Godzilla (2014 video game)

Last updated
Godzilla
Godzilla video game 2014 cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Natsume Atari
Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Games
Series Godzilla
Engine PhyreEngine
Platform(s) PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
ReleasePlayStation 3
  • JP: December 18, 2014
  • NA: July 14, 2015
  • EU: July 17, 2015
PlayStation 4
  • NA: July 14, 2015
  • JP: July 16, 2015
  • EU: July 17, 2015
Genre(s) Action-adventure, fighting
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer

Godzilla [lower-alpha 1] is a 2014 video game developed by Natsume Atari and published by Bandai Namco Games for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 based on the Japanese monster Godzilla franchise by Toho. It was first released on December 18, 2014, in Japan only for the PlayStation 3. It was released on July 14, 2015, in North America and on July 17, 2015, in Europe. The Western PlayStation 4 version is based on the upgraded Japanese release called Godzilla VS, released on July 14, 2015, containing more content such as additional monsters.

Contents

Gameplay

God of Destruction mode

Destruction mode consists of the player controlling Godzilla as he attacks certain stages (10 areas manually selected at the end of each round, from 25 levels), and is similar to Godzilla Generations . In order to clear the stage, the player must destroy all of the G-Energy Generators in the map, while also being attacked by G-Force and occasionally a boss (bosses must also be defeated to complete an area). Some of these stages are timed and the player must destroy all of the Generators before the timer expires. As Godzilla destroys objects such as buildings, G-Energy Generators, and military vehicles, he will increase in size. Godzilla begins the campaign at 50 meters in height, and can reach an almost limitless size. Bosses that Godzilla faces will be leveled at the appropriate height based on Godzilla's current size, although sometimes they are larger on the harder levels. But if Godzilla dies and the level is retried, the boss becomes smaller in size. In order to complete Destruction Mode and reach the game's true final boss, the player must exceed 100 meters in height by the last stage. After the credits roll the player will begin the final stage as Burning Godzilla and be attacked by the Super X3 and several DAG-MB96 Maser Cannons (also, enemies firing freeze missiles). After this, the Legendary Godzilla will appear as the game's true final boss and must be defeated before the timer expires and Godzilla reaches meltdown. After Legendary Godzilla is defeated, the game's final cutscene will be triggered. If playing through God of Destruction mode as the Legendary Godzilla, the incarnations switch places and Burning Godzilla is the final boss. In the PS4 edition, all the characters are playable, so players can choose any monster of their liking.[ citation needed ]

King of the Monsters mode

"King of the Monsters" is a game mode where the player plays through six stages, each with a different monster to fight. The monsters increase in strength the further the player progresses. The weaker monsters will appear in the first two waves (such as Mothra and Jet Jaguar), slightly harder monsters in the third and fourth, and the most powerful monsters in the final two stages (such as King Ghidorah, Gigan and Kiryu). The Heisei Godzilla, Burning Godzilla, the Hollywood (Legendary) Godzilla, and other kaiju are all playable in this mode.[ citation needed ]

Evolution mode

As the player defeats certain enemies and destroys certain structures in Destruction Mode, new abilities will be unlocked and can be applied to Godzilla in this mode. Godzilla can receive new attacks, including the "victory dance" from Invasion of Astro-Monster , as well as atomic breath upgrades, including the ability to use atomic breath to fly as in Godzilla vs. Hedorah , as well as fire Minilla's smoke rings or use a white misty atomic breath based on that used by the original Godzilla in 1954.[ citation needed ]

Diorama mode

Throughout the game, the player will unlock monster models and other objects that can be placed in an environment and viewed from various angles and used to take screen-shots, allowing the player to recreate battles from the films or the game, or to create fantasy battles.

Kaiju Field Guide

The player will also unlock biographies for various monsters from the Godzilla series beyond just those featured in the game, which appear here. These bios include pictures of the monsters from films they appear in, as well as information about the monsters' attributes and film appearances. [1]

Online multiplayer mode

Exclusive to the PS4 version, the game features an online multiplayer mode in which two to three players can battle one another with a selection of kaiju also exclusive to the PS4.[ citation needed ]

Characters

Playable kaiju

Development

Godzilla was revealed in Japan on June 26, 2014, with a trailer uploaded to YouTube by Bandai Namco Japan.

In late-mid-August, Japan's Famitsu magazine revealed the game would be released on December 18, 2014, in Japan, and on August 29, 2014, Bandai Namco released a second trailer for the game. On November 18, 2014, the third trailer was released by Bandai Namco. On December 5, the game's Japanese demo was released to the Japanese PlayStation Network.[ citation needed ]

On December 5, 2014, the English release of the game was revealed in The Game Awards for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, and was scheduled to be released on July 14, 2015, in North America and July 17, 2015, in Europe. [2] [3] All kaiju who previously appeared in the PlayStation 3 release are included, with the addition of SpaceGodzilla, Mecha-King Ghidorah, Rodan, Anguirus, Mechagodzilla 1974, Godzilla 1964 and Battra (Larva and Imago) as PlayStation 4 exclusives. The game was delisted from PlayStation Store in late 2017, presumably in December. [4]

Reception

Upon release in the West, Godzilla was met with a negative response with an average critic score of 38 out of 100 on Metacritic, with many reviewers criticizing an outdated presentation of the graphics and level design, while also noting awkward movement controls and repetition. [5] Jim Sterling stated it "has the look and feel of a small budget game" rather than a "major 'AAA' release" [19] while Jordon Devore reviewing for Destructoid called it "a letdown" given the premise. [7] Several online personalities also noted the lack of local co-op gameplay, the most widely cited complaint being that a one-on-one fighting game should incorporate the most basic function of the genre with the online mode instead being a preferred extra feature. However, some critics did note the faithful recreation of the monsters themselves and amount of content for long time Godzilla fans with Jon Ryan reviewing for IGN noting that while the overall game had a "lack of substantial gameplay", "the spirit of the old-school monster movie is where Bandai Namco absolutely nails it." [15]

The game has developed a cult following among the Godzilla fandom in the years since it was delisted from digital storefronts.

Notes

  1. Japanese: ゴジラ Godzilla, Hepburn: Gojira Godzilla

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodan</span> Godzilla kaiju

Rodan is a fictional monster, or kaiju, which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's 1956 film Rodan, produced and distributed by Toho. Following its debut standalone appearance, Rodan went on to be featured in numerous entries in the Godzilla franchise, including Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964), Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), Destroy All Monsters (1968), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), and Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), as well as in the Legendary Pictures-produced film Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mothra</span> Godzilla kaiju

Mothra is a fictional monster or kaiju, that first appeared in the 1961 film Mothra, produced and distributed by Toho Studios. Mothra has appeared in several Toho tokusatsu films, often as a recurring monster in the Godzilla franchise. She is typically portrayed as a colossal sentient larva (caterpillar) or imago, accompanied by two miniature fairies speaking on her behalf. Unlike other Toho monsters, Mothra is a largely heroic character, having been variously portrayed as a protector of her own island culture, the Earth and Japan. Mothra's design is influenced by silkworms, their imagos, and those of giant silk moths in the family Saturniidae. The character is often depicted hatching offspring when approaching death, a nod to the Saṃsāra doctrine of numerous Indian religions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anguirus</span> Kaiju

Anguirus is a fictional monster, or kaiju, which first appeared in Godzilla Raids Again (1955), the second film in the Godzilla franchise. Anguirus is the first monster to be shown engaging in combat with Godzilla in a film. Since then, the character has appeared conversely as an enemy and an ally of Godzilla in numerous films produced by Toho, including Destroy All Monsters (1968), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), and Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). He has also appeared in other media, including comic books and video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Ghidorah</span> Godzilla kaiju

King Ghidorah is a fictional monster, or kaiju, which first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1964 film Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. The monster was initially created by Tomoyuki Tanaka, Eiji Tsuburaya, and Shinichi Sekizawa as an homage to the eight-headed mythological Japanese dragon Yamata no Orochi. Although the name of the character is officially trademarked by Toho as "King Ghidorah", the character was originally referred to as Ghidorah, Ghidrah, or Monster Zero in some English markets.

<i>Godzilla vs. Destoroyah</i> 1995 film by Takao Okawara

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is a 1995 Japanese kaiju film directed by Takao Okawara, with special effects by Kōichi Kawakita. Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures, it is the 22nd installment in the Godzilla franchise, and is the seventh and final film in the franchise's Heisei period. The film features the fictional monster characters Godzilla, Godzilla Junior and Destoroyah, and stars Takuro Tatsumi, Yōko Ishino, Yasufumi Hayashi, Sayaka Osawa, Megumi Odaka, Masahiro Takashima, Momoko Kōchi and Akira Nakao, with Kenpachiro Satsuma as Godzilla, Hurricane Ryu as Godzilla Junior, and Ryo Hariya as Destoroyah.

<i>Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II</i> 1993 film by Takao Okawara

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, is a 1993 Japanese kaiju film directed by Takao Okawara, with special effects by Kōichi Kawakita. Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures, it is the 20th film in the Godzilla franchise, as well as the fifth film to be released during the franchise's Heisei era. The film features the fictional monster character Godzilla, along with Baby Godzilla, Rodan and the mecha character Mechagodzilla. Despite its English title, the film is not a sequel to the 1974 film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.

<i>Godzilla: Monster of Monsters</i> 1988 video game

Godzilla: Monster of Monsters! (ゴジラ) is a Nintendo Entertainment System video game released in Japan in 1988 and in 1989 in the US by Toho Co., Ltd. The North American version removes all references to Toho Cenfile-Soft Library and Compile, crediting the game to Toho Eizo on the title screen instead.

<i>Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla</i> 1994 Japanese science fiction kaiju film directed by Kenshō Yamashita

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla is a 1994 Japanese kaiju film directed by Kensho Yamashita, with special effects by Kōichi Kawakita. Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures, it is the 21st film in the Godzilla franchise, as well as the sixth film in the franchise's Heisei series. The film is notable for the introduction of the monster SpaceGodzilla, as well as the re-introduction of the mecha character M.O.G.U.E.R.A.; its first appearance on-screen since the 1957 film The Mysterians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mechagodzilla</span> Godzilla kaiju

Mechagodzilla is a fictional mecha character that first appeared in the 1974 film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. In its debut appearance, Mechagodzilla is depicted as an extraterrestrial villain, a robot created by alien invaders to confront and destroy Godzilla. In subsequent iterations, Mechagodzilla is usually depicted as a man-made robotic weapon designed to defend Japan against Godzilla and other kaiju. In all incarnations, the character is portrayed as a robotic doppelgänger of Godzilla with a vast array of high-tech weaponry. Along with King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla is commonly considered to be an archenemy of Godzilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varan</span> Godzilla kaiju

Varan is a fictional monster, or kaiju, that first appeared in the 1958 film Varan the Unbelievable directed by Ishirō Honda and produced and distributed by Toho. Varan is depicted as a giant, dinosaurian, prehistoric reptile capable of gliding flight, and the creature later appeared in the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters, the ninth film in the Godzilla franchise.

<i>Godzilla Island</i> Japanese TV series or program

Godzilla Island is a television show spinoff of the Godzilla franchise. It premiered on October 6, 1997, and ran for a total of 256 three-minute episodes, finishing on September 30, 1998.

<i>Super Godzilla</i> 1993 video game

Super Godzilla is a video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System released in Japan on December 23, 1993, and in North America in July 1994. It is based on Toho's Godzilla franchise and was developed by Advance Communication Company.

<i>Godzilla</i> (franchise) Japanese media franchise

Godzilla is a Japanese monster, or kaiju, media franchise consisting of films, television series, novels, comic books, video games, and other merchandise. The franchise is centered on the fictional kaiju Godzilla, a prehistoric reptilian monster awakened and powered by nuclear radiation. The franchise is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the "longest continuously running film franchise", having been in ongoing production since 1954, with several hiatuses of varying lengths. The film franchise consists of 38 films: 33 Japanese films produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., and six American films; one produced by TriStar Pictures and five films by Legendary Pictures.

<i>Godzilla: Battle Legends</i> 1993 video game

Godzilla: Battle Legends, simply referred to as Godzilla in North America, is a fighting game based on the Godzilla film franchise, made for the Turbo Duo in 1993, developed by Alfa System and published in the United States by Hudson Soft.

<i>Godzilla: Unleashed</i> 2007 video game

Godzilla: Unleashed is a 3D fighting video game based on Toho's Godzilla franchise. It was developed by Pipeworks Software and published by Atari. The game was released in North America on November 20, 2007 for PlayStation 2; and on December 5 of the same year for the Wii. A Nintendo DS version, titled Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash, was also released in North America on December 5, 2007.

<i>Godzilla: Monster War</i> 1994 video game

Godzilla: Kaijū Daikessen is a 2D fighting video game released in 1994 for the Super Famicom. The game was developed by Alfa System and published by Toho. It was the second game based on Toho's Godzilla franchise to be released on Super Famicom, following 1993's Super Godzilla.

<i>Kaijū-ō Godzilla</i> 1993 video game

Kaijū-ō Godzilla is a 1993 action adventure game by Bandai for the Game Boy. It was released exclusively in Japan. The game is notable for featuring nearly every monster in the Godzilla franchise up until the time of its release.

<i>Kyoei Toshi</i> 2017 PlayStation 4 video game

Kyoei Toshi, known in English as City Shrouded in Shadow, is a 2017 survival video game developed by Granzella and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. The objective of the game is to escape a city ravaged by battles between monsters, robots, and heroes from the Japanese kaiju and tokusatsu franchises Godzilla, Ultraman, Gamera, Patlabor, and Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Keizō Murase is a Japanese suitmaker, stuntman, sculptor, modeler, and film director. He is particularly well known for his work in giant monster films, including Mothra (1961), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), and The Mighty Peking Man (1977).

<i>GigaBash</i> 2022 video game

GigaBash is a brawler game developed and published by Malaysian independent studio Passion Republic Games. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on August 5, 2022. It was also released for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on August 4, 2023.

References

  1. "Godzilla Review". TheSixthAxis. 2015-07-17. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  2. Hilliard, Kyle (2015-04-15). "Watch Godzilla Smash Stuff In New Trailer, Smash Stuff Yourself In July". Game Informer . Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
  3. Blain, Louise (April 16, 2015). "Godzilla looks like the best worst game ever". GamesRadar . Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  4. "Godzilla - Delisted Games". Delisted Games. 28 April 2018. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  5. 1 2 "Godzilla for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  6. Oertel, Marthias (July 21, 2015). "Test: Godzilla (Action)". 4Players (in German). Archived from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Devore, Jordan (July 14, 2015). "Review: Godzilla". Destructoid. Modern Method. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  8. Romano, Sal (December 9, 2014). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1358". Gematsu. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  9. Romano, Sal (July 7, 2015). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1388". Gematsu. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  10. Reiner, Andrew (July 16, 2015). "King Of The Blunder Lizards". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on July 20, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  11. LaBella, Anthony (July 24, 2015). "Godzilla (2015) Review - I don't think Godzilla is here to save us..." Game Revolution. Net Revolution Inc. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  12. VanOrd, Kevin (July 17, 2015). "Godzilla Review - GameSpot". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  13. Griffin, Ben (July 17, 2015). "Godzilla Review - GamesRadar". GamesRadar. Future plc. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  14. "Godzilla Review". GamesTM . Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  15. 1 2 Ryan, Jon (July 14, 2015). "Godzilla: The Game Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  16. Ramsey, Robert (July 17, 2015). "Godzilla Review (PS4)". Push Square . Archived from the original on April 29, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  17. Wong, Steven (July 20, 2015). "Godzilla Review: A Natural Disaster". Shacknews . Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  18. McKeand, Kirk (July 17, 2015). "Godzilla on PS4 review: An ugly mess of a game that's fan service in its most shallow form". Digital Spy . Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  19. Sterling, Jim (July 15, 2015). "GODZILLA Review – Whyju?". The Jimquisition. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.