It’s looking good for Joe

OK, so it’s a Japanese game subtitled Red Hot Rumble. The action is based on the production of the latest film in the Captain Blue series and the main character shouts "Henshin-is-on-the-go-go" as he transforms into a mysterious masked figure dressed in a tight, body-hugging red jumpsuit.

Small children please look away now... But thankfully, no, the PSP debut of quirky beat ‘em up character Viewtiful Joe won’t be slapped with an 18+ rating for saucy content. It’s actually an all-ages show, albeit it with plenty of hardcore cartoon graphics and mad special move combos as Joe and girlfriend Silvia continue to take on the baddies from Jadow.

But back to Captain Blue and his movie. He can’t decide who should take the lead role and so, using the logic of playgrounds the world over, decides to arrange a fight, with the winner becoming the star. The result is Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble.

The character line-up is based around the animated version of Viewtiful Joe from the show on Kids' WB! and includes the likes of Captain Blue Junior, anti-hero Alastor, and Jadow’s second-in-command Sprocket, who can freeze enemies with her cold stares. Dante, the hero from Capcom’s Devil May Cry series, will also be making a special appearance, but only if you can unlock him by completing certain stages. And, as usual, the action will take place on movie-style sets, where you can use the items lying around to boost your campaign of rolling rampage.

In terms of game modes, there’s the straightforward single player stream where you fight against computer-controlled characters. But by using the PSP’s wi-fi connection you can also fight it out with up to three other players using only one copy of the game via the share feature. There’s also a single player Trial mode, which offers a range of quick mini-games for some bite-sized action.