I've always been a huge fan of Godzilla. From watching some of the old films on VHS back in the day, playing some of the games that were released on the Playstation 2, to really enjoying last years re-reboot of the franchise, I just simply love Godzilla. Though Godzilla vs. Destroyah is my favourite, I'll watch pretty much any Godzilla film. So with my interest in the big lizard reawakened thanks to last years film, I was dying for the next game based on the franchise. A Godzilla game is based upon a simple concept- control a big ass monster, blow shit up and fight other big ass monsters. It's an impossible recipe to screw that up, right? Well, this latest Godzilla screwed it up. Big time.
Developed by Bandai Namco Games and out now on Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 comes Godzilla; a game that's boring, a chore to play and looks like something from the Playstation 2 era. There's no real concrete plot in Godzilla. Through the modes of offer here there's no big overarching plot. That's all well and good as this game does (and rightly should) simply focus on Godzilla, but adding an extra layer of context and background plot would have given the game- and also your destructive actions- a bit more gravity and context. I'm not looking for War and Peace here, but hell, give me something involving the Xiliens or whatever. Instead the game just drip feeds you random messages from G-Force (an anti-Godzilla military unit) that either talk about the destruction you've caused or what obstacle their sending your way next.
However, Godzilla isn't just painfully light on plot, as it's equally light on gameplay too. On its surface it looks like there's plenty of content on offer. From the outset you can play a whole host of modes such as King of the Monsters, Destruction, Evolution, Diorama and Online Multiplayer mode. The problem is that the first three modes mentioned there are essentially the same experience. In Destruction mode, which I think is the centrepiece of the game, it makes you play through stages destroying generators, wiping out everything in sight and ultimately facing you off against a boss monster. It all becomes monotonous quite early in, especially when you need to get 100% destruction in the level, and this leads to Godzilla literally feeling like a chore to play. The other two main modes aren't much different, with King of Monsters mode putting you through six stages consisting of bosses that get harder and harder, and Evolution mode essentially being a mode in which you can level up Godzilla. Beyond those modes you have Online Multiplayer, Diorama and Monster Field Guide modes. Online multiplayer speaks for itself and lets up to three players duke it out, Diorama mode lets you take pictures of placeable objects and monster models, while Monster Field Guide is like a Pokedex for a who's who of Godzilla monsters.
I know, right know you're sitting there and thinking, “Come on, Murph, tell me about the actual monsters, man!”. Ok, I'll do that. They suck. Well, the monsters in the game look the part, and the roster is pretty hefty, as it pretty much covers every single Godzilla monster ever. It's impressive, and with even a few different types of Godzilla's to play as (different eras have different looking Godzilla's), it's pretty awesome how much Namco Bandai is giving the fans what they want. Well, almost everything they want, as actually controlling Godzilla- or any other monster- is god awful. Simply put, controlling your monster is like trying to pick up an egg while wearing oven gloves. For instance, when controlling Godzilla the left thumb-stick moves him forward, the right thumb-stick rotates the camera while, for some weird reason, the left and right controller bumpers turn him left and right. This leads to a control scheme that is laughably bad and over complicated. Instead of diving right into the game and wrecking some shit up, you'll spend the first 20 minutes learning how to walk without looking like a prat. With the control scheme at its core, Godzilla isn't just a boring game to play, but also an annoying one to take part in. It's stiff, cumbersome and makes controlling Godzilla very un-awesome.
Overall Godzilla is a mess. All it had to do was replicate some of the previous decent Godzilla games, but it failed. It's boring, has pretty mediocre graphics, relies on someone simple spamming attacks to win, and, worst of all, pisses away all the potential for greatness it had. I love me some Godzilla, but even my blind love for it can't make me like this game. Sorry, old friend, back into the ocean you go...
Godzilla is the king of all chumps. 1/5.
I know, right know you're sitting there and thinking, “Come on, Murph, tell me about the actual monsters, man!”. Ok, I'll do that. They suck. Well, the monsters in the game look the part, and the roster is pretty hefty, as it pretty much covers every single Godzilla monster ever. It's impressive, and with even a few different types of Godzilla's to play as (different eras have different looking Godzilla's), it's pretty awesome how much Namco Bandai is giving the fans what they want. Well, almost everything they want, as actually controlling Godzilla- or any other monster- is god awful. Simply put, controlling your monster is like trying to pick up an egg while wearing oven gloves. For instance, when controlling Godzilla the left thumb-stick moves him forward, the right thumb-stick rotates the camera while, for some weird reason, the left and right controller bumpers turn him left and right. This leads to a control scheme that is laughably bad and over complicated. Instead of diving right into the game and wrecking some shit up, you'll spend the first 20 minutes learning how to walk without looking like a prat. With the control scheme at its core, Godzilla isn't just a boring game to play, but also an annoying one to take part in. It's stiff, cumbersome and makes controlling Godzilla very un-awesome.
Overall Godzilla is a mess. All it had to do was replicate some of the previous decent Godzilla games, but it failed. It's boring, has pretty mediocre graphics, relies on someone simple spamming attacks to win, and, worst of all, pisses away all the potential for greatness it had. I love me some Godzilla, but even my blind love for it can't make me like this game. Sorry, old friend, back into the ocean you go...
Godzilla is the king of all chumps. 1/5.
★☆☆☆☆
Denis Murphy
Godzilla at CeX
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