Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee

"Just imagine...buildings crumbling at your feet!!!"

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee is a fantastic fighter for the Nintendo Gamecube. Take control of around 11 of some of the most popular monsters to grace the big screen.

Gameplay: 9

Plenty of moves to crush your opponents including combos, energy attacks, and each monster has their own traits and capabilities. One problem is that they only start you with three monsters, and with the AI as tough as it is (with practice the AI will not be so hard)not being able to play with more for a while until you can unlock some may be a bit frustrating. Also they could have added in a few more playable Monsters to keep some people happy. That leads me into the AI. The computer is not stupid, nor is it a push over. When you play one easy you're not just a shoe in. Thats a good part, the computer will not give up and it provides a challenge for some of the better gamers. Not only is this just your regular face to face, punch kick fighting game, this game requires more, players will find themselves developing a strategy to stay alive and win. So it is not only a fighting game, it also has a hint of strategy mixed in with it.

Graphics: 9

Great textures on the monsters, awesome detail on them and it makes the dinosaurs seem real. The setting is pretty good, but it gives you the feeling that the buildings are made of cardboard. The way the buildings crumble is great, there is smoke that could actually block your view, parts flying everywhere, and so on. Some gamers have claimed to experience a slow down in the game, but it is pretty rare and it does not affect your game in a huge way at all.

Sounds: 9

Great affects of the Monsters roaring and walking. The background music sets the mood, but it is rather repetitive. Not much more to comment on in this section.

Controls: 9

Easy to use and learn, but just knowing what some buttons do does not mean you know all the characters moves, there are several combos and such for each characters. You will not be scrambling to press one button and then one all the way across the controller at the same time, most of the combo buttons are right by each other.

Presentation: 8

The menu's look good, but they all look mostly the same. There are a fair amount of modes to choose from but there could be more.

Overall: 9

Single player will keep you working and practicing to unlock the monsters.... so that you could use them in multi-player. Just like most every other fighting game the real value comes in the multiplayer. There are several modes to play with your friends with. This game will keep your friends coming back to your house to play, so make sure to have plenty of food and drink on hand.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/13/02, Updated 10/13/02