Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee

"Today, You'll See Clear Skies, Rubble, And Creatures"

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee is a great game that people of all ages can enjoy. This is one of the greatest multi-player games I have ever played. Giant creatures have always been fascinating, so imagine how great it would have felt to pick this game up, and give it a try. This time, Godzilla isn't the only featured monster in this game. It's kind of hard to tell how this large creature became so popular, and why this is supposed to take place in Japan, but the game truly is a work of art.

Story-9/10

The story is above-average for a game that is exciting only in the multi-player modes. There are invaders of Earth, and their leader is sending a message to you. The invaders have sent large creatures around the entire world, and your mission is to take them out with some of your own. You choose a character, and with that, you must destroy all their monsters before the world is taken over. Once you do, you can finally go home, and the world will be saved. Though the game is mainly focused with more players, the story line is quite effective for the one player modes as well.

Game-play-9/10

Playing this game is quite easy. There are 2 to 4 monsters placed in the center of a major city of your choosing. Their goals are to destroy each other, or knock each other down as many times as possible. It is basically a knock-out challenge, and the last monster standing is declared the winner. There are several modes, however. Versus mode is only 2 monsters in the fight. Melee would make 4. There are also team battles, where monsters gang up on each other in groups to win. Destruction is not based on how badly you knock down your opponent, but how well you destroy the city you're in. Some modes require the most points to win, so you have to make sure your opponents don't pass you off. Though there are many modes, the game-play is quite repetitive, so there isn't much to look at.

Graphics-10/10

I found that the graphics were quite vibrant. All the monsters had a unique look, and all of them really looked three dimensional. The cities all looked so realistic, and each building had the appropriate amount of windows. You could choose between day or night, and in the day, the sun was quite hazy, while at night, it was near-dark, except for a few windows that gave off light. When a monster fell, a thick smoke filled the screen, and when a building was hit, the lights inside flickered, as if it was about to turn dark. When attacking a building, marks are left as to where the building was hit, and when the building is hit too much, it crumbles to the floor, and a pile of rubble is left at the bottom. The graphics were extremely realistic, and I enjoyed seeing the different patterns of buildings that collapsed.

Sound-7/10

The sound wasn't what I was hoping for. At the selection screen, a kind of music is played that would signal danger approaching. When choosing a mode, there are annoying sounds that sound similar to that of a creature's roar. The music is all almost the same when fighting, and the announcer gets quite annoying when in a match. Despite having great sounds when the monsters shoot beams, or attack each other with physical violence, the movements of their feet do not really match the sounds an over sized creature would really make. Though the sound is overall great for the creatures, I don't really think that the music was up to its potential.

Control-4/10

What happened to the simple controls I enjoy? The control for this game is not very good. When the match begins, you expect to be able to move left and right like you usually would in a fight. However, the monsters don't seem to enjoy doing the same. The monsters do a sort of side-step when it comes to moving left and right, and when moving forward or backward, their movements are very slow. I don't expect them to be extremely quick, but helicopters could keep up with them. All movements they make seem to be making them look at each other. You don't necessarily have to look at your opponent the whole match. The attacks aren't the best, either. You struggle to attack by rapidly tapping a button several times, but come out to hit them 2 or 3 times. The controls really don't match a monster you'd want to control. The controls seem to be controlling a slug.

Difficulty-10/10

This game is one of the most challenging games I have ever played. Due to the lack of control, fighting your friends has never been this much fun. Causing them to move slowly is great for playing with pals. When it comes to the one-player modes, the computers seem to move faster and more freely than you do. This causes the one-player modes to be extremely hard, causing you to play for quite awhile. Once all monsters, stages, and whatnot have finally been unlocked, it would have been quite awhile when you finally found the perfect technique to get through the story mode, or adventure mode.

Re-playability-10/10

Once you've completed the game, you may move on to play a different game. It could be several months before you decide to start over on a game. If you choose to start over on this game, you've made a wise decision. You start out with the same 3 monsters you always start out with, and they may not be the ones you enjoy to play as. Therefore, you have to come up with even more strategies to take down your opponents. When finally getting the hang of it, there are still many monsters you have to play as as well. Therefore, it could take the same amount of time for you to get used to this game again. I found that re-playing this game was quite a good experience, and therefore I enjoyed it as much as when I first played.

Overall-8/10

Overall, I found this game quite a good experience. It wasn't one of the best games I've ever played, but trying this game out had more pros than cons. Though the control was terrible, and the sound could have been improved, everything else was good for me. My siblings enjoyed it, and I found it fun to play with more players. In conclusion, I recommend that this game only be played if you have other friends or family that would be happy to play with you.

Rent Or Buy?

I'd definitely buy this game. It was a good start for a beginner, and I hope they come out with a sequel that will just blow me away. Renting it to try it out is also fine, because if you like it, you can always grab yourself one.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/07