Godzilla Unleashed is the best Godzilla game ever, and one of the best fighting games on the Wii.
PRESENTATION: The presentation for this game is a mixed bag, though it leans on the more positive side. To start on a positive note, THE ROSTER IS HUGE!!! With a whopping 26 monsters to play as (an 8 monster increase from the previous game, Godzilla: Save the Earth), you'll be able to recreate a lot of Godzilla battles over Godzilla's really really long filmography. The monsters are separated into 4 factions: Earth Defenders, Global Defense Force, Aliens, and Mutants; all which have different goals and standards. There are also plenty of landmarks in the game's arenas, like the Chrysler Building in New York City, or the Tokyo Tower in Tokyo. Sure, some cities may have more iconic places than others, but you can find at least one iconic location in every city besides the Alien Mothership and Monster Island. There are various modes you can play as, like Versus (1 on 1 battle to the death), Classic Melee (2-4 monsters duke it out for points), Classic Destruction (2-4 monsters compete to destroy as much property as possible), and Last Man Standing (2-4 monsters duke it out to be the last monster standing). Many of these features were featured in previous Godzilla games, and were rather fun too. However, what makes this game stick out a lot in modes is the Custom Mode. Quite possibly one of the greatest features ever created, Custom Mode allows you to tweak the game in many ways, from military settings, to even monster size changes, allowing YOU to create the scenario of your dreams. However, another aspect of the presentation isn't as great. The box art for this game is disappointing. The box art is by far the WORST thing of the entire game. It has got to be one of the most BORING box arts I ever saw. Why can't the developers put more monsters than just TWO. I see Biollante and I see Godzilla 2000. Oh sure, some people might say that you see King Ghidorah and Mothra in the background, but they practically blend in with the background, so they don't count. One thing that really makes me mad is when the Japanese get the cooler box art. Just to prove my point, when Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee came out, this is what we got: http://tohokingdom.com/vg/gdamm/us_box.htm, and this is what the Japanese got: http://tohokingdom.com/vg/gdamm/japan_box.htm. Why can't WE get that cool box art too? And Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee is actually the first game, so how is Godzilla: Unleashed going to turn out for Japan? I bet the Japanese are going to get something even BETTER! The box art portion of the game is pretty bad, with barely any action to say "buy this game!". The main focus on this section is the Story Mode, which is a mixed bag. The story for this game is just like a typical Godzilla movie: It has a rather serious tone, but the dialogue makes it feel very corny. The story, as you can see, isn't anything special. The story is told through GDF computer screens that fill you in on what's happening, as well as comic book cut scenes that are actually quite well drawn, but still nothing to brag about. So, is the Story Mode bad? No, far from it. The reason is that, while the story itself and the way the story is told aren't that great, but the gameplay in Story Mode is a lot of fun. In Story Mode, you decide who you ally yourself with (or break alliances with), and those actions will further affect your outcome later in the game, so you can play through this several times and get something different each time. The only problem with this is that the endings (besides a secret ending that's accessible by Aliens, Earth Defenders, and the GDF) are always going to be your faction endings no matter whom you ally yourself with. But, even then, Story Mode is entertaining as hell, and defiantly worth several playthroughs. So, the end this long section, despite the presentation being pretty good, this part is easily the weakest part of the game.
Score: 8/10
GRAPHICS: The graphics for this game can't hold up to an Xbox 360 or PS3 (though, this shouldn't be news to you). However, this game isn't on the Xbox 360 or PS3, it's on the Wii. And for a Wii game, the graphics for this game is unbelievable. The detail for the monsters are incredible, the cities are well created, and the water resolution is on par with that of the Xbox 360 and PS3. For the most part, I was speechless the first time I saw Godzilla Unleashed. There's probably 2 Wii games out there that's got this game beat in graphics, and that's Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Bottom line, the graphics, while aren't that good compared to the Xbox 360 or PS3 visuals, are defiantly one of the best on the Wii. The only thing that's keeping the full 10 at bay is some slowdowns here and there.
Score: 9.5/10
AUDIO: The audio is pretty good. To start off on a rather negative approach, the voice acting is pretty bad. While they are bearable, they aren't what I would call Oscar quality (far from it). A redeeming factor is Miku's voice acting, which is quite good considering the fact that the one who voiced her is also the one who voiced Cortana in the Halo series (wow...). Aside from the voice acting, the other voice aspect of this game (the announcer) is actually pretty good. Aside from saying the Mechagodzilla names (in which he sounds bored and tired), the other times that he talks, it makes the monster names feel epic. The announcer's good, but I miss the one from the previous games, which shouted the monsters names in an "I'm ready to kick your ass" kind of voice. Bottom line, the voice aspect of this game isn't all that great, but luckily, the other parts make of for it. The explosions and building crumbling sounds aren't anything to brag about, but they do add to the mood that you're a giant monster rampaging through Tokyo (or Sydney, or Osaka, or wherever you are). The monster roars are awesome. I was really taken aback by the fact that they included Godzilla 1954's original roar from the first Godzilla movie. That was a really nice tribute. And also, Godzilla 90's iconic roar is also here, paying tribute the second (Heisei) series of Godzilla films. The only disappointment is Mechagodzilla's roar, which is missing from the intro and victory roars. Why they did that, I will never know. Curiously, Mechagodzilla's roar was incorporated into Kiryu's victory roar. Finally, we get to the music. I'm first going to break some disappointing news that the classic Godzilla March Theme isn't here, so don't get your hopes up. Before you bash this game, however, I want to let you know that the music for this game (made by Heavy Melody Music) really KICKS ASS! It was so awesome that Toho Kingdom released the soundtrack for the game on their website. Go check it out. So, to end this section, I'm going to say that, while the voice aspect of this game isn't great, the roars are (almost) all spot on, and the music is just plain awesome.
Score: 8.5/10
GAMEPLAY: Now, what is the main reason why everyone loves the Wii? Is it cutting edge visuals? No. Is it crisp and clean sound? Not exactly. Then what is it? It's gameplay. The Wii's gameplay is awesome, and that's why everyone loves it in the first place. Godzilla Unleashed is no different. This part is easily the best part of the game. The controls for this game, contrary to what most critics believe, isn't that bad. The Wii's motion controls are mainly unexplored territory, and Godzilla Unleashed is paving the way for other Wii game controls. Being that the controls are BRAND NEW, it's not that easy to pick up and play. However, if you are having problems, there's a nice little feature called Training Mode. It functions like the Practice Mode in the Mortal Kombat games, but you learn how to move and you have to defeat your opponent (except for Megaguirus, who has a glitch in Training Mode where she can't complete it, turning the mode into a test out every possible thing Megaguirus can do, and also changing it to be closer to the Practice Mode in Mortal Kombat). After you get used to the controls, this is where all the fun REALLY gets started. One difference this game has from other fighting games is its health and energy system. Most fighting games have one bar, and all previous Godzilla games have a self-regenerating energy bar for long-range beam attacks. In this game, it's different. Monsters have 2 bars of Health, one that is made up of a bunch of Health "Cells", and the other below it is a standard bar, which regenerates over time as your monster avoids damage. Any attack will whittle away at the bottom bar, but you can't get the top bar to go away unless you perform a heavy attack that knocks the monster down. Energy, unlike previous games, is manually charged instead of self-regenerating, and if you do charge, you can't regenerate your health. The health and energy system here allows for the need of actual skill. Yes, ACTUAL SKILL. If you just mash the A button over and over again, you'll get beaten up badly even on Easy difficulty. The energy thing creates a small dilemma in which players need to decide whether they want energy or health, which is brilliant in its own way. The reason why I love this game in the first place is because of the need for skill. While some monsters will do fine just swinging the Wiimote round randomly (like Destroyah), most monsters require strategy and precision to use well, which is nice, because it adds a lot of variety to the monsters, something that is clearly lacking in other fighting games. There are various little gameplay features in this game. For instance, if two monsters fire at each other, it turns into a little mini game where you lock beams and try to get the "energy ball" to your opponent. It then becomes like a game of pong, where you try to hit the energy ball away from you. The faster the ball travels, the more health you lose if you lose the little minigame. Another gameplay element is Critical Mass. There are crystals lying all around the place, and if you destroy them, you absorb their energy. Absorb enough, and you start glowing in power and become stronger as well (at the cost of needing the stay in battle as well as a lowered defense). Critical Mass can be either the key to a great comeback, or the reason for your downfall. There are many other gameplay elements, but I have a review to finish, so don't expect me to list every one of them. Because of the variety between monsters, various gameplay elements, and an innovative health and energy system, this game has become the very first fighting game to ever leave me completely satisfied by myself. Most fighting games are really fun when I'm with my friends. While this game is no exception, as playing with friend's is always better than playing by yourself, I had a lot of fun playing by myself too, which is a huge achievement for any fighting game, at least, for me. The gameplay isn't perfect, and there's plenty of room for improvement, but Godzilla Unleashed's gameplay is, by far, one of the best I've ever laid my hands on, and I believe that this is worth the price of admission alone.
Score: 9.7/10
GLITCHES: Yes, this game has glitches. What? Super Smash Bros. Brawl was delayed like hell and that still came with a lot of glitches, and the recent Mortal Kombat game, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was also riddled with glitches. It's just the nature of fighting games. They almost all have some type of glitch inside, especially if you're trying to cram all these features in a period of about one year. Some glitches are funny, but others can be serious too, and I need to address them. The most glaring glitch of all is Megaguirus's inability to complete Training Mode. It doesn't pertain to much considering the fact that you can still practice, just with no guidance, and the monster doesn't fight back. Sure, not being able to complete a mode is pretty lame, but it really isn't that bad. Another glitch is Mothra Larvae's tail, which sticks up like a cat's tail after Mothra Larvae gets knocked down. It's just hilarious to look at, and doesn't really do much. One gameplay affecting glitch is Mechagodzilla's inability to use Power Surges. This glitch can be pretty serious, but personally, I'm glad it's here. For one thing, Mechagodzilla's got a shield that deflects all long range attacks (aside from buildings, which can be parried), a laser beam that can eliminate Health Cells unlike most beams, and really tough armor. Already, he's practically invincible at long range. Power Surges would just make him practically invincible at close range too, making him sorely unbalanced. So, this glitch can be a bad thing or good thing, depending on how you look at it. The most serious glitch, and the worst, is the fact that if you play as Red, and your opponent is Blue, you won't get any points if you win. The seriousness of this glitch depends on your progress through the game. If you're trying to unlock something, this is a very serious glitch. If you beat the game, then you could care less. This is a rather serious glitch, but it just depends on your progress through the game. There are good glitches, however, and this one almost completely makes up for the previous glitch. This glitch allows you to go through the force field barriers and explore the places outside of the arena (like the volcano in Seattle); it's an awesome glitch that allows you to go to different places to fight (however, the only monsters that can go past the barrier is Godzilla 2000, Gigan, Krystalak, and King Ghidorah (barely)). To go through, head to where two edges of the force field meet and start double flying kicking it. Eventually, if you do it right, you'll jump right past the force field. So far (as of this reviews publication), there are two cities that you can escape from: Seattle and Osaka. This glitch allows you to explore places that you wanted to go, but couldn't, and that makes this glitch one AWESOME glitch. The following rating is not how bad the glitches are, but how good the game does with them.
Score: 8.5/10
LASTING APPEAL: And now, we come to the final part of the review. Well, for starters, there is a lot of stuff you can unlock, from concept art to trailers to animation tests. Not only that, you can unlock various different monsters and arenas, all which will take you quite a while. And even after you unlock all the characters, the Story Mode has many different endings that you can watch, and Custom Mode allows you to create a near infinite amount of scenarios for your monsters. Already, just playing by yourself allows for an enriching amount of replay value. Now, if you have friend's nearby whom also like this game, then you are all set. The only thing missing from this game that would've boosted the lasting appeal up a lot is online play. However, I can see the reason why they didn't put it inside in the first place (I hope you don't mind a little history lesson). When Godzilla Save the Earth came out, it had online play. Because online play took an insanely long amount of time to make, all we got was an updated copy of Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee (which isn't a bad thing, it's just that they could've done a little bit more with that). Sadly though, not a lot of people went online to play this game, and so Pipeworks essentially wasted time. Also, the Wii's online capabilities kind of suck. When Dragonball: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 came out, the online lagged like hell. Even the mega game Super Smash Bros. Brawl had a lot of lag, so I'm guessing that Atari and Pipeworks (the people who made this game) decided to just scrap online play and focus on the gameplay, instead. So, while online play is a nice feature to boost replay value, the sacrifices you have to make (like monsters, gameplay, and other things) aren't exactly worth it. So, despite no online play, this game is very fun by yourself and can last quite some time, and if you have friends, then this game will last all the way until Godzilla 4 comes out. I'm still playing it, so that's got to be something (considering that it's been out for a year already).
Score: 9.5/10
In conclusion, from my personal experience, this game is one of the best Wii games I have ever played in my life. I whole heartily recommend you buy this game if you have a Wii. This isn't the ultimate Godzilla game (there are still many ways you can improve this) but this game is entertaining as hell, and if you want an awesome fighting game, and you own a Wii, you need to LET YOUR INNER MONSTER OUT!
OVERALL SCORE: 9/10