Let's
be honest here....who hasn't dreamed of getting into a rubber monster suit
and rampaging through a miniature city? Some of us may have even tried it,
but when you realize the cost of those tiny buildings and the suit, most
of leave that dream behind us. That's when King of the Monsters comes in
handy. Taking control of a giant beast, the game will drop you down
in a major metropolis where you'll be required to take out your opponent
and of course, the city that can double as a weapon.
The choice of giant monsters may be lacking, but the King Kong and Godzilla look-a-likes are enough to satisfy the majority of fans. There's also a giant beetle who can join in the battle, but honestly, who would pick a bug over Godzilla? The gameplay consists of punishing your opponent and bringing their energy bar low enough to keep them down for a 3-count. Not exactly the most sophisticated game ever created, but it's a blast to toss another monster through a bridge, and that's all that matters.
The move list is quite small with basic punches and kicks used for most of the battle. Holding down one of the buttons will charge up a power shot, inflicting a good amount of damage. When the two monsters are close enough, they'll grapple just like pro wrestlers. Pounding the buttons faster than your opponent gives you the upper hand and allows for a throw that will keep your opponent on the ground. This is fine when in multi-player, but playing against the computer is almost impossible. It's amazing how fast computers can press buttons these days....
While the game looks decent, it definitely shows it's age. The characters are poorly animated and lack any real detail. The city provides an appropriate background and the tanks that attempt to keep your rampage short fit the mood. A better variety of stages would've been welcomed as a majority of them have no difference between them.
Each monster has a distinct roar to set them apart, but that's about the only highlight of the games sound. Sirens will blare in the background, missiles will explode with some nice bass, but most of this isn't really noticeable with the monsters tossing each other around. When you think about it however, back when this game first came out, arcades were still crammed with kids and the sounds were impossible to hear. This wasn't exactly an area where programmers needed to spend a lot of their time.
The only other notable game in this, uh, genre, is Rampage. King of the Monsters gives players more room to battle with than the classic, and the fact that game focuses solely on fighting makes this a game with a bit more substance. If it wasn't for the computer constantly cheating to gain the upper hand, this one could easily eclipse Rampage. As it is, it still makes for a great multi-player game and it's a game that few people will ever forget.
