Gojira - Kaijuu Dai Kessen

You ever been curious about a game for 12 years? I have. This is my game. No clue still? Read on... By: Steve

I still remember that bright sunny day in May '94 when the latest EGM issue arrived in the mail # 60 June 1994. You know, back when EGM was in its prime there was nothing compared to finding that brand new EGM issue sitting in your mailbox. It was like Christmas morning to me, it was THAT good.

Mortal Kombat II coming out on the home systems was the big thing at the time, and summer was mere weeks away. It was a hell of a time to be a ten year old kid :)

January 2006. It was the Winter Break before my final college semester as an undergrad. I suddenly longed to get back into the Super Nintendo scene. Had a lot of fun collecting old favorites and gems I missed out back in the day and all that. Then, at some point I remembered that one day in May of 1994...

And I recall that May day like it was only last week....

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

The game that would laugh at me for a dozen years...

BLAM!

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

Only one problem. Of course.

I was raking in a grand total of 2 dollars a week, and 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 truly, unequivocably HARDCORE.

So how does GODZILLA: KAIJUU DAI KESSEN stack up?

The answer: pretty damn good, indeed.

You're not going to find many combos or a whole lot of finesse, but considering the material it's fitting since these are giant monsters, not life-long train-around-the-clock karate masters. 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 your eyes on. The Stun Meter and the WRATH SPIRIT. When hit, your stun meter below your energy bar increases. When full, you will be out cold on the ground temporarily. At the bottom of the screen is an icon of your chosen monster. Anytime you get hit, it fills up. When full your monster will flash red and remain so until:

1. You get stun

or

2. You execute your WRATH move

WRATH is basically "Desperation Move," which became very common place in fighting games post-1993. Like many other fighting games, WRATH moves can inflict INCREDIBLY wicked damage, and instantly change the tide of a match.

Also, when your monster is flashing red, attack damage (whether regular or special moves) nearly double. So there is some basic strategy of whether you want to go for your WRATH move right away or take some time to use the extra power to your advantage. Nothing is worse than going for your WRATH move at an ill-advised time only to have the enemy cancel it causing you to lose your WRATH and extra power. That there may well decide the outcome of a match: who is able to handle their WRATH status properly.

There are 8 fighters selectable in the 1P mode. 9 in VS with two unlockable characters. Without further ado let's meet the monsters.

GODZILLA
Like Ryu (except without a Hurricane Kick or Dragon Punch) Godzilla is the main character of the cast and a solid all-around choice. He is ideal for beginners or experts.
Youtube - WRATH: Hyper Atomic Ray
Damage: 46% (55% if up close, this also will stun the opponent)
Godzilla's body surges orange hues as he unleashes his devastating death blow. You'd have bad breath too if you slept for years!

KING GHIDORAH
This huge 3-headed menace is an absolutely overpowering brute and a strong choice for beginning players. He has some really neat stuff he can dish out, for example, his laser beam can go LOW (right head), MIDDLE (middle head) OR HIGH (left head). D, DF, F, attack... as he revs up, hold down for low, nothing for middle, and up for high. Tap attack rapidly and Ghidorah's 3 heads will pound the opponent silly.
Youtube - WRATH: Gravity Storm
Damage: 60% (68% if full-on)
One of the game's most damaging WRATH attacks, Ghidorah unleashes Death From Above. Get caught in this and kiss it good-bye.

ANGUIRUS
Staying true to source material, the spiked-wonder has no projectiles and is the only monster in the game with none. Known for his fighting spirit and catapulting his spiked shell at monsters, it will take an experienced player to use him effectively.
Youtube - WRATH: Rolling Thunder
Damage: 45%
Not the strongest WRATH move and quite easy to see coming... poor guy.

BIOLLANTE
What a hulking mass... a very impressive sprite. Bio holds the unique quality in that it cannot jump, just like in the 1989 movie. I found it difficult to control a bit; definitely for experts like Anguirus.
Youtube - WRATH: Acidic Shower
Damage: 55%
Very cool looking, does considerable damage and the two vines go out around 3/4 the screen.

GIGAN
His laser eye beam exists! (G-Fans will get that). The most combo-friendly monster of them all, and the only one with a Dragon Punch (it's actually more of a Flash Kick). A fun easy fighter with many multiple attacks.
Youtube - WRATH: Buzzsaw Blitz
Damage: 53%
Gigan charges up to 1/2 the screen and unloads a blitzkrieg. Unblockable.

MEGALON
Like Gigan and Godzilla, an all-around easy-to-control monster. Has a torpedo-like attack that can also be done in the air. When you hold on Strong Attack, Megalon's driller-like hands will spin and can score you about 4 solid hits.
Youtube - WRATH: Armageddon
Damage: 64% (88% recorded on Biollante!!!)
Perhaps the strongest move in the game, it's a blessing it's also real easy to avoid! I was stunned that on Biollante it caused 88% damage! Holy smokes (no pun intended). In the link there Bio goes for his WRATH move as well, but check out how Megalon's bombs will RIP Bio's vines to shreds... beautiful. Armageddon best saved for when you have your opponent down and stunned!

MOTHRA
I never liked Mothra back in the day, or today. Just never got into her. But she's fun to use here. The only monster to constantly fly, she is also unique because she can't defend herself. She is also the other character (other than the 2nd-to-last boss) to have two WRATH moves. Mothra has a unique magic powder dust special move that prevents projectiles and if you're next to the cloud and throw a projectile -- you'll be damaged by your own projectile! Check out the Dark Echo WRATH move to see an old friend.....
Youtube - WRATH: Cosmic Seal
Damage: 44%
Weak but really easy to implement. Trade-off.
Youtube - WRATH: Dark Echo
Damage: 69%
Very powerful and very satisfying if you can connect when they have low health, as the "aftershock effect" is just so sweet. Check out the cameo here... good stuff.

MECHAGODZILLA
Force field, missiles, laser eye beams, chest beam, flight -- all the powers you saw in the 1974 and 1975 movies are here. Many G-Fans to this day prefer this pot belly version over its 1993 contemporary. Myself included.
Youtube - WRATH: Violence Party
Damage: 55% + stuns opponent (that is, if everything hits)
Poor Anguirus. MechaGodzilla unloads his arsenal. Check out the missiles hitting Angy on the way down. That's gotta suck.

BOSSES

There are 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 techni-color moves and fireworks.
Youtube - WRATH: Blitzkrieg
Damage: 40%
The weakest WRATH in the game. Like Gigan, charges about 1/2 the screen and 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 extra firepower (as if he needed any help 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.
Youtube - WRATH: Godzilla Crusher
Damage: 70%
Unblockable, 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 for me, personally. The Guoten originally appeared in Toho's Atragon. In 2005 it was renamed the Atragon and appeared in the final Godzilla movie.... Godzilla: Final Wars.
Youtube - Can King Ghidorah overcome the pesky Guoten?

This fighter, hands down, has the bloody best looking "projectile nullifying" of them all	he's "red with envy" he doesn't have one... har har

That settles the controversy	That just ain't right

Look ma! No strings! Megalon quickly evades a dangerous WRATH attack	too bad Godzilla can't say the same

Love the lightning. When these two hook up with no slowdown, it's mighty impressive.

-Speaking of which, no slowdown in this game whatsoever

-1P mode has 3 difficulty levels: practice, hard or expert. No real endings. On Expert you battle Super Mech instead of Mech II, then you battle Guoten. Even on practice, the challenge is pretty decent. You might get slaughtered for a bit though, til you get the hang of it.

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

-Want an awesome FAQ for this game? All you'll ever need: Movelist and more at Gamefaqs

-JP language required? None. Game menu's all in English, no victory quotes because, er, well, these monsters can't talk (forget about that Godzilla vs. Gigan dub for a second...) Only JP really is the characters' short bio and stage select

-In 1P mode, you face the 7 other monsters and have the choice of selecting who where. This is a pretty cool feature most fighters do not have

-However, once you pick a monster in 1P mode, no matter what you're stuck with that monster until you Game Over (continues are infinite)

-All the monsters (sans Biollante/Mothra) when jumping give you the option of holding down + attack to aim downward. (i.e. Megalon jumps and drills the air, or with down+attack Megalon will attack with his feet)

-This is like the sequel to the Duo version, which suffered from having only two buttons -- one of which was used to jump. Thankfully jumping is simply pressing up here. This game doesn't have a huge moveset, but it's far more than the limited Duo version

-Only Dragon Punch command in the game belongs to Gigan's Flash Kick

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

-The longer you hold down attack, the longer the projectile will be, but also the longer it will take for it to come out

-The moves are straight out of the movie, with some re-imagined (i.e. Gigan's Flash Kick). I'm glad Toho did not give Godzilla an uppercut just because of fighting game main character status quo-disease. They look great, animate well and it's like they jumped straight out of their movies -- this easily could have been a half-assed game so I give the guys major props for doing the name justice

-Holds are a bit tough to get down, but worth the effort

-Some stages have destroyable buildings and such (that magically repair for round 2 as well)

-MechaGodzilla II's Plasma Cannon in the '93 movie, is in the game, and again, a great nod from Toho to G-Fans... this game is as authentic as can be! Check the vid at the bottom to see MG II's Plasma Cannon in action

If you're a G-Fan you will love this game. If you only like fighters but don't particularly care for the Big Guy and his cast and crew, then I can't recommend this to you. On its own it's a decent if somewhat unimpressive fighting engine. With the characters, their trademark moves and roars suddenly it all comes into place. Great graphics and awesome sound. I only wish there were more monsters to use and a speed setting.

The 12 year wait was worth it.

Graphics: 9/10

Sound: 9/10

Play Control / Gameplay: 7.5/10

Replay value: 8.5/10

Overall Score: 8.5/10

More Youtube videos:
MechaGodzilla II's energy-asborbing Plasma Cannon -- a true nod to fans
Godzilla vs. Mothra (love the Mothra remix!)
Mothra's Revenge (love the Godzilla theme)
Godzilla takes on his mechanical counterpart
The Main Event: King Ghidorah vs. Big Guy Mount Fuji