Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee

Fans of Godzilla and fans of arena fighters rejoice! Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee is an insanely fun and visually appealing brawler that is one of the best kaiju games out there. If you enjoy solid multiplayer experiences and beating the daylights out of giant monsters, then this game might be right up your alley.

King of the Monsters

If you’ve ever watched a Godzilla movie, then you already must know that the giant lizard is famous for its rampant destruction of cities and other monsters. Destroy All Monsters Melee takes the action of the Godzilla movies and places it in arenas for players to fight in.

The game is divided into five gameplay modes: first off, there’s Adventure mode, which provides players with a standard single-player arcade experience; Destruction, the game’s second mode, lets players run loose in a city and tear it up for points; Melee, the star of the show, where up to four players can fight each other; Survival pits players with only one life bar against hordes of enemies; and finally, there’s Team Battle, a team-based Melee mode.

Melee and points

As we previously mentioned, the game’s Melee mode takes the cake as the best part of the package. Melee mode plays similar to other brawlers, like Super Smash Bros. Melee; players must fight their opponents in large arenas, and each elimination grants them points. In the end, the player with the most points wins the round.

Being a game about giant monsters battling each other, it makes sense for Destroy All Monsters Melee’s control to feel as hefty as they do. Characters move slowly, but the controls are tight and responsive, with a simple combo system also being present. Sure, button-mashing works just right, but so does the game’s basic combos.

Tiny roster, giant monsters

Containing just twelve characters, the roster of Destroy All Monsters Melee might feel minuscule, especially compared to Super Smash Bros. Melee’s impressive lineup of characters. That said, fans of Godzilla films will quickly find that the game has a lot of respect for the history of the Toho films.

Players begin the game with four characters available to them, with the rest of the roster having to be unlocked. The roster of the game includes Godzilla (90s and 2000), Anguirus, Megalon, Destoroyah, Gigan, King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, Kiryu, Mecha-King Ghidorah, Rodan, and Orga.

The Xbox version of the game is the one with the most characters, as Mechagodzilla and its Kiryu variant are exclusive to the American and Japanese GameCube versions, respectively. If you’re wondering which version of the game to get, it suffices to say that the Xbox version features upgraded visuals and a bigger roster, so it could certainly be considered the “Ultimate” version of the game.

Generally speaking, arena brawlers are accessible multiplayer experiences designed to be played in short bursts. Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee is no exception: solid controls and well-designed characters will please fans and non-fans of Godzilla alike. The single-player mode lacks a bit of depth, but let’s face it, no one buys an arena fighter to play by themselves.

Pros:

• Character models look just like their movie counterparts
• Solid control and simple combo system
• Immensely fun multiplayer
• Great interactive arenas

Cons:

• Barebones single-player
• Small roster

Imagine a game that models itself after the dynamics of popular wrestling games, but replaces the overfed, Speedo-wearing macho-men of the WWE with the overfed, rubber-suited monsters of Toho (Godzilla's licensor). Now swap out the rings, ropes and bloodthirsty crowds with laser-fences, sprawling city blocks and a crowd-control-minded militia and you'll end up with Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. With the similarly-themed War of the Monsters (PS2) in the works, it seems as if the giant-monster genre is experiencing something of a renaissance, with the last game of this breed being SNK's 1991 classic, King of the Monsters (Neo-Geo).

But that's all about to change thanks to Pipeworks Software. Although Sony's War of the Monsters has been turning heads lately, it's Godzilla's posse that holds the killer license. Essentially a greatest hits of classic Godzilla characters, Destroy All Monsters Melee boasts fan favorites like Gigan, King Ghidora, Anguirus, Megalon, Mecha-Godzilla, Mothra and variations of Godzilla himself. All the monsters have the standard assortment of punches and kicks, each of differing speeds and power, as well as a longdistance attack (usually lasers or fire breath) and a throw move. Each monster also has its own signature move, naturally. While all of this may seem rather basic, a good deal of strategy comes into play during the battles.

You see, each city's military defenses will come rushing to the scene of every monster battle, ready to dole out punishment to whichever monster is currently doing the most damage to the surrounding environment. So savvy gamers will knock or throw their opponents into as many buildings as possible, thus causing the victim to come under heavy fire from tanks, planes and helicopters. Alternatively, players can duck behind tall structures when opponents launch long-distance attacks. The army folks will retalliate, firing on the monster that just took out that skyscraper by accident.

Of the game's various modes, perhaps the most interesting is the Rampage-like Destruction mode, in which up to four players must level as much real estate as possible.

No matter what the Japanese people do, it seems that they've always got problems preventing Godzilla from destroying Tokyo. Or, at least that's what the movies taught me. Godzilla, the King of all Monsters, is back with a vengeance on the Gamecube, in what is essentially the most original fighting game I've ever seen.

It's just a slugfest, lacking any serious combos, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. The opening roster only includes three monsters, Gozilla 90's, Anguirus, and Megalon, which is a problem. Just beat the game with one of those three, and you'll start unlocking more monsters, like King Ghidorah, Godzilla 2000, and Rodan. They've even got Mecha-Godzilla in a starring role as the end boss, and with enough work, you can even unlock Mecha-King Ghidorah. Although most these monsters are bizarre and laughable, just like the Godzilla films, a fighting game is the perfect place to show them off. Aside from the monsters, you'll also get to fight in a variety of locations, like Tokyo, Osaka, London, and Seattle. Destroying the city is mighty satisfying, especially when you can pick up buildings and toss them around like toys.

Graphically, the game isn't that impressive, but it's accurate. The cities aren't quite themselves, but the monsters are, and what would you buy this game for if it weren't to see the monsters trashing each other, along with a significant part of each city? The audio is perfect, using clips straight out of the movie. Each level, thanks to the aliens that are throwing the shindig, has flying saucers, tanks, helicopters, and cars zooming around, some of which can hurt you, others that can freeze you in place.

I had an amazingly fun time playing Godzilla, and I think anyone that likes fighting games and likes the Godzilla movie series should definitely pick up this game.

There are plenty of guilty pleasures that can be found in watching the plethora of Godzilla movies that make up typical late night fare, but none compare to the joy of putting yourself in the rubber suit to thrash equally cumbersome foes and crush miniature buildings.

While there have been tons of other monster fighter games in the past, Godzilla: Destroy all Monsters Melee is the only one that truly captures all of the fun of the classically bad Japanese movies. The game really doesn't have a plot, at least not one that one-ups the movies the game is based on. Instead you'll find yourself pounding down giant monster after giant monster in a raucous rumble that turns cities like London and Tokyo into barely recognizable rubble heaps.

The game offers adequate controls, though the awkward and sometimes turtle-like movements of the creatures may leave something to be desired for those used to playing fast paced and dexterous fighters in the Capcom vein. Godzilla offers five modes of play including a multiplayer, split-screen slug fest that lets you knock around three of your pals on a single console with one of ten monsters. The monster pickins are pretty slim when you start the game, with only the 90's version of Godzilla, Anguirus, Megalon and Gigan to thrash with, so you might want to fight your way through the adventure mode of the game a few times to unlock some of the other critters. Unfortunately, the adventure mode, which pits you against a string of monsters until you get to the boss-baddie, which is always Mecha Godzilla, requires more patience than talent. I was able to whip through the mode a half dozen times in an hour or so with a handful of different monsters. The true staying power of Godzilla will likely be found in its party-optional melee mode that allows you to pick on friends. There are other modes, like the two-player versus, the survival mode and the destruction mode, which is all about stepping on stuff and crushing buildings, but Godzilla is meant to be a group game. With its lackluster modes and nearly non-existent plot, Godzilla would truly be a radioactive dog if it weren't for the powerful draw of being able to play THE Godzilla.

This is probably the only game I've every played where the license was not only the best aspect of the game, but made it worth buying and keeping. Watching the beautifully rendered Godzilla lurch around the screen at your every command is a wonderful experience and the game plays as if the staff were all huge fans of all-night Godzilla-thons. Don't buy this game to play alone. Don't buy this game for substantive game play. Buy it because you love everything Godzilla and be the Donkey-Whale.

Exhibiting staying power greater than that of Stallone or Schwarzenegger, cinema’s biggest star (literally) is nearing his 50th year as the monster-movie world’s leading...er...lizard. How fitting, then, that Infogrames is bringing the jurassic classic back to the land of video-game consoles (his last major U.S. appearance was 1993’s Super Godzilla for the SNES) in the grand form of Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. Despite being developed in the U.S. (as opposed to Japan), Melee, unlike most games of this nature, looks like it will do the franchise justice. But first—a little history.

Originally conceived as a monster movie with a distinct anti-war/anti-atomic bomb vibe, Godzilla (released in japan as Gojira) first appeared on the silver screen in 1954. Released in post-WWII Japan, Godzilla symbolized the fruit of man’s destructive potential and was originally portrayed as the “bad guy,” being destroyed by film’s end. But the firebreathing bastard child of dinosaur DNA and atomic-testing proved too popular with the kids, and was resurrected in short order. Now, after nearly five decades and 22 movies of kicking Tokyo in the teeth, Godzilla has assembled a considerable number of friends and foes with which to do battle, and that’s where Infogrames comes in.

Developed by Pipeworks Software (the folks responsible for the amazing butterfly/ping-pong ball/mouse-trap tech demos for the Xbox), Godzilla is a fighting game that supports up to four players (in a variety of single-player and multiplayer modes) and lets the combatants trash a variety of world-famous cities. Anything is fair game as skyscrapers, bridges and landmarks in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Osaka and even Monster Island make for a monster’s playground. Each city is divided into three stages and can be played during the day or evening. The environments are completely destructible, with gratuitous (but thoroughly enjoyable) amounts of Rampage-style elements like boxcars, 18-wheelers, military vehicles and debris, all of which can be picked up and used as projectile weapons.

The combat, on the other hand, isn’t Virtua Fighter 4-quality, but it’s no slouch either. To draw a simple comparison, you could say Godzilla plays a lot like a typical WWF wrestling game (punch, kick, throw, etc.) but with a zesty rubber-suit flavor. Each monster has three meters: Health, Energy (for dazzling dragon breath) and Rage. When the Rage meter fills up, you have unlimited energy, and your attacks do more damage and are unblockable. Additional power-ups (like extra health) can be found hidden in hospitals, or whenever a UFO swoops by and drops one on the ground.

Choose from Godzilla ’90, Godzilla 2000, Mecha Godzilla (who moves a lot like Gun jack of Tekken), King Ghidora, Gigan, Anguirus and more. Fan favorites like Mothra and Rodan make appearances, but only as special “summon” attacks for specific monsters, and at least five other monsters (Godzilla ’54?) will be hidden as unlockable characters.

From the looks of things, giant-monster fans are in for a value-packed treat this winter.