Viewtiful Joe 2 details and shots

Following last week's announcements in the US press, Capcom has revealed slightly more about the forthcoming Viewtiful Joe 2 on PS2 and Cube, and blessed us with the first in-game screenshots of both VJ2 and of Dante making his unlockable appearance in the PS2 port of the original.

According to fact sheets for the two titles, VJ2 will see the evil Gedow organisation preparing to launch a vicious attack on Movie Land, once again spurring Joe into heroic action. As we already know, Sylvia will be able to join in for some co-operative hijinx this time around, but played on her own she'll be more than a match for her adversaries, calling on Joe's VFX powers and a gun to boot.

Capcom also shed some more light on the new VFX 'Replay' power. Apart from simply amplifying damage by allowing Joe to repeat the same action three times, Replay will also allow him (or Sylvia) to triple the benefits of health power-ups, or on the other hand to accidentally triple the damage inflicted upon them by enemies.

Describing VJ2 screenshots to newcomers isn't always the easiest thing to do, but fortunately these pretty much speak for themselves. The hand-drawn backgrounds retain the luscious aesthetic of the original, and if it does make its rumoured appearance at E3, VJ2 will likely follow its predecessor's example in turning a lot of heads.

Along with the VJ2 details and shots, Capcom also sent over the first shots we've seen of Viewtiful Joe on the PS2, showing off Devil May Cry's Dante enjoying his little cameo as an unlockable character. We've also been told to expect an 'Easy' mode in the PS2 version as Capcom attempts to make the game a little more approachable.

Viewtiful Joe 2 is due out on PS2 and Cube before the end of the year, with the PS2 port set to appear sometime prior to that.