The Giant Monster Series, part 11...

In 1992 SNK returned to the giant monster genre. The sequel to King of the Monsters was set three years after the events of the original game. As a fan of the first I couldn't wait to check it out.

It seemed that a UFO landed on Earth and introduced a new challenge to the monsters. This creature was dubbed the Next Thing.

I was a bit surprised to find that only three of the monsters survived the original battle. Technically only two characters found their way back; Astro Guy and Geon. Both of them looked more evolved, more distinct than the last time players saw them. Cyber Woo replaced Woo as a playable character. He was a sort of Mecha Kong to King Kong. I was bummed because my favorite character, Rocky, didn't make the cut.

The control changed slightly from the original as well. Players could still punch, kick and jump. Some of the grappling moves were preserved as well.

The characters could also get their special attacks powered up two levels, also like in the original. The difference was that players didn't need to collect 20 Power orbs, instead they only needed to collect two. Each power upgrade gave a special attack more range and power. The downside was that players could lose the power upgrades in the sequel, players never could lose them in the original.

The biggest change to the sequel was in the gameplay. Instead of a wrestling game SNK created a brawler for the giant monsters. Imagine playing Double Dragon or Final Fight with giant creatures! I was a fan of brawlers and even chronicled many of the best last year. I had even mentioned how SNK came up big for the brawler but had left King of the Monsters 2 off of the list. I knew that I would be writing about giant monsters eventually so I left it out on purpose.

The original KOTM was set entirely in Japan. The sequel took place in cities all around the world. In keeping with the theme of the original, actual landmarks were incorporated into the levels. Instead of being hundreds of miles apart all of the landmarks appeared in one relatively small area. For example in the "American City" the White House, a football stadium and space shuttle were merely blocks from each other. The amount of detail crammed into the tiny cities was mind boggling, even more so than the amount of detail that went into the original game.

The locations were not all limited to actual cities. The monsters visited a sea base at the bottom of the ocean as well as the inside of an active volcano which turned out to be the crater left behind by the UFO in the opening of the game. The design in the levels were heavily influenced by science fiction. Enemy monsters were very cartoonish, to the point of being silly with giant lips and googly eyes. The military weapons were highly stylized and looked right out of an anime series, had Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds influence not also been present.

At the end of each level the players fought a boss monster. The monster was generally much larger than the main characters. The creatures in the original KOTM looked very much like pre-existing characters. The villains in the new game had unique designs. Each had their own sets of strikes, grapples and special attacks.

Players travelled through six locations while on the hunt for the master of all these new creatures. The final stage actually had players fight all of the bosses in succession before the final monster revealed himself. The enormous Famardy appeared, usually after the player had exhausted several continues. Famardy could flatten the players with ease. The creature was a four eyed reptilian-like mountain that was mostly mouth with a long tongue that had a face at the end of it. The visual was pretty gross. The battle against the creature was one of the most lopsided encounters ever created. There was simply no way for any single or two-players to defeat the creature on one credit.

In fact, the entire game fell into the same traps that turned players off of Rampage and Rampage World Tour. The game was designed to separate the player from their money as fast as possible. Players had no time to get settled into the world that SNK had created. There was no broadcaster announcing the destruction, there was no clever soundtrack supporting the action. If a player stood still for longer than a few seconds an alert would appear prompting gamers to "Hurry Up." The warning to continue pushing forward was very loud and annoying. The game would have players rush through the highly detailed cities the team had created. Players were prompted past the military vehicles shooting missiles at them and past the landmarks just to get to an unbalanced boss battle. If they ran out of time then their monster would get killed by a bolt of lightning and it would be game over.

Each level and boss fight was designed to result in the player losing their life and credits as fast as possible. In the original game I could figure out a way to beat it on one quarter, it was tough but balanced. The new one had zero balance. Players lost their energy very quickly and every boss had a special attack that made them invulnerable for a moment. The fact that the final level consisted of players having to battle every boss all over again was proof of the cheapness of the design. The end of the game did not even offer a twist or a satisfactory resolution. The players were simply reminded of how powerful the monsters were and how in 800 years a few survivors would have power. Whether this meant that the monsters would be the last things left in 800 years or whether they were walking through the remains of the Earth 800 years from the end of the Famardy encounter was ambiguous.

As the end credits played I felt disappointed by the new direction of the series. All of the heart had been taken out of the game. The new designs were fun and the amount of detail placed on the characters and enemies should be applauded. As far as games went it was one of the most unbalanced brawlers ever made.

Hamachi Papa and company had let me down and worst yet, had failed the giant monster genre less than a year after sending it soaring.

SNK never forgot the contribution of the KOTM staff. When they created Neo Geo Battle Coliseum the publisher wanted to include at least one cameo from every major game the company had published over the past two decades. The title from 2005 managed to include two characters from the KOTM series in the game.

A small remote-control version of Cyber Woo was playable. The mechanical ape had an assortment of laser, machine gun and missile attacks at his disposal. He was the only character in the game that was built from a rotoscoped 3D model. The game also introduced two new characters Yuki and Ai. The duo could combine forces in a special attack known as the Double Assault. When they did they became a small version of Astro Guy for a limited amount of time.

Cyber Woo was good redesign but the makeover that Astro Guy got was amazing. The character burst into the game with a transformation just like Ultraman.

Astro Guy had attacks similar to those featured in KOTM 2, he was an arrogant character and enjoyed posing during his super attacks. it turned out that SNK was not finished giving a nod to their giant monster entry. A level in the game was included featuring the skeleton of Geon grappling with the rusted remains of the actual Cyber Woo. The enormous characters in the background were awe inspiring.

It had been 13 years since King of the Monsters 2 was released but SNK did not forget. Knowing that they cared enough about the game to give it a nod for Battle Coliseum made me appreciate the publisher even more. As it turned out fans the world over never forgot about the series either. Comic
book artist Corey "Rey" Lewis and illustrator Jimmy Giegerich each created a print in homage to the King of the Monsters 2 recently. The developer was not celebrating the 20th anniversary of the series, the fans were.

I did not enjoy King of the Monster 2 nearly as much as the original but I will concede that the game did have some fun moments. Both titles were important in the history of giant monster genre. They showed how well the creatures could work in other genres. Before SNK no developer would have attempted to make a wrestling game or a brawler using daikaiju. SNK demonstrated what elements from cinema could be adapted to help bring players into the universe. The orchestrated music and the panicked announcer were prime examples. In the end the genre held onto the classic traditions. Here were beings capable of tremendous destruction, on a scale of which no human could ever hope to survive. The final screen on both games reminded players of that cold truth.

Both King of the Monsters had actually been ported on multiple consoles yet many did not
remember them. The reason why so few people could recall the series in comparison to Rampage was quite simple. The games were released around the time that Street Fighter II had debuted in arcades. Many fun titles were overlooked during 1991-1992 because of the Capcom juggernaut. There was only one monster series that could bring the public back to the genre but would it be enough to draw in new players? We shall explore this game in the next blog.

The Giant Monster Series, part 10...

As much fun as I had with Rampage I felt that something was missing. The immersion offered by the PC game Movie Monster was absent. Granted, most arcade developers did not want to slow down the gameplay just for the sake of allowing a player to get settled in. Rampage was very transparent. It was an attempt to milk players of their quarters without a guarantee of a resolution for all their destruction. Making money was the purpose of all arcade games but the better ones had an outcome that offered more than a high score to audiences. In 1991 the SNK corporation released a title that I would consider one of the best giant monster games ever made but also one of the least known titles. The King of the Monsters was unique in that it was the first giant monster game to mix genres. It was both a rampage title, rewarding players by how much destruction they caused, but also a wrestling game.

King of the Monsters was set in the near future, 1996 to be precise. Players could select from one of six unique monsters. The creatures were thinly veiled knock-offs of famous movie monsters. Geon, Woo, Poison Ghost, Rocky, Beetle Mania and Astro Guy were inspired by Godzilla, Kong Kong, Hedora, Daimajin, Megalon and Ultraman respectively. Each monster even had their own distinct roar. The characters were much larger in scale than those featured on just about every other game. They were as tall as a skyscraper and could flatten most roads, bridges and buildings in the game simply by walking over them.

The game offered several modes; player-versus-player, 2-players versus the computer or single player versus the computer. The entirety of the game took place in Japan. Six of the major cities, including Tokyo and Hiroshima were featured as stages. This was set up to be the ultimate giant monster smack down.

Players had an assortment of attacks. A basic punch or kick and a throw. If a player pressed a direction while grappling with an opponent then they could perform a slam or power move against them. Power moves included piledrivers, bear hugs and backbreakers. An opponent that fell to a power move also dropped a Power orb. Collecting 10 Power orbs allowed players to upgrade their special attack up one level. Players maxed out a special attack after two levels, or 20 orbs. If a player held down the attack buttons they could charge up for a special attack. The special attack was a ranged strike, capable of hitting the opponent from across the screen. Some special attacks were energy lasers, fireballs or electrical sparks.

Players could also grab items from the ground, like tanks and speeding bullet trains to throw at opponents. Even low flying military and jumbo jets could be snatched out of the sky and thrown.

Players were rewarded by defeating opponents with a 3-count pin but also based on how much collateral damage they caused. Walking over buildings, throwing opponents through refineries and crushing vehicles all gave the player a bonus. One of my favorite mistranslations from any game was in the end level score. Players were rated on how much Distraction they caused rather than Destruction. This was King of the Monsters in a nutshell but there was far more to the game than that.

The game borrowed plenty of elements from the classic movies. Arcade games, especially fighting games, were not always known for giving players time to settle into their world. This was a rare exception. SNK managed to do that without interrupting the 3-minute matches. The developer mixed in all the important details through audio cues as the game progressed. On the introduction of the first and every third level a news reporter would break in and play up the calamity that the creatures were causing. Explosions could be heard in the background of each "broadcast." The panic in his voice was well performed, it helped put players in the scene. It was not hard to imagine that the news reporter was on the edge of the city, reporting from a safe distance.

Just about everything in the game had its own sound effect. As the monsters moved their titanic footsteps echoed on the tiny arcade cabinet speakers. The sounds of buildings turning to rubble, trees snapping and water splashing were present as the creatures moved through different terrain. Traffic could be heard as the tiny cars, no more than a few pixels in height, travelled through the streets. Some audio effects helped players learn when an object was just about to enter the stage. A horn blast signaled that a bullet train was going to pass through town. If a player were standing on the track then he could either derail the train or pull it off the tracks just as it passed. A jet roar signaled that a plane was nearby, a player that timed a jump could snatch the plane right out of the sky and then throw it.

The amount of detail placed into each stage was absurd. Buildings had working neon signs and electronic billboards. Amusement park rides actually moved and famous landmarks from each town were crammed into the stages. The Tower of the Sun, the Tokyo Dome and the Himeji Castle helped put gamers in Osaka, Tokyo and Kobe respectively. Each of the landmarks could even be flattened for a major bonus. Although I had never been to Japan I recognized many of the locations from TV and movies. These were details that SNK put into their game that both Bally Midway and Epyx had overlooked.

It was one thing for the Western-produced titles to say the game was taking place in Tokyo or New York but another thing to show players the city. In the original Rampage the game told players they were in Chicago but the buildings looked similar to Denver. The silhouette in the background was different but nothing else really stood out. In Movie Monster players had to use some imagination to distinguish between the cities as well. I didn't mind using my imagination but it was much easier to get into the game when I had all the necessary elements. The more details a studio could present to fill in those gaps the less that a gamer had to suspend their disbelief. SNK eliminated any doubt that the monsters were fighting in their own towns. All of the landmarks were present on each stage, perfect to body slam an opponent on top of.

Each stage was cut off by electronic barriers. The barriers acted like the ropes in a wrestling ring. Players could throw opponents off the barriers and catch them with a clothesline. The mix of science fiction and military technology had been a staple in the movies. The Godzilla films were known for their use of sci-fi weapons. Tanks equipped with energy towers could shoot beams of electricity to help redirect the path of Godzilla. These "Maser Cannons" were used in several films. SNK put their own version in the game. Players could hear the sound of heavy tank treads before any of these vehicles had even entered the city. They caused considerable damage if players were hit with the waves of energy they projected. Players could pick up and throw the tanks at opponents before they even got a shot off though.

King of the Monsters even included a flying secret weapon to battle the monsters. The bright orange jet was based on the Super X. In the Godzilla films the Super X managed to put up a good battle against the giant lizard. In KOTM the jet could also turn the tide of battle. Thankfully the ships could also be snatched from the sky as well.

The game itself was one of the most challenging titles I had ever played. I was never any good at arcade wrestling games. I felt that the timing was tricky for those titles and the combat provided by fighting games was a little easier to get into. As a fan of giant monsters I was determined to see the ending of the game. The first time I played the game I spent a couple of bucks and only managed to get a few characters in. I made the mistake of running headlong into battle and punching and kicking as if it were a fighting game. Going toe-to-toe was a big mistake as the computer AI threw me all over the place. I thought that I should learn how to play the game first or I was going to waste my allowance on one title.

I realized that SNK gave players exactly 3 minutes per match and expected players to use every last second on the clock. Since opponents had to be pinned then I would first have to wear them down first. Even if I depleted all of my opponent's energy they would kick out two or more times, just like in a pro wrestling match. I learned to pin them near the electronic barriers. If they threw me off they might end up shocking themselves and buy me time to get up. I also learned that special attacks did a lot of damage even on fallen opponents so I had to power that up right away. I could have my character level up within the first two matches by applying the same power moves over and over, usually a backbreaker or bear hug. Once my character was fully powered I would spend the entirety of the match slowly whittling down my opponent. Kicking them while they were down, throwing every object I could in their direction and performing high risk moves when I saw an opening. I learned to catch my opponent off guard by throwing running clotheslines at them. The animation of the monsters' eyes bugging out when they were caught by the lariat was hilarious.

The computer was just as relentless as I was. A human player could be pinned even if they still had a little bit of energy left. I felt this was a little bit of a cheat by the SNK programmers. I would have to press all the buttons as fast as possible and shake the joystick in order to break the pin. A player could kick out of two pin attempts but no matter how much energy they had left over the computer would win the third pin automatically. Many a match was saved when my monster threw an opponent off just a fraction of a second from the 3 count. I would then quickly get up and cover my opponent with barely any time to spare. I eventually got so good at the game that I would eat up the clock on purpose. Going for as much collateral damage as possible and then pinning my opponent with 10 seconds or less remaining on the game clock. I knew I had mastered the game when I could beat it on one quarter. It took fierce concentration and some mad button presses though to get through all twelve stages. Players had to defeat all six monster twice before getting to the ending screens. I was rewarded with some incredibly high scores for my effort. I had the top spots on the leader board and was never knocked from #1. Part of the reason was because players that put in another quarter to continue had their score reset. Other players beat the game but nobody else came close to my record.

It was the ending of the game that completely blew my mind. SNK had incorporated the announcer that was following the monsters around into a short cinema. Digitized voices were not new to gaming but the length of the recording and the tone of the announcer caught my attention. He was reporting from a studio which monster was the victor and how he was devastating all of Tokyo. He warned that it would only be a matter of time before he attacked the radio station. Suddenly the screen began shaking he then began yelling for people to take cover. The urgency in his voice sounded sincere as pieces of the studio dropped from above. Then suddenly a large piece of stone collapsed and landed right on the announcer. Before he was crushed the TV signal cut out, leaving only static.

I was floored by the ending. I had never seen any game turn the tables on a player. I had no idea that all of the fighting would have ended in the death of the announcer. Although there was no blood the ending was still a bit of a shock. I was sold on the game when the credits immediately rolled and the theme to King of the Monsters "Cry of Lamentation" played. In typical Japanese programming style a bunch of nicknames rolled on the screen, those developers rarely used their actual names. All I could think about was what a great job they had done putting this together. Hamachi Papa, Mitsuzo and their coworkers had knocked the game out of the park.

The theme had a slow and steady sound, the heaviness mirrored the last moments of the game. The music team at SNK had clearly been paying close attention to the giant monster genre. The Godzilla theme for example had a heavy, almost tragic sound. That heaviness made the character more sympathetic as the films progressed. Even though some people survived the encounter in the features, the devastation left behind remained. All of the memories I had from watching all the classic monster movies as a kid came flooding back. The very first time I beat King of the Monsters I had a newfound appreciation for the genre. I knew that I owed it to the team to make sure that the full credits would appear on my blog if I ever got around to talking about the game. As much as I enjoyed Rampage and Movie Monster there was so much more that the genre offered. SNK had made their mark and would follow up with a sequel just a year later. We shall explore the radical departure that was King of the Monsters 2 in the next blog.

The Giant Monster Series, part 9...

Rampage by Bally Midway was the other giant monster game from 1986. Most long-time gamers would tell you it was the ONLY giant monster game that year. It set the standard by which all other giant monster games would be measured and rightfully so. The arcade hit introduced three monsters into game canon. Lizzie, George and Ralph, a giant lizard, ape and werewolf respectively. The creatures were barely three stories tall, ranking them among the "shortest" giant monsters ever created. Bally Midway still managed to create a movie spectacle atmosphere with the trio. The gameplay lived up to the title, the monsters were rampaging through the continental US. Going from city to city and leveling all of the buildings was the objective. Never before had arcade visitors been offered this type of wanton destruction. They ate it up in droves, pumping quarter after quarter into a game that never seemed to end. Bally Midway managed to find the sweet spot for arcade manufacturers because audiences could never get enough of it.

Each level consisted of a single-screen "city." It was up to the players to climb onto buildings and then punch out the windows and foundations. When the monster had inflicted enough damage onto the structure it would collapse and reward them with a bonus. Destroying a city was only part of the charm to the game. Players were assaulted from all sides by the military. They could take damage from the tiny pixelated bullets and explosives. In order to recover their health the monsters could eat the humans they came across. Whether they were scooping soldiers off the street or snatching people from their apartment windows there was a satisfying crunch that the monsters made when they chewed on them. The game offered tremendous layers of detail. No two cities were exactly alike, neon signs, shops and the silhouette in the background would change in each town. Some cities had rivers for players to jump over or subway cars to knock around, Players could even jump from rooftop to rooftop and swat helicopters from the sky. The sense of scale and devastation was well presented but the game was best experienced when multiple players were going head-to-head.

By offering three sets of joysticks and attack buttons on a single cabinet Bally Midway was able to triple the potential for revenue. Many arcade visitors enjoyed competing against each other for a top score. Instead of playing one at a time for the score they could now compete in a three-way battle. This was not only a perfect set up for the arcade but also wherever friends would hang out, like at the local 7-11 or even bar. The dark humor of eating people and smashing buildings was perfect fit for the teen crowd. The players could punch each other and knock their opponents off of buildings. Some players waited until a building was almost ready to collapse before knocking their opponent off and taking down the last of the foundation. It was a dirty tactic but everything was fair while terrorizing the major cities.

Rampage was a certifiable hit. It was released on multiple platforms not long after it debuted. Bally Midway did not follow up with a sequel right away. They were trying to keep up with changes in taste and technology. That meant that the studio was constantly developing different types of experiences. Rampage was just one of the memorable titles they released. Other classic arcade hits included Defender, Joust, Robotron 2084, Tapper, Spy Hunter and Tron. In later years they developed NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, Hydro Thunder, Cruis'n USA and Smash TV. There was little reason for the developer to focus much on Rampage when they seemed to be cranking out hit after hit.

The trio of monsters got a chance to shine once more. Rampage World Tour debuted from Midway in 1997, 11 years after the original debuted. The new game fleshed out the universe of Rampage, tried to add a plot and introduced some new faces including the leggy Dr. Elizabeth "Betty" Veronica. The graphics were completely redone for this game. The characters and backgrounds were still composed from sprites however the sprite data was rendered from CGI workstations. The new sprites had far more color, depth and resolution. The buildings, traffic and scenery all preserved this new level of detail.

This time George, Lizzy and Ralph were the results of the toxic radiation from SCUM Labs. The monsters had a vendetta against the lab and set out on a global tour of destruction. They visited every major city in the US as several major cities around the world that hosted a SCUM Lab. This type of game completely opened up the genre that Bally Midway had established. Instead of one-screen levels the monsters could now walk left or right and access several screens worth of buildings to destroy. The sheer volume of new enemies, vehicles and civilians to interact with was mind boggling. Hundreds of animations were created for all of the new characters on screen. Kids could be seen skateboarding on the street, old ladies hobbling along on their walkers and even hot dog vendors pushing their carts. Soldiers advanced on the monsters, civilians ran, screaming for their lives. Jets, helicopters, robots, ufos and even jet-pack wearing heroes all took shots at the monsters. Dr. Betty was introduced early on. She was in contact with Eustas DeMonic the CEO of SCUM Labs and giving him an update on all the destruction that the monsters were causing.

Dr. Betty did more for players than simply act as a scorekeeper. I was a little kid when the first game came out. I was drawn to the monsters and chaos at that age. I was now a teenager giving the franchise a second look. I needed something more than the monsters to hold my attention. I was keenly aware of why Midway put Dr. Betty in the game. I would consider her the first pin-up girl of gaming. A less famous Jessica Rabbit for arcade visitors. She certainly offered plenty of eye candy in between the levels and helped keep me interested as the levels became more redundant.

The game was very much like the original. It was a chance for Midway to take as many quarters from arcade visitors as they could. The monsters seemed to take damage more easily than in the original game. Enemies would attack from both sides and sometimes pin the players down so they would lose all their health. Many encounters in the game felt cheap, It was as if Midway was going to make it painfully obvious what the purpose of the company was. The publisher did find ways to keep gamers from rioting. Some levels offered ways for players to recover health quickly and sometimes more than what they started with. The sheer volume of cities that players could visit was staggering, it was well over 100 and there certainly was no way for any arcade visitor to see all of those locations on just one quarter, one dollar or even 10 dollars. It didn't stop Midway from trying to keep the attention of players.

Midway introduced a few new mechanics for players to enjoy. Instead of having to scale up and down the sides of buildings, punching out one floor at a time, a player could stand on top of the building and jump on it and punch it until the entire unit collapsed. Players that fell from high floors took damage however players that pressed the jump button repeatedly could float down. It was a hilarious animation as the three monsters flapped their arms like cartoon characters in order to stay airborne. What the monsters ate not only gave them health but also introduced hidden animations. If a character ate an explosive they might burp up flame and smoke, if they ate a poison then they might vomit. Players that ate certain radioactive containers could build up for a transformation. Any character in the game could mutate into a winged purple monster nicknamed V.E.R.N. the violently enraged radioactive nemesis. In this form players could fly all over the screen and rack up tons of points. V.E.R.N. took damage at a slower pace and could hold his own against the giant robots that turned up in latter levels.

The main villain would be seen on some cut scenes. The CEO of SCUM Labs was a cigar chomping corporate-tycoon named Eustas DeMonic. Near the end of the game he got fed up with the monsters and mutated himself in order to take them on. The swollen bouncing Eustace was easily three times the size of the original creatures. He could flatten them simply by jumping on them. Thankfully the monsters could all gang up on him and take him down or wait to turn into V.E.R.N. to have a better 1-on-1 battle.

Once the player had destroyed every city on the map they were moved on to the final stages. Toxic Hollow in the USA and Luna Tech on the Moon. Toxic Hollow offered players a chance to battle Eustace one more time on Earth before facing him on the moon. Of course I didn't mind the trip to the Moon because it gave players a chance to see Dr. Betty in her skin tight space uniform.

On the moon players could see the damage they had done to Earth. A large bite shaped chunk was missing from the planet. Eustace, the military and even Dr. Betty were all determined to make a final stand. The buildings and scenery on Luna Tech were right out of classic science fiction storytelling. Buildings had habitable gardens and parks encased under domes on the roofs of the space towers. There were UFOs and other armed astronauts patrolling the level. The classic Lunar Lander and Alan Shepard holding the US flag from Apollo 14 could be seen in the background. These details were great, especially since the monsters could eat Alan and the Lander if they wanted.

After players had destroyed everything that they could on the moon then the final cinema played out. Dr. Betty landed on her rocket ship and blasted the trio with a shrinking ray. When the monsters had disappeared from sight the ship took off once more to Earth. It turned out that the sole survivor from SCUM Labs was not alone on the ship. Very few people saw the ending of Rampage World Tour. Midway left the ending open for repeat visits from the monsters. There were three other games published after World Tour but sadly any trace of Dr. Betty and Eustas were stripped from sequels. The giant monster genre had its first certifiable arcade hit. George, Ralph and Lizzie could even be considered the first recognizable mascots for the genre. I was bummed out that Dr. Betty would be nothing more than a footnote in history, she could have been a contender, especially a 50-foot version of her in a sequel.

Between the work of PC publisher Epyx and Bally Midway the monster template had been set. Gamers enjoyed the destruction with none of the pretense. If the action alone was enough to hold the attention of some gamers for over a hundred levels then perhaps other studios could find ways of making their own titles more memorable. The Japanese would answer the challenge in the early 1990s. The next blog will look at the giant monster game that I consider one of the most difficult but rewarding experiences ever. Please return for that entry.

The Giant Monster Series, part 8...

In 1986 the game console was trying to make a comeback in North America. The Nintendo Entertainment System had barely been out for a year. The boom and bust of the Atari 2600, released in 1977, had burned many retailers. The console was expensive as were the games. Many of the games were fun but very rudimentary. The subsequent release of the Atari 5200 in 1982 and Atari 7800 in 1986 were met with mixed reviews. Retailers felt that the technology for arcade quality at home experiences were still a long ways off. They would be right but not for long. What the retailers failed to understand was that the developers were learning to work with the limitations of the hardware, not despite them.

Nintendo would release hit after hit for their NES. Metroid, Super Mario Bros, Kid Ikarus, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out and the Legend of Zelda rightfully earned dedicated followings. The first generation of 8-bit gaming was well underway. The PC as game system was beginning to gain momentum as well. The Apple II, Commodore 64 and its family-friendly Amiga were finding their way into many homes and earning many followers. The PC was capable of putting more colors on screen than game consoles, have sprites that were larger and offered more frames of animation as well. While the home PC did not match up to the arcade hardware it was still much closer to it than the consoles. As such gamers expected more immersive experiences on PCs than home consoles. Things like saving games and customizing controls were featured on the PC well before cartridges were being equipped with internal batteries.

The giant monster found its niche on the PC that year. The Epyx Movie Monster Game came out in 1986. It was remembered for licensing the biggest monster star of all. Godzilla appeared on the box art as well as was a playable character. Epyx had first tried out the giant monster genre in 1981 with the game Crush, Crumble and Chomp, the Movie Monster Game. The earlier title featured knock-offs of famous movie monsters with names like Goshilla, the Glob and Mantra. Like many early PC games it required a certain level of imagination to enjoy. The second Movie Monster game was much more advanced but still used a number of generic monsters to fill out the ranks. There was a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man knock-off called Mister Meringue, Sphectra the wannabe Mothra, the Glog, a giant robot named Mechatron and a giant spider named Tarantus.



The developers let the genre help dictate the tone of the game. It was a bit of inspired design actually and helped bring players right into the world Epyx had created. The title screen for the game was the front of a classic movie palace. Players selected the type of adventure they were going to have by changing the movie posters above the ticket booth. They first chose which monster would be the star of the feature, then which city they would be visiting and last what the of adventure they would be on. Several major cities from around the world were playable; Tokyo, San Francisco, London, Moscow, Paris and New York. Players could choose to search for an item, usually a monster offspring, escape from the city and pursuing army, go berserk and be scored on how much damage they caused, or destroy a landmark. The next screen completely immersed audiences and was one of my earliest PC gaming memories.



Gamers were placed inside the theater to watch the monster film they had created. The curtain went up and the lights dimmed. There was an advertisement for snacks followed by a preview of other upcoming games by Epyx. Even though I was looking at single screen previews I was completely caught up in the experience. I felt like I was in the movie theater as well. After the trailers the feature presentation screen appeared. A title card announced the origin story of the creature, where it was headed and what it was after. I knew then that no console game could ever hope to match the experience offered by the PC. On top of the movie theater loading screens there were simply too many possible combinations of missions for a single cartridge to hold.

The game dropped players right in the middle of the action. There were a few things to keep track of at the bottom of the screen. A clock kept track of how long the player had been in the city or how many minutes they had to escape. The player had an endurance bar, one attack and the ability to scream or roar. Players could move in four directions, walk over traffic and topple buildings. On missions where players had to search for something or knock over a landmark a second bad would appear to let players know how close they were to the objective. If a player ran out of energy or if they completed the objective then the game would end. The city levels were very large, the ability to walk in any direction opened up the world for exploration. The characters each had their own unique animations and attacks.

No console game even remotely offered what Movie Monster did. It was easy to get caught up in the gameplay when the technology seemed years ahead of anything Atari, Nintendo or Sega had at home. The best part was the sheer number of possible monster / city / objective combinations offered to players. They could go back to the game again and again and never play the exact same experience twice.

When the level ended the screen went dark and the final score was tallied up. Players then found themselves back in the movie theater. The screen would sum up the devastation and whether or not the monster was successful, the credits would then roll. After the credits the lights would come back up in the theater and the curtain would drop again. I enjoyed that there was a virtual theater on the PC just waiting for the next monster movie to queue up. Most other games put players right into the action without letting them get settled into the world that the developers had created. This little bit of immersion went a long way. It demonstrated everything that was right about PC gaming. As much fun as Movie Monster was it was another giant monster game released in 1986 that became the star. We shall look at this game in the next blog.