The take away from this whole experience should be that some things are better left in the past. So, if you want to tackle this game, do bring a pal along for the ride. The ability to compete to create the most chaos in the city offers a small pocket of joy in this otherwise barren and lifeless affair. At its core, this game is still a reasonably competent arcade game and the ability to enjoy this with a friend really shines a light on this. However, the saving grace of this game is the multiplayer functionality. The storyline, the overall gameplay, the progression and the AI are all laughable in truth. Instead, you will complete simple tasks and challenges on a 2D plain, playing as a selection of characters which are only different in aesthetic as each has the same moveset, playstyle and the cookie cutter character approach is unforgivable, especially for a game that offers so little to begin with. Then as for the gameplay, it’s actually rather shocking that this game decided to retain the 2D side scrolling formula rather than opening things up and allowing players to terrorize the public in a more open setting. However, thanks to the limitations of the Wii, they are hardly worth celebrating. We will admit that the visuals are of a higher quality than the more recent Playstation One releases. The game simply does nothing to evolve from the rather primitive gameplay of past titles in the series.
Gaming had moved on quite a lot when this game dropped in 2006 and sadly, the tired format of this series doesn’t hold up under the scrutiny of the modern gamer. The danger of reviving a successful game of a past era is that it won’t be received in the same way as before. However, is this game cathartic carnage personified or does this game only serve to damage the reputation of this arcade classic. This game is all about causing the most destruction as possible. However, if we were to compare this game to other popular releases, we would say that Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters, War of the Monsters, Blast Corps and Red Faction: Guerrilla. This game is rather unique in its concept and gameplay. We find out in our review of Rampage: Total Destruction. However, it may surprise you to find out that Midway managed to build a very successful arcade series in the eighties by allowing players to live out this rather mindless yet cathartic concept.
Can you imagine a scenario where you grow taller than skyscrapers, stand tall in the middle of a metropolis and begin trashing the city? To us, it sounds like the kind of dream you have after raiding the bag of grated cheese in the fridge at 3 am.