Written: 9.8.06
Acquired: 7.26.06
Status: Cart only
Price: $25

You ever been curious about
a game for twelve years?






I have, and this is my 12-year curiosity!

I'll never forget that sunny day back in June '94 when EGM #60 arrived. During their prime, few things could rival the sheer joy generated from finding a brand new issue sitting in your mailbox. Oh yeah -- once upon a time ago, EGM was THAT good

SNES Mortal Kombat II was the big thing at the time, and summer was already in full bloom. It was a hell of a time to be a ten year old kid!  But I'm digressing now

January 2006. It was the Winter Break before my final college semester. I suddenly longed for some Super Nintendo action. The next several months I bought old favorites and gems left and right. Then, at some point I remembered that day back in June '94...

Flipping excitedly through the magazine, there it was on page 76

The game that would elude me for twelve years...

I love Godzilla... I love fighting games. It was a match made in Heaven

Only one problem, of course...

Raking in a grand total of two dollars a week, the game, being an enchanted import, seemed simply unattainable. Nowadays import is just another version of a game, but back then it held
a certain mystique. You drooled at the cool ads and previews and knew if anyone owned those games, in those times, that they were unequivocably HARDCORE

So how does GODZILLA: KAIJUU DAIKESSEN stack up?

Pretty damn good

You're not going to find many combos or a whole lot of finesse, but considering the material it's only fitting. The game relies on special moves a lot

X = Weak Attack
Y = Strong Attack
B = Hold (grapple then press varying D-Pad combinations i.e. D, F to toss or bite)
A = Dash

There are two bars to keep an eye on. The Stun Meter and the WRATH spirit

When hit, your stun and WRATH meter increases. When your stun meter's full, you'll be knocked out temporarily. When your WRATH is full, your monster will flash red and remain so until you:

• Get stunned
• Apply your WRATH move

WRATH is basically a "Desperation Move." DM's became very common place in fighting games post-1993. WRATH moves can inflict INCREDIBLE damage, instantly changing the tide of a match

When you're in WRATH mode, attack damage (regular or special moves) nearly double. So strategy exists -- do you go for your big move, or hold off and take advantage of the extra power? The worst insult is having the opponent stop you in mid-animation of a WRATH move!

Management of one's WRATH usually decides the outcome of a battle

8 monsters are selectable in the 1P mode. 9 in versus with two unlockable

Let's meet them, shall we?  Oh, and check out the Youtube links to see their WRATH moves!

GODZILLA
The big guy is a solid all-around choice. His ray works in mid-air as a bonus. Ideal for beginners
WRATH: Hyper Atomic Ray (undefined)
Damage: 46% (55% if up close stuns the opponent)
Godzilla's body surges in a orange rage before unleashing his devastating death blow. You'd have bad breath too if you slept for a hundred years!

ANGUIRUS
Staying true to source material, the spiked-wonder has no projectiles. Beloved by G-Fans for his fighting spirit, it'll take an experienced player to use him effectively
WRATH: Thunder Ball (undefined)
Damage: 45%
Not very strong (by comparison) and easy to see coming... poor guy

GIGAN
His laser eye beam exists! (Inside joke for the G-Fans out there).
He's the most combo-friendly and the only one with a Dragon Punch (actually a Flash Kick). Gigan possesses a tremendous offensive repertoire
WRATH: Buzzsaw Blitz (undefined)
Damage: 53%
Gigan charges up to ½ the screen and unloads a blitzkrieg. Unblockable

MEGALON
Like Gigan and Godzilla, very user-friendly. His torpedo-like attack can also be done in the air. When you hold down Strong Attack, Megalon's driller-like hand spins and can score 4 solid hits
WRATH: Armageddon (undefined)
Damage: 64% (88% recorded on Biollante!!!)
Potentially the strongest move in the game, it's a blessing it's also real easy to avoid!  I was speechless when it caused 88% damage to Biollante!  Holy smokes (no pun intended)

MECHAGODZILLA
Force field, missiles, laser-eye beams, chest beam, flight -- all the powers you saw in the 1974 and '75 movies are here. Many G-Fans to this day prefer this original pot belly version over its '93 contemporary. Myself included
WRATH: Violence Party (undefined)
Damage: 55% + stuns opponent (if everything hits)
MechaG unloads his entire arsenal!
As seen in the movie!

KING GHIDORAH
This huge 3-headed menace is a strong choice for beginners thanks to his overpowering brutality. For example, his laser beam can go LOW (right head), MIDDLE (middle head) or HIGH (left head). Input D, DF, F, attack... as he revs up, hold down for low, nothing for middle, and up for high. He's as tough here as he was in the movies!
WRATH: Gravity Storm (undefined)
Damage: 60% (68% if full-on)
One of the game's most damaging WRATH attacks, Ghidorah unleashes Death From Above

BIOLLANTE
What a hulking mass! It's the game's best sprite by a mile, and the others are pretty good! Bio cannot jump, just like in the 1989 movie. It's also not the most agile sucker around... so I found Bio somewhat difficult to control; definitely for intermediate to advanced players
WRATH: Acidic Shower (undefined)
Damage: 55%
Very cool looking, does considerable damage and the two vines travel around ¾ the screen. After the vines spew acid on the victim, Bio unleashes a volley of acidic fireballs... OUCH!

MOTHRA
I was never a Mothra fan. But she's fun to use. The only monster to constantly fly, she's also unique due to the fact she cannot BLOCK. She is also 1 of 2 monsters (the other being the 2nd-to-last boss) to have two WRATH moves. Mothra's magic powder dust special move prevents projectiles; if you're next to the cloud and throw a projectile -- you'll receive a taste of your own medicine! The Dark Echo WRATH move is highlighted by the cameo of an old friend.....

WRATH: Cosmic Seal (undefined)
Damage: 44%
Weak but really easy to implement.
It's a trade-off

WRATH: Dark Echo (undefined)
Damage: 69%
Mothra traps her victim in a magic powder cloud... and from the skies comes BATTRA!  Battra is a creation from the Heisei period... appearing in the 1992 film GODZILLA AND MOTHRA: THE BATTLE FOR EARTH

BOSSES

Three bosses, the last two you can only fight in EXPERT mode. The 1st boss is immediately selectable in 2P. The other 2 are unlockable with codes

MECHAGODZILLA II
The 1993 contemporary, a machine built by humans to counteract Godzilla's ever present threat to Japan. This sleeker model has an impressive array of multi-colored beams
WRATH: Blitzkrieg (undefined)
Damage: 40%
The weakest WRATH move in the game. Like Gigan, MG II charges about ½ the screen and the move is unblockable. MG II shows off his agile attacks in this 12-hit non-projectile barrage

SUPER MECHAGODZILLA
Essentially MG II but equipped with the Garuda ship for added firepower (as if he needed any to begin with!) He's the other fighter to have two WRATH moves but one is the same ole Blitzkrieg. The other is done when he has the Garuda on his shoulder, and is sheer hell in a handbasket
WRATH: Godzilla Crusher (undefined)
Damage: 70%
Unblockable and he rushes you. Pray he doesn't catch you. Super MechaGodzilla lights up the night sky with some impressive fireworks

GUOTEN
The final boss. Disappointing choice, personally. The Guoten originally appeared in Toho's Atragon. It's not a monster but a really big ship. In 2005 it was renamed the Atragon and appeared in the final Godzilla movie.... GODZILLA: FINAL WARS. Best thing: its stage. Check out how lovely the clouds are. They seem to stretch on forever as the sun's barely peeking through the cloudy patches... ace

                                                                                                  GALLERY

                                     He's red with envy he
                                     doesn't have 1, har har

That settles the controversy


(G-Fans will get that one!)

                                You one baaaaaad Mothra

                                [*Sighs* -Ed.]

"Look MA!  No Strings!"

                        
                        Love the lightning. When these
                        two behemoths collide... with no
                        slowdown... it's awe-inspiring!

Misc Notes
-----

• Zero slowdown

• Destroyable scenery abounds and magically regenerates for each round

• Godzilla doesn't have a stage. You fight him on your own home turf, and your regular music is replaced by the ace Godzilla theme, replicated to a tee. Mothra's remix is likewise excellent

Choose from practice, hard
or expert. On expert Super
MechaGodzilla replaces
MechaGodzilla II, followed
by Guoten

                                   No real endings... just a
                                   generic shot followed by
                                   staff credits

• 2P mode has options of 1-5 handicap, time limit on/off and stage select

• In 1P mode, you select the enemy order. And there's no character switching, so if you pick Mothra you're stuck using her

• Japanese language?  Very little. Game menu's all in English. And there are no victory quotes because, er, these monsters can't talk... ahem... blocks out the infamous dub scene from GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (1972)

• The Duo version suffered from having a limited moveset and only two buttons -- one of which was used to jump. Jumping is simply pressing up in this version, thank goodness. The moveset is also much greater

All the monsters, sans Biollante and Mothra, can attack downward while jumping. Just hold down+attack in mid-air. For example, Megalon drills the air, but with down+attack his feet does the talking

Godzilla, Megalon, Mech,
King Ghidorah and Gigan
can all do their projectiles
in mid-air

Every fighting game has to have a character or two who can do a rapid special attack right?  King Ghidorah and Mothra holds claim to that honor

Only a few moves, like Gigan's
Flash Kick, were re-imagined.
Everything else is authenic with
respect to the movies. Gigan's
Flash Kick is the only Dragon
Punch command in the game

                          Speaking of the G-movies,
                          MechaGodzilla II's spectacular
                          Plasma Cannon from the '93
                          film remains intact. It's a great
                          nod to G-Fans!

Holds are a bit tough to
get the hang of, but worth
the effort

                                 If there were an award for
                                 "BEST looking projectile
                                 battles" Daikessen would
                                 win it by far, hands down

CLOSING THOUGHTS

If you're a G-Fan you'll love this game. If you like fighting games but don't particularly care for the Big Guy, skip it. On its own, it sports a decent if somewhat unimpressive fighting engine. BUT with the characters, their trademark moves and roars.... suddenly it all falls into place. The graphics are great and the sound awesome. The kaiju sprites are simply utterly amazing. This is truly a treat for G-Fans. The sights and sounds will take you back to the good old days when the Big Guy stomped all over your TV screen. I know for me playing this game brought back a ton of memories from all the various old Godzilla films I'd seen
over the years. Let us not forget how easy it'd be to half-ass a game like this, so major kudos to Alfa System for not doing so

WE SALUTE YA, GODZILLA. THANKS FOR ALL THE MEMORIES!

My only wish: more monsters joining the fray would have been perfect. Particularly Baragon, Jet Jaguar, Titanosaurus, King Seesar, Hedorah the Smog Monster, oh heck, even Minya!  A speed setting would have been ace, too. But nevertheless, I am more than satisfied with what they gave us here. The 12 year wait was worth it  :)

Graphics: 9
Sound: 9
Gameplay: 8
Longevity: 9

Overall: 9.0

Gold Award