Godzilla Unleashed for Playstation 2: Review

The long-awaited Godzilla: Unleashed was finally released for PS2 late November 2007. Godzilla fans have been eager for something new since Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee a few years back. Was this newest Godzilla game worth the wait?

Godzilla: Unleashed can be played with up to four people. Players can choose from a whopping 23 monsters with which to wreak havoc. Players can fight in any of nine different cites. The plot-line involves discovering some crystals that give power to the monsters. The monsters are divided into certain groups, with each group wanting the crystals for their own purpose. The players, of course, have to take out their monster opponents in order to get the crystals. The plot isn't a big deal since this is basically a straight up fighting game.

The game's graphics are a let down, considering the game system and technology available. The animation is clumsy and blocky, reminding me of something off of the original Play Station. Smashing into a building doesn't cause damage; they just sink and disappear, leaving an empty spot on the ground. If you're looking for stunning visuals, you won't find them in this game.

Sound is another area this game lets Godzilla fans down. The opening game intro is pretty lackluster and so are most of the sound effects. The music soundtrack is fairly predictable gaming music and doesn't inspire play at all. The one redeeming point here is the monster roars: they sound pretty close to the originals from the movies. Unless you're playing the game just for the roaring, the audio is a letdown.

With 23 possible monsters to play, it's a little disappointing that the same format is used to control each and every character. It would have made game play a little more interesting if you had to learn to play each creature. The controls are pretty slow as well, especially since this is a combat game. This is a good game for little kids since the fighting doesn't require skill, just the constant hitting of any buttons. The only good thing about the controls is that each monster has it special attacks, although they still use the same control system to use those attacks. Basically, except for their looks, all the monsters are pretty much the same.

Solo play on this game gets old very fast. You choose your creature and fight the other monsters one at a time. This cycle repeats itself until you've defeated all your enemies. Monsters don't interact with the environment very well, except to knock buildings down or throw them. There's no using the environment to your advantage. Multi-player is only marginally better, but still gets boring after a short while.

The final nail in the coffin is monster selection. Yes, there are a lot of monsters to choose from, but not initially. There's only a handful to pick from at first since the rest have to be unlocked before you can play them. When you choose your group, or faction, at the beginning of the game, it affects your choice of monsters. In order to access different monsters, you'll have to choose different factions and earn credits from game play. It takes a really long time to eventually access all the monsters and to be honest, it just isn't worth it.

This game is a one-trick pony. It's an okay game for about 20 minutes then it wears thin pretty fast. Fans of fighting games will be disappointed. Godzilla fans will be disappointed. Children under the age of nine will have a good time for a little while, but this game is destined for the discount bin long before summer arrives. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this game.