REVIEW

Nintendo Wii Review: Godzilla Unleashed

Written by Matt Paprocki
Published December 19, 2007

Godzilla Unleashed is an outstanding update to Atari's melee fighting monster franchise. Everything from the graphics, animation, sound, roster, and mechanics have received an overhaul. Unfortunately, it's on the Wii, and the miserable, unresponsive controls ruin everything.

Fans of the series since Destroy All Monsters Melee will be ecstatic when they see this game in motion. It has never looked this smooth, and the character models look better than they ever have. Building damage is increasingly complex, collision detection is an obvious step up, and the combos have a tighter feel behind them.

Charging beam weapons now must be done manually, lessening the occurrence of long distance fights, and taking care of some balance issues. Options when knocked down have been streamlined, allowing for fewer cheap tail swipes. Parry attacks allow button mashers to get their due. Power surges and critical mass attacks can turn the tide of a fight in the spirit of super moves from any classic 2-D fighter.

The story produces some problems, dealing with a rather boring space assault in the form of crystals which cause the monsters to go haywire. Each level is littered with them, and some double as power-ups. Stages can be cleared by knocking crystals controlling the beasts down, or beating up the monster itself.

Because the crystals cause disasters world wide, you're never given an intact city to fight in. All of them have severe problems, leaving the massive cityscapes of previous games behind. It's a disappointment give the redone graphics could have produced some awe-inspiring destruction (even though some slowdown is evident already).

Those not familiar with the franchise will be confused. Many levels, chosen from a world map, have the player fighting alongside another creature. If you don't know the Godzilla series lore, you're never told who is on your side and will be lost as to who your opponent is.

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Matt Paprocki is the former reviews editor for Digital Press. The deep game collection, which spans nearly 30 systems and 2,000 games, lines his walls for research purposes. Matt strives to bring credibility to video game journalism, and to aid the industry in becoming respected with all forms of entertainment media. He currently freelances for GameArgus.com and MultiPlayerGames.com.
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Nintendo Wii Review: Godzilla Unleashed
Published: December 19, 2007
Type: Review
Section: Gaming
Filed Under: Gaming: Nintendo Wii
Writer: Matt Paprocki
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Comments

#1 — December 19, 2007 @ 19:57PM — Alex

If at first you don't succeed, try try again. Instead of pressing A and swinging the Remote all at once, try swinging THEN pressing the button. Then, you can do your 2nd move while the 1st one is still going on. Also, running isn't that complex. Press a button and shake the nunchuck. Not too hard. Also, to grapple, hold down the D-Pad and swing the remote. Its a lot easier.

#2 — December 19, 2007 @ 21:46PM — Timothy2035 [URL]

What do you mean the controls are unresponsive? Not true. I haven't played the game a great deal as I have time issues, but when I do play I do pretty well. In fact, I had genuine concern about this game at first when it was stated that it would be developed for the Wii. Having been a fighting game fan for a long time, I was sooo accustomed to the usual gaming pad and the circular movements done with button presses to execute fireballs, uppercuts and other flashy moves. However when I bought my copy of Godzilla Unleashed on the Wii and tried the tutorial, I started experimenting and saw that I could play this game. I went through a day or two developing my skill on using the Wiimote and Nunchuk, but now I am very confident. I am connecting moves a lot better and I am learning range with certain moves.

You have to practice your moves (as with any new game) and especially on a new console. When Soul Calibur 2 came out on the Nintendo Gamecube, the design of that controller was different from the PS2, just as sure as the PS2 controller was different from the Sega Saturn. Consoles all try to have a unique thing to make them stand out. The Wii is motion based, and it does have its pluses. I can do a couple of things at once with the Wiimote and Nunchuk together that you can't do with a standard controller.

I invite anyone to see my gameplay videos, as it shows I am doing pretty well with this system.

Look me up at Youtube. The screen name is Timothy2035. I have 4 gameplay videos showing what I am doing.

Here is a gameplay video from a person called "Windytune1" at Youtube. It's a great video with a B-movie feel to it even. Nice soundtrack for the level also. Notice how the monster "Varan" makes a jump up and toss of a small building, then before he falls back to the ground, he breaks off into a flight. Awesome combination and only possible on the Wii where the motion control along with button presses can work moves together.

The video: The nicely timed taunt roars (which are done by the player) help add to that "B-movie" feel)

I have a main page link to other videos where ShotMyEyeOut has done a lot of them. There are various numbers of monsters on-screen. Plus it seems there are varying levels of difficulty. Nice videos. :)

So if these videos I provided show a lot of fun is being had in the game, then why can't other people progress and be able to function with the Wiimote and Nunchuk? I am just about as old school fighting game player as they come.

#3 — December 19, 2007 @ 23:17PM — -Obsidius- from GT

That's some "typo" of a score I see there.

#4 — December 20, 2007 @ 16:50PM — Matt Paprocki [URL]

"Also, running isn't that complex. Press a button and shake the nunchuck. "

I said "needlessly complex." What type of extra interaction am I getting by shaking the nunchuck? Wouldn't I get the same effect by just pressing a button? Not only that, it would work everytime instead possibly reading the movement as a jump.

"I was sooo accustomed to the usual gaming pad and the circular movements done with button presses to execute fireballs, uppercuts and other flashy moves."

So am I, but also very familiar with the Godzilla games as they are. I've played the hell out of the previous two. Adjusting isn't the problem.

"Awesome combination and only possible on the Wii where the motion control along with button presses can work moves together."

How is that only possible on the Wii? Rodan is a similar character, and it would be easier and far more accurate to do it on the controller on the PS2 or Xbox in the previous games. Instead, you're stuck wagging the controller around (which doesn't even make sense in terms of the on-screen movement) to perform a simple move like a jump.

Fighting games require full, 100% accuracy. You don't get that with the Wii and this game. Yes you do get better as you play, and by the end of the story mode, I was definitely better. However, there were far too many times where I wanted to grab and instead jumped into the air resulting in a free hit for the enemy.

#5 — December 20, 2007 @ 19:05PM — will I.

Good review. i agree with you on most accounts, Godzilla Unleashed is a very dissapointing game.

#6 — February 1, 2008 @ 23:30PM — KM

Sorry, i have to disagree with the Controls part there. i've had just about no problem with the controls apart from when i get distracted by an ally monster barging in. It takes Practice to make perfect, don't expect to get everything the first time you play it.

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