First of all, before I say anything else, I would just like to thank Infogrames for actually doing something with the Atari name other than just sitting on it or releasing some old rehashes. Infogrames has decided to use the Atari name as a sub label, which was slapped on Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. I don't know, it's just nice to see the name that basically created the idea of home video games still in use. Yes kids, Nintendo didn't invent the industry. (And for you late bloomers, Sony didn't invent it either.)

Onto the issue at hand. Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee (which will be referred to as G:DaMM for the rest of this review in order to save the wear and tear on my keyboard) is a knock down drag out brawler featuring tons of atomic powered lizards and other assorted monsters from the classic movies. Not only can you choose from a couple different versions of your favorite anti-hero of mass destruction, but you can also cause some mayhem with Anguirus, Megalon, King Ghidorah, Gigan, Rodan, Destroyah, Mechagodzilla, Mecha-King Ghidora and Orga. A couple of other monsters make cameo appearances such as Mothra who appears when you get a Mothra Air strike powerup in the game. Basically, there should be enough monsters in the mix to keep any classic Godzilla fan happy.

G:DaMM offers players a lot of options to raise hell. There are standard modes such as the Versus and Adventure modes as well as multiplayer modes like Team Battle, Melee, and Destruction which allow for up to four players at once, taking advantage of the Gamecube's built in extra controller ports. Adventure mode is basically the story mode of the game which is where you run through the list of monsters and unlock hidden treats. The Versus mode is for 2 players while the Melee is mainly for more than 2 players. Team Battle is just what it sounds like and Destruction mode is a fun side step where the object is to level buildings for points while trying to prevent your opponent(s) from doing the same.

The charm of G:DaMM lies within the way the game controls and moves in my opinion. Pipeworks managed to make the game actually feel like you are controlling a guy in a rubber suit. Arcade action fans and speed freaks might not care for the way everything works, but I feel the game is actually being true to the source material. Godzilla didn't sprint around town doing Ryu's hurricane kick after all. The monsters feel like giant unwieldy beasts. You have full access to all of the monster's attacks as well, including standard punches, kicks and tail whips to atomic breath blasts, electricity attacks or whatever else they can do. You can grapple and throw your enemies and even pick up and launch whole buildings at them. The play mechanics lend themselves to reasonably flexible fighting and should keep gamers happy. Keep in mind though that gamers who are looking for a incredibly deep fighting experience are better off looking elsewhere since this really isn't the deepest game in town, nor is it meant to be.

The other thing that is nailed in the game are the sound effects. Personally, this part was non negotiable in this game. If Godzilla didn't sound like Godzilla and Rodan didn't scream like Rodan, there would have been some explaining to do. Thankfully, everything sounds as it should and really helps to lock in the overall feel of this game. There are also some nice hokey sound effects like laser cannons as well as decent sounds such as the crumbling of buildings as you rampage around. Music is kind of on the blah side of things. It's not very memorable in my opinion. The announcer is pretty great though. He has a classic, over done quality to it. It just struck a chord with me.

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee looks decent but seems like it could have used a little more time to cook. While the game doesn't look bad, it's certainly not a game I would drag out to show off what the Gamecube is capable of. The monsters all look good as well as the various special effects, but sometimes the cities can look a little generic when it comes to the regular architecture. The buildings do display some neat effects, such as the lights going out when you slam into them a few times while fighting at night, but there are also some odd quirks as well. For instance, you might knock a chunk out of a building, but in actuality, the missing chunk is just textured to try and blend in with the background. It ends up looking like part of the building is cloaked or something. It just looks off. The buildings topple in a nice implosion effect with plenty of smoke and all, but you just know it could have all been done a little better.

The gameplay is more geared towards multiplayer action as opposed to the single player mode which is unfortunate for people who actually do like to play through fighting games solo. The enemy AI is really unbalanced through the course of a single round most of the time. Sometimes you will be fighting a total pushover in a fight and then, all of the sudden, all hell breaks loose. It tends to cause a little frustration since the AI doesn't really make too much sense as you are playing. It would have been nicer if they just split the difference with the AI and gave you a nice progressive challenge instead of the bi-polar AI that we have. It's obvious that the intent of this game was to be a party game, and it does tend to be a lot of fun in that respect.

In the end, G:DaMM should be a satisfying rental for people looking for a rowdy monster mash. I wouldn't recommend people to buy this title unless they are big fans of the Godzilla franchise. Fans of the series will really get a kick out of running amok with all of the classic rubber suit atomic monsters. Regular gamers will probably get a kick out of it, but might feel a little ripped off unless they got it on a really good sale. I got it on sale plus I'm a fan of the series so I won out on the deal. The game is only on the Gamecube so it's nice to see that they can at least have some unique exclusives. In the end, G:DaMM is a fun game, but an average one. Buyers should rent to make sure they'll really like the game before commiting the funds to it.