Post by: Halbred on July 24, 2007, 05:01:51 PM
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/previewArt.cfm?artid=14091
Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, is heading to the Wii. But wait—he’s bringing all his Monster Island cohorts with him, all decked out in Godzilla: Final Wars character models, and sporting tons of new destructive power. If you liked Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee on the ‘Cube and Save the Earth on the PS2, get ready for some more rubber-suit mayhem, because Pipeworks and Atari are gonna drop another kaiju-spawning bomb.
For those of you unfamiliar with the modern Godzilla video games, the basic gameplay mechanic is that of a brawler, but it’s got an old-time arcade feel to it. Up to four players choose one of Toho’s infamous towering behemoths and duke it out in a sprawling metropolis of their choice. Attacks are basically limited to punching, kicking, tail-swatting, and grapples, but each monster has a trademark special attack. Godzilla, for instance, possesses his trademark heat ray. Gigan has a laser eye, King Ghidorah fires lighting from his three heads, etc. Of course, the controls have undergone a slight revision for the Wii—most of your fighting-related actions will now be handled by your hand gestures. Apparently monsters will be able to power up their special attacks by collecting items on the battlefield, too.
Crystals have a significant place in the game, too. They’re all over the battlefields, and interacting with them voluntarily will cause your monster’s "Critical Mass" bar to rise. This new state is sort of like the previous games’ "Rage" meter, although Critical Mass is more visually appealing, more powerful, and confers upon your kaiju new powers. However, once Critical Mass goes away, your beastie is slower and its defense lowers, kind of like Hyper Beam in the Pokemon games. Another significant gameplay addition is "Power Surge," in which, by interacting with different crystals, Godzilla and his pals get temporary, ultra-powerful, one-time abilities like total immunity from weapons, finishing attacks, etc. These superpowers must be earned in the single-player game, and your opponent can end your Power Surge by destroying the influencing crystals.
From the screenshots and videos released so far, the Unleashed graphics engine looks to have been improved. The monsters have a textured look reminiscent of Doom 3 (seriously, that’s what comes to mind), plenty of particle effects are present, and the new monster designs are straight out of Godzilla: Final Wars, the "last" Toho Godzilla film. While we’ll no doubt see returning champions from the previous games (Kiryu FTW!), King Caesar and the "mecha" version of Gigan have been sighted in screenshots. According to the Unleashed website, twenty-three monsters have been confirmed. If we’re really lucky, Baragon (from Giant Monsters All-Out Attack) will be playable. Biollante, one of Godzilla’s largest (and most immobile) foes is featured on the E3 press poster for Unleashed, but it's not clear how a hybrid of a rose and Godzilla would move on the battlefield.
In perhaps the most interesting twist, Toho has approved two Pipeworks-created kaiju to be included among the twenty-three other monsters. Pipeworks has said that Godzilla fans helped to shape the creation of the original monsters. Now if only Pipeworks would get in good with Kadokawa Productions, then we could finally have the Godzilla vs. Gamera crossover fans have been dreaming of for fifteen years!
According to Pipeworks itself, the game is set to release near the end of the year.
Post by: Karl Castaneda #2 on July 24, 2007, 06:11:09 PM
(He had lots of trouble getting it on the site)
((Because he's in Alaska))
(((They just got that new "internets" thing)))
Post by: that Baby guy on July 24, 2007, 06:14:01 PM
However, you left out the part where you plan to force them to implement online play. Please fix that one up, m'kay?
Post by: Arbok on July 24, 2007, 07:46:09 PM
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Originally posted by: NewsBot
But wait—he’s bringing all his Monster Island cohorts with him, all decked out in Godzilla: Final Wars character models...
Actually, only one of the characters so far has their Final Wars look, which is Gigan. Well, two if one counts the Gotengo. The others, that were also in the 2004 film, are modeled after their look in previous movies, and include:
Godzilla - Godzilla 2000: Millennium
Mothra - Godzilla vs. Mothra ('92)
Anguirus - Showa series ('54-'75)
King Caesar - Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla ('74)
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Originally posted by: NewsBot
However, once Critical Mass goes away, your beastie is slower and its defense lowers, kind of like…I don’t know, Hyper Beam in the Pokemon games. Another significant gameplay addition is “Power Surge," in which, by interacting with different crystals, Godzilla and his pals get temporary, ultra-powerful, one-time abilities like total immunity from weapons, finishing attacks, etc. These superpowers must be earned in the single-player game, and your opponent can end your Power Surge by destroying the influencing crystals.
It's also worth mentioning that it has a large impact in single player mode in the long term, as players who decide to acquire more power will also lose allies in the process, forcing people to decide which is more important to them.
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Originally posted by: NewsBot
.If we’re really lucky, Baragon and Monster Zero (from Giant Monsters All-Out Attack and Final Wars, respectively) will be playable.
Oops... err... Monster Zero is already in the game, as that's an alternate name for King Ghidorah.
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Originally posted by: NewsBot
Biolantte, one of Godzilla’s largest (and most immobile) foes is featured on the E3 press poster for Unleashed, but I’m confused as to how a hybrid of a rose and Godzilla would move on the battlefield.
The creature could charge in the film with surprising speed, moving with its mass of root like tendrils. This is exactly how it was done in the SNES fighter as well, where it would move incredibly slow until the player performed its charge move.
Also, by the E3 poster do you mean this advert? Or is there another that actually shows the character?
EDIT: Oh, also, her name is spelled Biollante.
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Originally posted by: NewsBot
In perhaps the most interesting twist, Toho has approved two Pipeworks-created kaiju to be included among the twenty-three other monsters. This is a rather unprecedented move for the Japanese cinema giant, who is usually very protective of its creatures.
It's actually happened before, as the PS1 Godzilla game also featured new creatures alongside the Toho regulars. Other mediums have also been doing this for quite some time as well, such as Marvel and Dark Horse with their respective runs of the character.
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Originally posted by: NewsBot
Now if only Pipeworks would get in good with Daiei Productions, then we could finally have the Godzilla vs. Gamera crossover I’ve been dreaming of for fifteen years!
Daiei is, sadly, no more. Kadokawa now owns the rights to Gamera.
Post by: Halbred on July 25, 2007, 12:55:52 PM
(I don't like Ghidorah--he's overrated and overused)
However, the King Caesar from the screenshots of Unleashed looks a lot more like his Final Wars incarnation than his Showa version, and that's a good thing. The majority of the Showa series can be buried and forgotten for all I care. Son of Godzilla? Godzilla's Revenge? Godzilla vs. Megalon? Such low, low points.
I wasn't aware of a PS1 Godzilla game, much less a original character from it. I know that Bagan, a character designed for Super Godzilla (SNES) was actually going to get his own film (it fell through) and he was supposed to appear instead of Monster X in Final Wars (everybody loves Ghidorah, though), but I think Toho created Bagan, not the Super Godzilla developer. In Unleashed, the new monsters are entirely created by Pipeworks and blessed by Toho...and are voted on by fans. Could be good, could be bad. There are rumors abound that one of the winning monsters will go on to star in its own "Godzilla vs. _______" film, but Toho has stated several times that Final Wars will be the last Millenium-era Godzilla film, and that the property will be shelved for a decade at least (just like the Showa-Heisei transition).
As for Gamera, did Kadokawa produce the most recent Gamera trilogy? Because it kicked ASS! So maybe I'll edit the preview and say that Pipeworks needs to get in good with Kadokawa.
Thanks for the comments, though. I'm definately getting this game--I just hope the motion controls aren't wonkey.
Post by: Ceric on July 25, 2007, 01:24:59 PM
Post by: Karl Castaneda #2 on July 25, 2007, 02:06:23 PM
Post by: that Baby guy on July 25, 2007, 02:11:22 PM
Post by: Kairon on July 25, 2007, 02:20:42 PM
Post by: IceCold on July 25, 2007, 02:59:12 PM
Post by: Caliban on July 25, 2007, 03:04:57 PM
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Originally posted by: IceCold
I thought it was Zach the forum-goer
Me too.
Yeah and give us their forum names...NWR could've at least presented us with their noob staff. Edit: oh wait, they're (not their forum names though) on the staff page duh!
Post by: Karl Castaneda #2 on July 25, 2007, 03:39:11 PM
Brad Mosbacher: AzureNightmare
Zach Miller: Halbred
Casey Basire: Case
I'm not sure if Michael Flynn and Michael Thompson have registered on the forums yet, so I'll let them introduce themselves when they feel it necessary.
Edit: It may seem like we took on a lot of people, but keep in mind that several staff members left recently, so we had to compensate for that.
Post by: Arbok on July 25, 2007, 03:39:27 PM
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Originally posted by: Halbred
Okay, yeah, I mispelled Biollante's name. Dammit! Godzilla vs. Biollante is in my Top 5 Godzilla films!
Good man; Godzilla vs. Biollante is my favorite Godzilla film.
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Originally posted by: Halbred
However, the King Caesar from the screenshots of Unleashed looks a lot more like his Final Wars incarnation than his Showa version, and that's a good thing.
The eyes are red, which is a trademark of the Showa version.
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Originally posted by: Halbred
The majority of the Showa series can be buried and forgotten for all I care. Son of Godzilla? Godzilla's Revenge? Godzilla vs. Megalon? Such low, low points.
I find the Showa films to be superior to the rest of the series, save the two 1980 flicks (The Return of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Biollante). I'd say the original Godzilla, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Invasion of Astro-Monster and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla are among some of my favorites in the series. I'd say the low point was the 1990's films, although oddly enough they did banner business at the box office, especially compared to the Millennium films which never did very well (save GMK).Quote
Originally posted by: Halbred
I know that Bagan, a character designed for Super Godzilla (SNES) was actually going to get his own film (it fell through) and he was supposed to appear instead of Monster X in Final Wars (everybody loves Ghidorah, though)
Not true on the last part. He was never slated to appear in Final Wars. As far as I know, the last time he was seriously considered was for the mid-1990's project that never went through, which was after the previous failure of Mothra vs. Bagan in the early 1990's.
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Originally posted by: Halbred
...but I think Toho created Bagan, not the Super Godzilla developer.
Toho was the developer of Super Godzilla. The company used to have their own video game wing, although produced some pretty infamous games in their time (Circus Caper comes to mind).
At this point, I'm going to have to shamefully plug my site I'm afraid, as it's dedicated solely to the many things that Toho has done, and continues to do:
http://www.tohokingdom.com
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Originally posted by: Halbred
In Unleashed, the new monsters are entirely created by Pipeworks and blessed by Toho...and are voted on by fans.
One of them was, Obsidius (formerly Magmouth). The other, Krystalak, had no fan input what so ever.
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Originally posted by: Halbred
There are rumors abound that one of the winning monsters will go on to star in its own "Godzilla vs. _______" film...
Can't see that having a chance in hell of happening myself...
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Originally posted by: Halbred
...but Toho has stated several times that Final Wars will be the last Millenium-era Godzilla film, and that the property will be shelved for a decade at least (just like the Showa-Heisei transition).
It was less than a decade that it would be shelved, as I recall, but close enough.
Yoshimitsu Banno, the director of Godzilla vs. Hedorah, was given the okay to try to make another, though, although Toho would not produce it. So he has been trying for several years now to find a backer who will take on the project, which is planned as a 3-D IMAX film. Hopefully that project sees the light of day.
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Originally posted by: Halbred
As for Gamera, did Kadokawa produce the most recent Gamera trilogy? Because it kicked ASS! So maybe I'll edit the preview and say that Pipeworks needs to get in good with Kadokawa.
No, those were produced by Daiei and distributed by Toho. Daiei was absorbed into Kadokawa after that trilogy was produced. Sadly, the Gamera film they released (Gamera: The Brave) took it back to the Showa roots with the kid angle again, and having seen it in theaters the year it was released I can confirm it was quite lackluster.
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Originally posted by: Halbred
I'm definately getting this game--I just hope the motion controls aren't wonkey.
I'll second that. It's one of my most anticipated releases, only behind Smash Bros Brawl in fact.
Post by: vudu on July 26, 2007, 06:27:15 AM
QuoteWho left besides Bloodworth? And any didn't Evan leave? /kidding
Originally posted by: ViewtifulGamer
Edit: It may seem like we took on a lot of people, but keep in mind that several staff members left recently, so we had to compensate for that.
Post by: ShyGuy on July 26, 2007, 07:08:03 AM
Who else? edit: I think I will make a "greeting" thread for the newbs
Post by: vudu on July 26, 2007, 07:24:37 AM
I'm also not seeing Ben Kosmina, Josh Hogan, Josh Daugherty, Zosha Arushan, or Vincent Anderson anymore.
I stalk NWR staff members in my spare time.
Post by: Halbred on July 26, 2007, 11:24:15 AM
I like the early Heisei films. Godzilla vs. Mothra is very good, but Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah and Spacegodzilla suck balls. I do like Destroyah's creature design, though.
As for King Caesar, I'm guessing that Pipeworks is trying to integrate a little bit of both designs into the final character model. Having recently seen "Final Wars" again (God, it sucked), the overall build is definately from the last movie, but the red eyes could just be a nod to his Showa origins.
Post by: Karl Castaneda #2 on July 26, 2007, 11:42:24 AM
Post by: Viewtiful mario on July 26, 2007, 04:50:39 PM
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Not true on the last part. He was never slated to appear in Final Wars. As far as I know, the last time he was seriously considered was for the mid-1990's project that never went through, which was after the previous failure of Mothra vs. Bagan in the early 1990's.
I really wish they would've made that King Kong vs. Godzilla flick they were considering, god knows the Hensai era needed it.
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The creature could charge in the film with surprising speed, moving with its mass of root like tendrils. This is exactly how it was done in the SNES fighter as well, where it would move incredibly slow until the player performed its charge move.
I know what you mean by the charge, but she's so much bigger then the other kaiju I wonder howshe'll be able to manuver around objects. Not to mention getting powerups. I personally wasn't as fond of GvB as much as everyone else, the music was highly underdramatic and the fights were waaaaaay to short. I mean Godzilla isn't even dead yet and Biollante dissapears into the sky.
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King Caesar - Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla ('74)
I actually have to agree with Zach, I think pipeworks had the millenia version in mind when they made it.
I sure hope someone actually reads this.
Post by: Arbok on July 26, 2007, 04:58:02 PM
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Originally posted by: Halbred
Arbok--no way, Godzilla 1985 FTW.
I agree, I said I loved the 1980's films, with The Return of Godzilla (aka, Godzilla 1985) being one of those.
Sorry if there was title confusion, but I have a habit of always using Toho's English names for their films, even if it's obscure and hasn't really been used (example: "Ebirah, Horror of the Deep" for "Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster").
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Originally posted by: Halbred
I like the early Heisei films. Godzilla vs. Mothra is very good, but Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah and Spacegodzilla suck balls.
I have a soft spot for Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, probably because it was the first of the Godzilla films I saw in Japanese, but don't really have much love for any of the 1990's films... including Godzilla 2000.
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Originally posted by: Halbred
As for King Caesar, I'm guessing that Pipeworks is trying to integrate a little bit of both designs into the final character model. Having recently seen "Final Wars" again (God, it sucked), the overall build is definately from the last movie, but the red eyes could just be a nod to his Showa origins.
http://www.tohokingdom.com/vg/godzilla_unleashed/images/kcaesar_model_n.htm
Well, the red build of the body, and the brick-like surface is more reminiscent of the Millennium version, although the eyes are distinctly from the Showa one. The characters in the past two games from Pipeworks (save the two Godzillas, and arguably Mechagodzilla) were typically amalgams of several different versions, and that seems to be the case for some of these as well... although, unlike the past, some of them are obviously modeled after a particular version, like King Ghidorah being based on the GMK one or Anguirus for the Showa series.
Post by: Ceric on July 27, 2007, 03:33:46 AM
(This seems like another two in one thread.)
Post by: Arbok on July 27, 2007, 05:20:26 AM
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Originally posted by: Viewtiful mario
I don't think anyone besides you, me, Zach, and Halbred know what your talking about.
Ah, the wonders of an obscure fandom.
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Originally posted by: Viewtiful mario
I know what you mean by the charge, but she's so much bigger then the other kaiju I wonder howshe'll be able to manuver around objects. Not to mention getting powerups.
That was definitely something that the SNES game had trouble with. Being huge and slow was not something that was in her favor, and she was way under powered in that game.
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Originally posted by: Viewtiful mario
I personally wasn't as fond of GvB as much as everyone else, the music was highly underdramatic and the fights were waaaaaay to short. I mean Godzilla isn't even dead yet and Biollante dissapears into the sky.
I'd rather have a short fight than a overly long one, personally. And Godzilla had more or less passed out in the ocean when Biollante decides to high tail it, so good enough.
At least they didn't use the alternate ending where she, more or less, merges with Godzilla after he falls victim to the Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria... which just would have been odd, not to mention the use of animation there.Quote
Originally posted by: Viewtiful mario
I actually have to agree with Zach, I think pipeworks had the millenia version in mind when they made it.
The character seem to be an amalgam. Which would fit with how Pipeworks has done things in the past, such as with King Ghidorah in the previous game who wasn't really modeled after a particular version... in fact I think he looked more like the Trendmasters, red-eyed toy version of the character in G: DAMM.
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Originally posted by: Viewtiful mario
I sure hope someone actually reads this.
Yeah, I'm not sure what happened, but for some reason I didn't see this until after I posted...
Post by: Ceric on July 27, 2007, 05:55:52 AM
