The GameCube release Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee was a surprise hit on a system light on fighting games. As a result, there was a decent amount of buzz for the Wii edition of Godzilla Unleashed. Simply put, people are going to be disappointed.

New to the game is a Wii-based motion control system. It's painful. The movements seem arbitrary and unresponsive, which is compounded by the monsters' slow movements. The large health bars make for long, tedious fights that seem like more of a chore than entertainment.

The story is based around simplistic comic-book cutscenes that feel more campy than anything else. Much like the movies, the focus is on big monster battles, so the plot is secondary to say the least.

Atari tried to add in elements of strategy to make the game more fun, but it largely failed. Monsters now have specific elemental weaknesses and strengths, but they rarely come up in gameplay, being heavily overshadowed by the base stats of each monster.

There are some redeeming features for Godzilla fans. Playing through the game unlocks obscure creatures and concept art. There are over twenty characters eventually available. The problem is that the game is so slow-paced that it takes hours to unlock a decent roster of monsters. The design seems to be based around the core experience being fun, and it just isn't. It matters little that Atari did the little things right when the big thing is flawed.

Wii players may have been looking forward to Godzilla Unleashed as a good Smash Bros. replacement until Brawl hits in February, but it just isn't the solid title we expected. Pass on this one.

Dec 26, 2007 | 0 comments
Graham Russell