I have a message to those developers that are trying to create the next big niche game behind Nintendo's successful Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Stop.

No, seriously. Just stop. Put down those keyboards, drop your character designs, and back away. I know you want to create your own entry into this multiplayer fighting genre that Smash Bros. has gotten down so perfectly, but it cannot be done. There's just something about the tempo and beauty of Nintendo's brawlers that cannot be recaptured, even if a high-profile studio is on the case. Capcom and Clover Studio have stepped up and proven my point with Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble, a game that aspires to be so much and yet becomes too much for its own good.

In the game, you'll choose from a number of memorable characters from the Joe universe, heroic and villainous alike, and then take to a series of scenarios where you simply duke it out for celluloid superiority. This can range from a number of locations such as a flying biplane making its way through the caverns or a number of given sets with limited mobility but lots of room to knock an opponent into the middle of next week.

I have to admit, the concept is rather fascinating. Pitting characters from the Joe universe against one another is one thing, and throwing VFX powers into the mix is another. You can really throw people off by using some slo-mo at a much needed time, or zipping along and nailing someone with an unexpected ten-hit combo that leaves them bewildered. On paper, this could work- I could see Clover's interest in giving it a try.

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