Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee

"Skeptical, but this Monster has BITE!"

Ahh, Godzilla. Memories of wobbly-legged fools clad in rubbery monster suits... Brings a smile to your face, doesn't it? Well, so will this game :)
GDAMM is a frantic beat-em-up for up to 4 players, and this is the best way to play the game. While the game does contain a few fairly weak one-player modes, the most fun will be gleaned by having 3 mates pick up their pads with you, and join in the 'scraper crushing fun.
The game sees you playing as one of a number of famous Godzilla movie characters, including some variations of Mr. 'Zilla himself. Not being a huge Godzilla movie fan, I wasn't able to identify some of the characters but there are classics in there such as Rodan and Ghidorah that everyone will know. The characters all look suitably monstrous, and their animation is very impressive indeed. Not a touch of the rubber-suited campness here.
The battles all take place (for the most part) in various enclosed levels based on some of the world's larger, more destroyable cities. Of course Tokyo is amongst them, with others such as Osaka, LA and London. Monster Island also features, which is a great touch. All the levels are at least as graphically sound as the creatures themselves and all feature pick-up-and-throw buildings which can be lobbed at opponents for huge damage.
The Game modes are a little sparse, with only two of them able to be played by the single gamer. The most interesting addition is Destruction Mode where the player who damages the most buildings wins - the buildings can be destroyed in any manner of ways, from a well aimed laser, to an opponent hurtling through the air.
The characters all respond well to the controls and there are a surprisingly large amoutof things to do with your scaly-rubber fiend. Perhaps GDAMM suffers from being a little under-generous with game modes, but there are several characters to unlock and a Gallery of pictures to be filled. If you have a few mates who enjoy beat-em ups then get this in immediately. If, however, you are a solitary gamer, then you might wish to overlook this multiplayer gem.

-SCORES-
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GRAPHICS: 8
SOUND: 7
GAMEPLAY: 9
REPLAYABILITY: 7
SINGLE PLAYER: 5
MULTIPLAYER: 9
OVERALL: 7

All in all, this game is a cracker for a group of people looking to have a laugh. It isn't as expansive as that other Gamecube ''Melee'', Super Smash Bros., but it is a rollicking good laugh, and, dare I say it, maybe even more outright fun than Smash Bros. Besides, you wouldn't argue with Godzilla, would you?

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/09/02, Updated 12/09/02