ゴジラチャレンジー1 & 2 Godzilla Challenge 1 & 2 (Takara Video Challenger)

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The games Godzilla Challenge 1 and 2 were made in 1987 by Toho for the Video Challenger. I reviewed the system in episode 84. For the Godzilla Challenge games no additional footage was shot. Instead sequences from three movies were cut together. The video you are going to see is recorded from the original VHS tapes, transmitted to my capture card via YPbPr. As such the video might be the highest quality version of the footage in the whole internet. Please remember that video on VHS is stored in a s-video like fashion but with much more compression using a color under technique. As such the video quality is not very high.

In the bottom of the screen are three sectors labeled LT, HT and EA. As soon as colored bars appear in these sectors it means that the footage shown on the screen may interact with the gun. LT and HT indicate targets which yield in a moderate or high amount of points upon being shot respectively. EA means that the screen shows areas which damage the player as soon as the gun is pointing at them. In the top right corner a timer shows how far the video tape has progressed. In the end of each game a score table ranks the player based on the achieved amount of points.

The first Godzilla Challenge game is solely using footage of the 1964 movie "Mothra vs. Godzilla". In this game Godzilla is the bad guy and has to be shot. Godzilla is appearing from the ground and starts a rampage in an industrial district. The military attempts an attack using the local power lines which just briefly stops the monster. Godzilla then reaches the egg of Mothra and attacks it. Mothra appears from the sky and protects the egg but dies in the process. The egg cracks open and two Mothra larva hatch. They manage to cover Godzilla in silk which causes it to fall into the sea where it disappears.

Godzilla Challenge 2 uses footage of the movies "Ghidora, the Three-Headed Monster" of 1964, and "Terror of Mechagodzilla" of 1975. The game consists of two independent halves each using one of the movies. In both of these Godzilla is one of the good guys and fights other monsters. The first part starts with the appearance of King Ghidora. While King Ghidora destroys a city a Mothra larva appears and tries to stop it without success. Godzilla and Rodan join the fight and together the trio is able to force King Ghidora to retreat.

In the second half of the game a Titanosaurus, an alien spacecraft and Mechagodzilla are destroying a city. Suddenly Godzilla appears and fights the two monsters. First Godzilla is able to destroy Mechagodzilla and then succeeds in dispelling the Titanosaurus into the sea. The selection of used scenes is very questionable, as it is never shown what happened to the spacecraft. Godzilla Challenge 2 has the same problems as the first game, but seems to be fiddled together even less carefully. A good example for this is the final atomic breath attack against the Titanosaurus where the developers couldn't be bothered to place target circles and instead the whole screens flashes as target.

The game play in both games feels plastered in. The targets don't seem to be carefully placed and shake around without apparent reason. These two games are certainly better than the game "Turtle Challenge" but that's not a tremendous achievement. In my opinion those three games are the worst entries in the otherwise interesting library of Takara Video Challenger games. As a huge Godzilla fan I am glad to own the Godzilla Challenge games and I had fun playing them, but I can't recommend them at all.

The boxes look appealing on the front and do a good job explaining the game on the back. Personally I enjoy the design.