Capcom presented Viewtiful Joe 2 at their Producers’ Day on Monday to a receptive crowd. Inaba-san recalled his comment last year that if Viewtiful Joe didn’t sell, he wouldn’t be able to make games he liked anymore, and thanked everyone for buying it. Viewtiful Joe 2 of course is the result.

The demos on the show floor look like more of the same great gameplay as last year’s game, but there are several additions announced for the final game. The first is the Replay VFX, which allows you to record an action and have it replay three times. If your timing’s right, this means triple the damage, but if it’s wrong, you could find yourself taking three times the damage. Fans of the original will note that damage like that could mean instant death in higher difficulties.

The main change though is with Silvia. Although she was an unlockable playable character in the first game, now she’s available right from the start. Plus, to change things up some, she’s now equipped with a pistol that replaces her punch attacks. Video also shows off co-operative multiplayer with Joe and Silvia fighting together, but it remains to be seen how VFX will be handled in multiplayer.

The levels will be more focused on movie themes this time around too. A Jurassic Park knock-off, Dino Park is being demoed complete with a volcano at the center of multiple puzzles and animatronic dinosaurs to dodge. Joe’s vehicle, Six Machine will be more prominent in this game with a number of transformations and more vehicle-based levels.

Viewtiful Joe 2 is set to release in early 2005. Keep an eye on PGC for more details.