Godzilla: Destroy all Monsters Melee
By Scikaiju
System: Nintendo Gamecube
Developer: Pipeworks Software

Introduction

Godzilla is known worldwide as the king of monsters in the movies. In the gaming world that hasn't always been the case. Games bearing Godzilla's name have either been good (the nes game comes to mind) or really bad (Godzilla on the original Gameboy). So I was a little concerned when I first heard of Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee, but ended up pleasantly surprised when I finally played it.

Story

Aliens have come to Earth and they have gained control of the planet's monster, threatening to unleash them unless humanity complies with their plans. However one monster breaks free and fights the other monsters and the aliens in order to drive them off the planet.

Review

The monster selection here is good, offering a nice assortment of old and new. These include Godzilla 90s, Godzilla 2000, Mecha Godzilla (Heisei series), Rodan (Heisei), King Ghidorah (Heisei), Mecha King Ghidorah, Destroyer, Anguirus, Megalon and Gigan. There is also Monster Orga a secret hidden monster you can unlock. Mothra and Hedorah are also in the game but they are non playable characters. Hedorah flies around various cities and is supposed to slow down any monster in its path. Personally I have yet to see this happen. Mothra can be called on to attack the other monsters by picking up her icon.

There are six real world cities to for the monsters to fight in this game such as Tokyo, London and Seattle. All of these stages have multiple fighting areas so you don't have to keep knocking down the same structures. You can also fight on Monster Island and the alien mothership. All the buildings are destructible and the smaller ones can be picked up and thrown at your opponent. A green force field, which can be used to stun opposing monsters, surrounds the battle arena. The military also gets involved by attacking the kaiju with missiles and a freeze ray that immobilizes whoever is hit by it. The alien spaceshipalso hovers around the area dropping icons every so often including ones for, life, energy, rage and the previously mentioned Mothra icon. The rage icon can increase you attack power for a limited amount of time or can be used in a rage attack, such as the pulse attack Godzilla used in the Heisei series.

The controls are alright. B, A, and X are your attack buttons and a combo of these buttons and the directional pad control your attack. Head, tail, arms, and feet all get involved. Each monster also has three throws at their disposal, somebeing kind of comical. A personal favorite of mime is when Godzilla picks up his opponent over his head and start twirling him over his head like a pizza pie. The z button is you energy attack, like Godzilla's fire breath. Some have two z attacks, a quick press or hold for a charge up. The c stick can be used to aim the head for the energy attack. Honestly, I had better luck just pressing the z button and not bothering with the c stick, not for lack of trying though.

Each of the monsters has its own characteristics with some being faster and others being stronger. The right ones can fly for a limited amount of time and Megalon can drill underground. All of them, except the Godzillas, have different attacks and their own distinct roars. Of course, depending on the monster you pick, some are easier to beat than others.

You begin with three monster available at the start. The others can be unlocked on easy mode. A lot of people, myself included, had a problem with this. Although you could unlock pictures in the gallery by playing on hard and collecting Atari icon from destroyed buildings. You can hear the game in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. Strangely there was no Japanese language feature.

There was an X-box version of this game released about a year after this one came out. It featured enhanced graphics as well as Kiryu from Godzilla x MechaGodzilla. Kiryu had different attacks than the Mechagodzilla from the Gamecube version. There's also two extra levels, the alien homeworld and a giant boxing ring.

Conclusion

If you are picking this up just looking for a fighting game you're going to be disappointed. It's not very deep fighting-wise. If you're buying it because you're a fan of Godzilla, you'll enjoy yourself. Once again the fun is in the multiplayer mode, either laying the smackdown on your buddy or just destroying the surrounding area.

Scikaiju