Platform: Gameboy Advance

Developer: WayForward Tech.

Publisher: Infogrames

Genre: Fighting

MSRP: $20US

ESRB: E (Everyone)

Release Date: November 2002

Godzilla Domination

Score: 3.5 / 10

Pros:

- It's Godzilla, that must count for something

Cons:

- Un-fun

- Crummy fighting

- Only one single-player mode!

- Control is just passable

"Upshot, keep your money in your pocket."

Remember that scene in Spiderman when J. Jonah Jameson is flipping through a bunch of stellar photos taken by Peter Parker?  He gruffly dismisses most as, “Crap!”  Sometimes at the Armchair Empire I feel like Mr. Jameson – the only difference is that some of the stuff I do look at really is crap.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

I really hate saying this – as I don’t like to slam any game, except maybe Druuna – but Godzilla Domination (GD) is a waste of time.  I’m a huge fan of Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee for GameCube and had hopes for GD but after coasting through the battles in about 20 minutes then spending almost 90 minutes trying to beat the end boss, those hopes were squashed under a big reptilian foot.

The list of gaming sins committed by GD is a long one.  The control is only passable; the fighting is so basic as to be laughable, but performing the special moves is horrendously difficult; the two bonus rounds are boring and un-fun; single-player options are limited to one mode; the health bars are incredibly hard to see (some of this is attributable to the GBA’s dark screen); only six playable characters; and the graphics could have been a lot better.

If you actually manage to scrounge together some friends so you can play one of the other modes, you’ll probably wind up being bored beyond help.  God help you if you’ve had a few cold ones.  (Which will make you pass out faster: GD or a six-pack of Kokanee?)

Upshot, keep your money in your pocket.

- Omni

(February 26, 2003)