MAKER: TOHO CO. LTD / HUDSON SOFT
RELEASE DATE: 26 FEBRUARY 1994 / 1993
STYLE: BEAT 'EM UP
FORMAT: SUPER CD-ROM
RATING:
Overview
Godzilla has been kickin’ tail since 1954, and this is the first game to truly let players brawl with the big ‘G’. Sixteen enemies are included: Anguirus, Rodan, Gigan, Megalon, Hedorah, King Ghidorah ’64, King Ghidorah ’91, Mecha-King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla ’74, Mechagodzilla ’75, Super MechaGodzilla, Battra Larva, Battra Adult, Biollante Rose, Biollante Final, and the military hovercraft Super X2.
In Normal Mode, you can only play as Godzilla. At the start of each stage, you are given a choice to fight in one of two locations with its own unique enemy. Brawling through five battles, your overall score determines what you face in the sixth and final fight. Each creature defeated becomes an unlocked, playable character for VS Mode with the exception of Biollante.
On the surface this is a ‘Street Fighter’ with all of the basic blocks, punches and combo moves you’d expect. Each character has its signature attacks and battle cries straight from the films. Enemies carry a point total to achieve depending on how well you can beat them down. Since the final bosses are made available based on points, only the best fighters with perfect wins will be able to unlock the last couple. Normal Mode is the single player six-stage adventure, VS Mode lets individuals square off against another person.
Comment
This game is a MUST HAVE for all Godzilla fans, as it pays homage to the movie series from 1954 through 1993 when the game was developed. Many consider it to be the best Godzilla game for any system until “Destroy All Monsters: Melee” came out on the Xbox. Stages accurately depict the backdrops where Godzilla faced off against his respective foe. But, in an over-the-top nod to fans, the Godzilla character art changes to match how he looked when he fought said enemy! Nine Godzilla incarnations are included.
This is NOT a super-fast moving Capcom button masher. The controls are responsive, but the characters are 20,000+ ton behemoths, so don’t expect to sneak in with a heavy jab then fly to the other edge of the screen in retreat.
Backgrounds have multiple layers of parallax, and the bitmaps are well drawn, but they seem a bit sparse. Some stages have a pagoda or castle to crash into but the arenas won’t blow players away. Sound shines on this Super CD. Each stage has a well-orchestrated theme and just hearing the authentic voices of the beasts send shivers of happy surging.
I’m no good at ‘Street Fighters’ but found myself putting in the extra time to try and retain all of the special moves for this one. It is fun for casual gamers too as a 7-year-old and I could plunk down in front of this and battle for hours. W. Eric Myers
Cheats/Tips
UNLOCK ALL CHARACTERS: You need a 2nd controller for this to work. At the mode selection screen, highlight "Vs Mode", hold Right + Up + Select + Run on Controller 2 and Down + Left + II on Controller 1. With all of these held, press and hold Button 1 on Controller 1. If done right, the character selection will have every monster unlocked.
/ 1993 
