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January 30, 2007 - Publisher Atari revealed to IGN Wii on Tuesday that it planning to bring Godzilla: Unleashed, what it calls "the ultimate giant fighting monsters game," to Nintendo's new home console. Nintendo DS and Sony PSP handheld versions of the title are also in development, according to the company.
Godzilla: Unleashed, developed by Pipeworks Software, is the third installment in the melee series, which began its life on GameCube with the 2002 Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters. One more, players take on the role of the radioactive monster and are "unleashed" on a series of destructible post-apocalyptic city environments.
According to Atari, "Players will claw, kick, stomp, throw and blast their way through the streets of major world cities in order to claim the ultimate, beastly title: King of the Monsters."
"We are building on the famous Godzilla franchise by focusing on multiple story paths, devastating urban destruction, and utilizing the most imposing creatures in film history, all in one hard-hitting fighting game," said Rick Mehler, Director, Marketing, Atari. "In Godzilla: Unleashed for the Wii, players will tap into their inner monster powers when using the system's wireless, motion-sensing controller."
We really enjoyed the original Pipeworks-developed Godzilla for GameCube, scoring it a high 8.4 for its fun multiplayer mode, and wanted to know what the studio is planning for the ground-up Wii title. With that in mind, we contacted Pipeworks' creative director Mark Crowe and character designer Simon Strange to chat about the game. We think readers will be pleased to learn that a lot of effort is going into this project.
IGN Wii: Which monsters can you play as?
Mark and Simon: We'll feature TOHO's "A" list of monsters, some updated from the more recent movies and a few surprises we'll not reveal. All the monsters have undergone a hi-res makeover with higher poly models, bump-mapped details, leg IK, and amazingly smooth animations.
IGN Wii: We hear there's a dynamic storyline that changes upon what you do in the game.
Mark and Simon: Monsters are grouped into four factions, each with their own perspective and motivations within the over arcing storyline. The story path changes based on which faction you choose to represent. So depending on the faction, your story path will change with different encounters, team-ups and graphic novel story sequences.
IGN Wii: We were impressed with the visuals on the original Godzilla for GameCube. How does Unleashed take the graphics to the next level on Wii?
Mark and Simon: The city designs in the original game were fairly realistic representations and, (some would say) were a little bland and lacked a unique theme. For Unleashed, we're creating uniquely themed city levels that reflect the post-apocalyptic storyline. Each city has been transformed by cataclysmic events brought about by giant alien crystals growing out of the earth. Unleashed features an amazing new dynamic building destruction system that is light years ahead of what was in the original game. Striking buildings now produce massive gouges, cracks, and realistic rubble. Players will be able to rampage through buildings leaving an impressive swath of destruction in their wake. Full-screen effects such as bloom and heat haze enhance the ambience of each scene with blinding explosions, glaring sunsets. You'll actually see the heat coming off Godzilla atomic breath as it blasts through everything in sight.
IGN Wii: How destructible is everything in the game world?
Mark and Simon: Our buildings have always been one-hundred percent destructible -- but we weren't satisfied with that. We've amplified our destruction behavior, and now the buildings deform and char dynamically with your attacks. It really increases the immersion factor of the game to carve the buildings with your attacks. We're punching up our destruction audio as well -- for the most destructive Godzilla game ever.
IGN Wii: Will the Wii version of the title run in progressive-scan and 16:9 widescreen modes?
Mark and Simon: Yes we will have 480p as well as 16:9 support for the game.
IGN Wii: How many gamers can play at once and are there different multiplayer modes?
Mark and Simon: We're sticking with our very successful four-player game style that worked so well in DAMM and StE. Four-monster battles are a critical part of the Kaiju experience.
IGN Wii: Fantastic. Now let's get down to it. Tell us about the Wii controls.
Mark and Simon: The game will be played with the nunchuk style. The remote handles attacks, and the nunchuk handles movement, jumping, and so forth. Because of the new controller, monsters can now execute any or all of their primary actions independently - which means that you can charge while jumping in the air - fire your weapon during attacks, and move freely at all times. This totally turns the "canned" animation system of past fighting games on its head. Godzilla can be walking in one direction, attacking with his claws in another, firing his weapon in a third direction, and swinging his tail at a rear target all at the same time. We're just focused on putting the maximum amount of control into the player's hands at all times. Even beyond the controls, we're structuring the story and the fighting mechanics to keep players engaged from start to finish.
IGN Wii: Sounds great. Any plans for WiiConnect24 downloadable content?
Mark and Simon: We are currently planning on supporting WiiConnect24, although the details are still under wraps. Sorry about that.
IGN Wii: Finally, tell us why Wii owners should be excited about Godzilla: Unleashed?
Mark and Simon: This new Godzilla game has been built from the ground up for the Wii - and as such takes maximum advantage of the controls, graphical power, audio capabilities, and mindset of the console. We're not building upon what we've done before so much as crafting an entirely new Wii-centric experience.
