most opponents out in one hit. (Check
"Other VFX" for more information)
- Allows you to slow down and possibly hit objects in the environment,
such as the knights that wield the axes in Episode one, or the spinning
wheels on Episode 4.
- Electricity is amplified and becomes longer and more powerful.
- During episode's 2 and 5 in the sewers near the beginning of the
level, the water/lava level decreases, due to less water/lava that
pours from a pipe in the background.
- While riding the Six Machine, energy blasts grow larger and more
powerful.

Slow will be the VFX you use most, as the game can be very high paced,
and you will most likely want to see what is happening around you.
Slow also helps deal the most damage when attacking, and Rock-On is a
move that can really help rack in the bonus points. However, don't
overuse it, as the "timer" for some stages does not slow down when you
do. When facing Another Joe, be aware that the energy blasts from his
Six Machine also grow more powerful and bigger.

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5b. Mach Speed

This is the second VFX you'll be getting after you defeat Captain Blue
a second time, and can be activated by pressing and holding the R
button. The screen, as well as Joe, will move at lightning fast speeds,
but your opponents won't.

Things that can happen when using Mach Speed:
- Joe's attacks become faster and even more threatening. It does as
much damage as normal, perhaps even a little less. When continuously
attacking, Joe eventually gets "on fire" and burns anything he attacks.
His range also increases. Chances of getting VFX potions after each hit
Increases as well.
- After-images appear and hit random opponents and items in the
screen.
- Joe's running speed is faster, and when in the air, will drop to
the ground almost instantly.
- Any propellers that are moving speed up and will let it ascend
slowly into the air.
- During episode's 2 and 5 in the sewers near the beginning of the
level, the water/lava level increases, due to more water/lava that
pours from a pipe in the background.
- When riding the Six Machine, energy blasts gain rapid fire and
attacks enemies with non stop shots.

Mach Speed is useful when running around in a fast pace, as well as
clearing out weak enemies with style. Not recommended for stronger
enemies, as it will usually will not  have much effect. Great when you
want to pummel an enemy when he's dizzy, and it can rack up a great
deal of damage in a short amount of time. The after-images help attack
objects that are floating in the background as well, as long as you're
attacking something. (More information later on)

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5c. Zoom

One of the best VFX, it is the third you receive after defeating
Captain Blue once more. It can be activated by tapping
C+up, or by tapping B. To deactivate, tap C+down or tap B once again.
The screen will zoom in and focus on Joe, and as a standing animation,
he poses for the camera. Joe will gain new attacks that specialize in
kicking butt.

Things that can happen when using Zoom:
- Some of the weaker enemies will be stunned when you activate Zoom
near them. This is a chance to attack them with one of the following.
- Red Hot One Hundred: Press and hold Punch to unleash a massive
barrage of combos. Hold down and punch to give the opponent a nonstop
uppercut attack.
- Red Hot Round House: Tapping kick will have Joe spin in a 360,
his
feet outstretched, and hits anything close to him. Continuously tapping
Kick will have Joe use this attack nonstop.
- Red Hot Cyclone: When pressing Jump, Joe will use a drill attack head-
first that deals large amounts of damage or anything it has contact
with. It can be used a second time in the air, and the angle can be
changed from slightly to the left, straight up, or slightly to the
right.
- Red Thunder: Tap Zoom while in midair, and Joe will launch himself
straight down, feet-first. Anything he hits in the air will
continuously get hit as long as he has contact with them. When landing
on a platform, the aura of pink energy that surrounds Joe will spread
out throughout the surface of the platform, hitting any opponent on
both sides for large amounts of damage.
- When riding the Six Machine, pressing the punch/jump button allows
for a similar drill attack that launches forward. Pressing Kick allows
for a similar 360 attack that hits any opponent surround it.

Zoom may be the second most used VFX you'll have, as the attacks can
be helpful against large amounts of enemies or bosses. The punch
attack is most useful against bosses or stronger enemies. The kick is
best used when surrounded by enemies or missiles that fly your
direction. The jump attack can help hit any airborne opponent, as well
as breaking through certain ceilings to move on. The stomp attack
is useful for hitting airborne opponents, various amounts of
enemies below Joe, or against breaking through certain floors to move
on. (More information later on.)

======================================================================

5d. Other VFX

There are other VFX and special attacks that can be used when bought
at the shop.

Rock-On - Used in Slow
When facing standard opponents, try to dodge every attack they give
you to get them dizzy. (When dodge, use High Dodge (Footloose Joe) or
Low Dodge (Saw That One Comin') Only. The auto-dodge used in slow will
not count.

At this point, hold slow, and you'll notice a pink target that locks
that opponent. Any attack you dish out will knock the opponent FAR with
one hit. Once you've done the first hit, any opponents in the screen
will also be locked with the pink targets.

As long as you hold Slow, these pink targets will be on every opponent
that comes by, and one hit sends them flying. Any opponents that are
in the way of someone who's been knocked by during Rock-On will get
hit as well. This is useful, as it can help get large amounts of
enemies off your back. This is the ONLY way to gain large bonus points
in order to get a V ranking.

The scoring system for Rock-on works in the following:

Each direct hit you land on a targeted opponent gives you 10 V-points each.
Each indirect hit, as in, you knock your opponents into the others, adds a
multiple to your score. To better explain, read this example:

Let's say there were four biankies in the screen, all lined up. You activate
Rock-On, and punch the first Bianky, which heads towards a wall. That hit
gives you 10 V points. The first Bianky then flies into the other 3 Biankies
in the process. Since there were 3 Biankies each that were hit indirectly,
your V-point total is multiplied by 3. So now your V-points should look
like: 10V*3. You chase after the Biankies one by one, which are four of them.
You uppercut the first 2, adding 20 to your V-points, then kick the third one,
which is another 10. This third Bianky hits the initial Bianky, now bouncing
off the wall, adding another multiple to your score. So now you should have
40V*4. In total, that's 160 V-points! Sure, it doesn't sound like a lot, but
imagine going after a horde of opponents. The best way to get the highest score
is, of course, knocking your opponents into the each other to add more multiples
to your score, but that to do that is by hitting your opponents, adding 10 V-
points
to each hit. The only exception is that if a direct hit kills off an opponent,
it doesn't count towards your score.

Use Rock-On to your advantage, and learn to let the opponent attack you
first to activate this powerful technique. There are also other ways of
getting the opponent dizzy. Find how to deal with each opponent. A basic
strategy is to let a weak enemy attack you, dodge, then use Rock-On to
deal with the stronger enemies on the screen.

Sliding
On the ground, tap down and kick to let Joe slide across the ground.
Useful for Rock-On and combining attacks.

Air Joe
Joe will gain a new aerial combo that's useful when you attack
opponents in the air.

Red Hot Kick
In the air, tap down and kick to let Joe kick down at an angle.
This attack can be used twice, and can be canceled by any mid-air
punch or kick. You can also switch the direction you use the kick the
second time.

Dragon Red Hot Kick
During Red Hot Kick, tap Zoom and Joe will use a spinning drill kick
down the same angle as fire burns around his feet. This move can also
be used right after the use of the Red Hot Kick, but without using any
other attacks. For example, use two Red Hot Kicks on one direction,
then use the Dragon Red Hot Kick in the other direction. Please note
that this move cannot be canceled at all, so be aware of where you may
be landing.

Mach Speed Level 2 and Level 3
After-images that appear during Mach Speed increases in number.
Level 2 allows for 4 after-images. Level 3 allows for 6 after-images.

Ukemi
When knocked back by an opponent, zooming in right before landing lets
Joe catch himself and flip over to land on his feet. One heart is
recovered when the move is a success. It's best used when using Slow,
as timing is crucial when using this move. During Ukemi, you can jump
before landing on your feet.

Viewtiful Forever
A powerful attack that hits all enemies on the screen. When in Slow,
let Joe dodge an attack, then press Zoom right before he is done
dodging. He will pose for the camera, which activates the attack. The
dodge itself takes off a large chunk of energy, but Viewtiful Forever
will take off all the energy you have. It's not recommended unless you
have a VFX Turbo Charger. Then, use it all you want. If you revert back
to Regular because of this attack, Joe will be invulnerable for a few
seconds. If you have the VFX Charger, he will be invulnerable long
enough to transform back into Viewtiful Joe.

Use all of these moves to your advantage, as they call can help in
making a successful and perfect game.

======================================================================

5e. Using Items with VFX

Of course, Joe won't be left alone in the world without a little help
from items that can be found throughout Movieland. Here's a list to
let you know what they are.

V-Points
These points often come out after destroying Pink Boxes or by
defeating enemies. They come in small or large coins. Use them to buy
moves and items from your shop.

Film
You'll often find these scattered throughout the episode, by opening
Pink boxes, or by defeating enemies. Every time you get 50 Film, a
small bar is added to your VFX Meter. Each blue film gives you one,
each Yellow gives you 5, and each Red gives you 10. Try to find all 250
in one episode! (3000 point bonus for getting all Film.)

Blue bottles
These bottles help regain any VFX energy that you may have lost. They
come in small or big bottles that appear from defeating enemies. If
your VFX Meter is full, the energy is added to the bar as an extra
dose of VFX, colored in green. However, this energy cannot be refilled
when it is drained.

Red Bottles
You'll rarely find these in levels, but if you do, prepare for some
VFX mania! Found from defeating enemies or Pink Boxes, these bottles
give you unlimited VFX power. Your VFX meter will turn from blue to
pink as long as this is active. Use it wisely, as it can only be used
for a limited amount of time. When finished, the energy bar reverts
back from pink to blue. Any extra blue bottles gathered will add to
the VFX Meter as green energy, but will never be used until the effect
dies out.

Red Controllers
Occasionally, as you defeat enemies, you'll find a Red Controller lying
on the floor. When you grab it, it lets out streaks of red lightning,
and it's main purpose is to stun the enemies around you. Sounds useful,
but there are times that it'll never work. The only time it MAY work,
however, is if your enemies are standing still, and possibly if you are
NOT using any of your VFX powers.

VFX Turbo Charger
A must have when fighting in Movieland, this item can only be bought
from the shop. It increases the VFX Meter's recovery rate. Useful when
you revert back to Regular Joe or just to merely regain VFX energy as
fast as you can. It is recommended to buy this from the shop first, as
it can be useful when starting a new episode with a fresh VFX Meter
that can run dry quickly.

Voomerang
Bought from the shop with 10 per each sale, these Voomerangs are
launched and homes in on opponents by holding punch. Continue to hold
punch and the V will turn into an X, adding more to the power and the
length of time the Voomerang will stay in the screen. Try using it in
Slow to add even more damaging power. Useful against bosses and any
missiles that come to try and attack you.

Added Contribution by Shiro NGC:

The Voomerang can be found from special boxes or bought at the store
for a small amount of V-points. You can throw it by holding the Punch
button. If you hold it for a longer time the V will change into an X,
which will do double the amount of damage. Holding SLOW during impact
will further increase the damage.
The Voomerang acts like a boomerang and automatically spins to the
nearest enemy. This can help a lot because you don't have to fight
enemies with your bare hands.

Lightning pods:
Use Voomerang on it to destroy these hard to hit lightning pods. Avoid
using Zoom because the electricity will build up. Hit it 2 times with
a full charged Voomerang

Missiles:
Those slow flying missiles can be a pain if they come in large numbers.
Using the spinning kick in ZOOM helps but this will drain your VFX bar,
which you need to increase impact with SLOW when the missiles hit the
enemies. Instead, throw a Voomerang, you don't need to charge for this
off course.

<---The Magnificant Five--->

Charles the Third
Throw in a non-charged Voomerang to knock him down (hold slow during
impact). Ones he's down, use SlowZ RHOH on him, the Voomerang should
return and do massive damage on him while you RHOH. When he flies up
again, throw a Voomerang again. You should be able to repeat this
without him doing anything.

Hulk Davidson
Don't break his axe so he will use the same tactic:
When you stand in front of him he'll use a low sweeping attack. You
can easily dodge this by holding UP. Hit him after his sweep with
SlowZ RHOH. When your VFX meter is almost used up jump away from him
just to be sure you won't get hit by his axe slash (which does 6 life
dmg when close). After 2 of 3 sweeps he'll charge up to run, now you
can use the Voomerang. Jump above his head and throw the voomerang in
the opposite direction where he's going to run. When he hits the wall,
MACH speed to him and use SlowZ RHOH, during this time the Voomerang
should return and hit him during SLOW, which does, guess what, massive
damage :)
If somehow he does anything else than this, like throwing his axe
(hold slow when the axe is near you), or use missiles (throw
Voomerangs and hold slow during impact on Hulk), then just avoid him
as much as possible. When you're under fire MACH speed yourself clean.

Sharky Boy (forgot name, my bad)
To avoid his sharkbite attack just jump and use red hot kick, and then
mach speed back to the direction you came from (a triangle movement).
Ones he stops close up on him and use SlowZ RHOH. He'll do a whirlpool
attack/push, if you're not hit then use Voomerang (non charged). Hold
SLOW during impact. If you see him charge for the sharkbite attack
again, quickly throw another Voomerang (again, hold SLOW during
impact). You should be able to continue throw Voomerangs this way
until he does other moves. When he p**** junk out of his mouth dodge
it with either SLOW or jump away.

Another Joe
Another Joe has several moves:
Heshin-a-bye-bye 1 (split up)
Heshin-a-bye-bye 2 (shooting clones at you)
Heshin-a-go-go 1 (clone shield)
Heshin-a-go-go 2 (clones surrounding you)

And some attack moves.

You should be able to dodge those attack moves, but the Heshin moves
can be a pain. When he uses H-a-bye-bye 1, try to find and attack the
real one. If you don't, he'll escape and use H-a-bye-bye 2. Dodge
those by jumping up and down. When the many clones attack from H-a-
bye-bye 1, use MACH speed to run away from it, or just SlowZ(oom) to
spin drive towards it, but that's a bit more risky.

When Another Joe used Heshin-a-go-go 1 or 2, use SLOW Voomerang to hit
the clones. They should explode in a combo. During H-a-go-go 2,
Another Joe will use H-a-bye-bye 2. Dodge them by jumping up and down
again.

To defeat Another Joe use SlowZ RHOH combo when you're close to him.
Watch out for his counter attacks.

<Thank you, Shiro NGC, for that great tip!>


Shocking Pink
Bought from the shop with 10 per each sale, these bombs are powerful
allies when used against stronger enemies. However, note that the
bombs are best used in Slow, when the explosion is blown to proportion
and the damage is high. Also useful for grabbing any items in the
background, as attacking the bombs in Mach Speed can help activate the
After-images.

As I said for anything else, try to use these items to your advantage,
and gather as much as you can. It all helps out as you move on each
and every single episode.

======================================================================

5f. Miscellaneous

In this section, I'll cover combos and tips that you can do with VFX.
If anyone has any of their own combos to their game or anything they
feel can they add, feel free to send
in!

Slow+Zoom+Red Hot One Hundred (Slow-zRHOH)
This is the most powerful attack in the whole game, and often gets rid
of opponents quickly. In the easier difficulties, it can damage your
enemies very nicely. You can also gain Bonus points quickly this way.
Abuse this move on bosses.


Slow+Mach Speed
When in Slow, press and hold the Mach Speed button. Joe's running
speed will be faster, as if he were running normally. Useful for Rock-
On attacks.

Combos
If the enemy is on the ground, jump into the air and release one
Shocking Pink bomb, making sure it lands beside the enemy, but not
near you. (If it is close, you might accidentally hit it away). Then
Zoom in while in the air, activating his exploding attack that hits
straight down. Hold down Slow to power it up even more. When you land,
hold Punch right away. Chances are, your enemy will be hit by the
powerful explosion from the bomb, the shockwaves of your aerial attack,
AND the powerful barrage of attacks from you. It isn't too recommended
on bosses unless you can time everything to let the boss stand still.

Another great combo to use is by letting out a barrage of mach speed on
dizzied opponents, then IMMEDIATELY hit slow and continue the combo. This
initiates Rock-On in the middle of the combo, and it damn well looks fancy,
especially if you have After-Images flying around while in Slow. This is,
however, a sacrifice in V-points, as this kind of attack barely gives any.
Still, the stylishness of the attack itself is worth to use, and it may be
the most effective way to kill of your enemies.

Buy everything from the shop! (Contributed by RedmonkeyVII)

This is, of course, ridiculously cheap, and takes away from the game a
bit.
But you want to do it, don't you!

With this, you can get all the V's you'll ever need in less than an hour.
So, without further ado...

Step 1: After getting Zoom from Captain Blue, go into the sewer.
Step 2: Punch the right... activator... thing... once
Step 3: Move as close as you can to the right activator (between both)
Step 4: Zoom in, activate Mach Speed, and hold down Kick

See what happens? When the activators buzz, you'll have gained 100
Viewtifuls!
So... now you want to do this again. And much easier.

This works better if you have two controllers, so you'll have one to
position
Joe with and one to do the trick. If you don't have two, don't worry. You
need
to make sure that the buttons stay pressed down, so you don't have to
hold them
yourself. There are many ways to do this, here's mine.

Step 1: Secure some zip ties.
Step 2: Use the zip ties to keep X and R pressed down and C up. It
doesn't matter
if A or B are also pressed.
Step 3: Test it. Replace your working controller with this one (if you
had two),
and see if you duplicate the results from the first process. If Joe can
stay
kicking unaided, congratulations, you did it!
Step 4: Go get a drink, eat some lunch, whatever... just leave for a
while.
Step 5: Come back, and see how many points you have! It will be tons!
Step 6: Finish the level and buy out everything in the store.
Step 7: Beat the game with relative ease.

So, there you go. Use this method only for good... it has great power. If
anybody is interested, I can post pictures of the zip tie setup, although
half the fun is figuring out how to do it yourself. Good luck!

<Thank you, RedmonkeyVII, for that great tip! Also, don't email me for
the pictures. I don't have them>


=======================================================================

6. Closing and Credits

Thank you, Capcom, for creating this awesome, action-packed game.

Thank you, Nintendo, for licensing this game on the Gamecube, which
deserves it's own good games.

Thank you, CJayC and IGN, for hosting this Guide on their webpages.

Thank you, everyone in the Viewtiful Joe Board of GameFaqs, for their
support and help in making this guide.

Finally, I would like to thank you, the reader, for taking the time to
read this guide. I hope it was of help to you.

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