Godzilla: Save the Earth

I’m probably not the biggest Japanese monster movie buff out there, but I do enjoy the occasional “man-in-a-rubber-suit-stomping-on-a-model-of-Tokyo” movie, and when it comes to crushing detailed scale models, nothing comes close to the Godzilla legacy.

Godzilla: Save the Earth is a fun game and a worthy sequel to Godzilla: DAMM. If it had been afforded a little more finesse (especially regarding the Challenges) and a little more authentic Godzilla flavor, it'd be even sweeter. The fact is, though, that unless you're a Godzilla fan, there are better games of this general type out there (War of the Monsters and Def Jam: Fight for New York come to mind). Still, the kaiju in Godzilla's universe are way cooler than grown, sweaty men in tights. This game's just the thing if you need to administer a quick and dirty slap-down. Just be sure to pick up the prettier Xbox version if that's an option for you.

Would Save The Earth be a compelling game without its license? Definitely not. It's a shallow, button-mashing multiplayer fighter with nothing to recommend it over the horde of better beat-em-ups on the market. But ever since 8-bit classic Rampage, gamers have loved becoming giant monsters that smash up cities... and on that front, the game delivers. No, it's not going to change the world -- let alone save it -- but it's a robust attempt.

I don't know why Godzilla should be saving the Earth in the first place, but y'know, it hardly matters in this sequel to 2002's Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. The focus here is not on logic, but on fighting other giant kaiju and destroying your favorite cities in spectacular fashion. It's a good time, but I can't help thinking it could have been an awesome time. In some ways, this is a game about missed opportunities.

Hopefully, we'll see a third Godzilla game from Pipeworks that improves upon Save the Earth significantly. Although, the chances of this are slim since Godzilla: Final Wars will be the last Godzilla movie produced for quite some time. It'd be hard to expect another game without a new movie to tie it in with, that is unless the sales for Save the Earth are good enough to warrant another sequel.

The simplicity of the game means that anyone can just pick up the control pad and leap straight into the action without long intros or FMV sequences to sit through. I do, however, think this would only appeal to the younger gamers out there and not to seasoned hard core gamers unless you are a fan of the Godzilla films. The two-player option is more fun than the story mode but I think that even with unlockable characters the reply value is quite limited. As this game has been released before Christmas, if you are stuck for something to buy for the kids with that spare 20 quid then I’m sure they will like it, and you will be safe in the knowledge that they are not playing anything too graphically violent or unsuitable.

While Save the Earth is still fun with the manic action of beating up three friends there's still not much to do when there is just one computer controlled opponent to fight. It also makes the game look that much worse when the simple graphics and animations have to be seen up close and personal. If there was more variety in the single-player game and more of an adventure, or even more fights with multiple enemies, it would have been a little more intriguing. As it is, there's barely anything that's new and even the online addition barely makes this aging game look any better.

Once upon a time it was perfectly fine to throw in some classic characters, let them fight a bit and call it a day. That was the shape of things for when Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee came out and a couple years later we now have Godzilla: Save the Earth. In the meantime the gaming world has also seen War of the Monsters tackle the same material in a much more dynamic way. So when the same developer brings out a game that's basically the same as the old one with some minor additions as well as online capability there's little reason to be excited unless the title drops in price.

If I were to ask someone on the street to name one of films most classic sci-fi monsters, Godzilla would be on the tip of many tongues. That popularity is what Atari is banking on, as Godzilla once again hops into the videogame realm, this time in Godzilla: Save the Earth.

Show both games to someone not familiar with the series and they'll say "Save the Earth" is the original. Instead of seeming two years ahead, it seems two years behind. If you enjoyed the original, you won't hate this title, but you'll certainly feel that more could have been done with it. The series should certainly continue, but maybe the next generation of hardware would be better suited for the third iteration.

Challenges like saving San Francisco's "Pyramid Building" from UFOs or engaging other monsters in a game of Vorillium Basketball (NBA Live, this is not) do come up -- but so do ones requiring you to destroy buildings quickly and efficiently or to sink as many battleships as possible in three minutes. You're not exactly saving the Earth at that point in Save the Earth.

The nuclear-powered lizard's had it pretty tough in the world of video games. Godzilla celebrates his 50th anniversary this year, and games based on his city-stomping, monster-crunching exploits have been around for the last couple of decades of that time. This particular game at least features a large, diverse cast of playable monsters (though most of them are initially locked away). However, it lacks the dramatic look and full-scale action that's made its namesake a cinematic icon. Godzilla's most ardent fans will be able to forgive some of this game's faults, but anyone else might as well give it a pass.

The King of the Monsters looks really pissed on the cover of Godzilla: Save the Earth -- as well he should be. His new game essentially serves as little more than an update to 2002's Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. New additions include online play, a few new monsters and environments, plus a gameplay tweak here and there -- but that's pretty much it. Unless you're enough of a Godzilla geek to know that "Save the Earth" was the theme song from Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (hence the game's title), you're not going to find much added value when compared to the previous game.

The world's greatest movie monster and his numerous, gigantic enemies are back in Godzilla: Save the Earth, sort of a sequel to 2002's Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee for the GameCube. The new game, available only for the PS2 and Xbox, features nearly 20 different, recognizable monsters, as well as what seems like a wide variety of modes of play, including an online one. However, at its core, Godzilla: Save the Earth is still a rather clunky, unfulfilling fighting game whose cast of characters is by far the best thing it has going for it. Hardcore Godzilla fans will appreciate seeing the decent renderings of some of their favorite monsters here, but they're unlikely to be terribly impressed by the action itself.

Don't bother renting or buying this game if you're only mildly interested in the Godzilla concept, felt the previous game sucked, or consider yourself a fighting game snob. The best thing about Godzilla: Save The Earth is that Godzilla is in it--and it's for that fact alone that devout kaiju fanatics and younger players may actually milk a great deal enjoyment out of the game.

Mal réalisé, bancal et manquant de crédibilité, Godzilla : Save The Earth se réduit à un jeu de combat sans imagination et cruellement banal. On aurait espère beaucoup mieux pour les 50 ans d'un des monstres les plus charismatiques et reconnus au sein de notre planète bleue. Défoulant à court terme et proposant des images préparatoires assez jolies à débloquer, il ne mérite pourtant pas vos économies. Mothra on t'aime !

Mal réalisé, bancal et manquant de crédibilité, Godzilla : Save The Earth se réduit à un jeu de combat sans imagination et cruellement banal. On aurait espère beaucoup mieux pour les 50 ans d'un des monstres les plus charismatiques et reconnus au sein de notre planète bleue. Défoulant à court terme et proposant des images préparatoires assez jolies à débloquer, il ne mérite pourtant pas vos économies. Mothra on t'aime !