Retro Revelations

Friday, March 24, 2023

My Top Favorite Game Boy Games

I think it's high time I give you fine folks another peek at some of my favorite games, by console. In the past, I've talked about what are probably still essentially my Top 10 Favorite Games of All Time. I've also in more recent years gotten more specific, talking about many of my favorite games for my Favorite Console of All Time (NES), as well as favorites for what is probably my Second Favorite Console of All Time (SNES). So NOW, I think it's about time I dive in a bit to talk about some of my favorite games of all time, to what is most likely my Third Favorite Console of All Time...the Game Boy!

Similar to the NES and SNES, growing up a poor kid, I obviously never got systems when they were new. Hell, when the NES first launched and first became popular in the mid-80s, I had no idea it even existed. I don't think I really knew about it until around 1988, at the earliest, possibly not even until 1989. Simply because I didn't know anyone who had one until then. I didn't get my own NES until probably around September 1990, and didn't wind up getting a used SNES from a cousin until around Christmas 1995. As for the Nintendo Game Boy, the first true dedicated portable video game console, while it originally launched (to great acclaim and success) in 1989, I didn't get one until Christmas 1993.

The original "Gray Brick" Game Boy, which I owned.

I suppose the big difference, though, is that I got the NES as it was starting to become "old news", as the SNES was about to launch the following year (though I was SUPER thankful that the system continued getting games, including some GREAT games, until 1994), and likewise I got the SNES when the N64 was on its way in 1996,. With the Game Boy, I got it probably at the peak of its popularity. Nintendo was weird with the Game Boy, in that it launched in '89, but they didn't release a true successor to it until 1998 (the Game Boy Color), which in this man's opinion was about two years too late. But regardless, that original "Green Screen" (Black & White graphics) hardware, was going strong for most of the 90s. So when I got mine, it was at the height of its powers.

That said, the circumstances surrounding my getting it were odd, to say the least. The grandmother who raised me, as I've related and impressed many times in the past, was a real piece of work. She could be cool at times, but she could also be a real nightmare. And you could never quite tell when "nightmare" was going to come into play. I found myself grounded from video games (except ironically PC games) for two whole months (a lifetime to a kid, especially a sheltered kid who didn't have friends that lived anywhere close to me), in the fall of 1993, because I got caught *GASP* playing Super Mario Bros. 3 for multiple hours. As you might well imagine, I was fairly miserable during that stretch, as the NES was a huge part of my life then. And it was compounded by the fact that I discovered I would no longer be getting Kirby's Adventure, a game I had just recently rented and loved, as a birthday present. I was pretty devastated, to say the least. I was allowed a couple of hours moratorium on that grounding, on my birthday in late November, so that I could play NES with my friends who came to town for my party. But the grounding was back on until probably almost mid-December. Practically almost Christmas!

So imagine my genuine surprise, come Christmas Eve (we always woke up around midnight to open our presents), when I got a whole GAME BOY and at least two or three games, as Xmas gifts! She would, for no good reason at all, later inform me that she was sending a copy of Pac-Man back, instead of just letting me have it (more of her inconsistent logic), but I had beauties like Tetris and Link's Awakening! All told, I only came to own six Game Boy games, along with a Game Genie and a Light Boy peripheral. Which was hilarious, because you could only plug one of them into the system at a time, so you had to choose whether you wanted to cheat, or see the screen! I also didn't get to leave the house a whole lot, and didn't really feel like playing the games out in the yard, so the vast majority of my Game Boy playing was done in my trusty bean-bag chair, in my little book-shelf nook in the corner of my room, behind my bed. I would play it, plugged in so it retained power, and usually with the aid of Light Boy so I could see the goddamn screen, sometimes for hours, though I rarely got away with that.

The clunky Light Boy attachment, both a light AND magnifier!

Sufficed to say, it's not hard to understand why at least some of the games I owned back then, are still to this day some of my top favorite games for the system, period. While I only had a handful of games, even compared to my beloved NES treasure trove (I wound up with 20 something NES games as a kid, mostly thanks to a couple local stores going out of business, before my grandmother passed when I was 13), I was very fortunate in that NONE of them were crap. In fact, some of them were some of the best games on the system! So let's waste no more time, and dive right into what precisely some of my All-Time Favorite Game Boy games are!

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1 – Game: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Publisher: Nintendo, Originally Released: 1993

The game that I spent the most time playing, both because it's a big adventure game, but also because I wound up loving it the most, was also the game that to this day is still my overall favorite Legend of Zelda game of all time, Link's Awakening! This was the very first Zelda game, I'm fairly certain, that I ever played as a kid. I would experience Zelda II at a friend's house at some point, but I didn't really get to play it myself. And while I am certain that I borrowed or somehow played the original "Zelda 1" at a young age, I don't think that predated this. Link's Awakening was my own true "First Zelda", and I got swept up in that fantasy world, quickly and easily.

Still beautiful, in the preferred original "Black & White".

Everything about this entry in the storied series, from its quirky humor, to the several Mario cameos (such as being able to temporarily have a CHAIN CHOMP as an ally!), to my beloved Roc Feather for manual jumping. Everything was/is great about this game, and it's my preferred favorite Zelda experience. To me, because I played this first, by the time I got A Link to the Past (what many consider the "best" game in the series) years later for Christmas 1996, because it had many of the same mechanics, but didn't have jumping, wasn't as imaginative and quirky, etc., I LIKED it, but it almost felt a bit passe, compared to Link's Awakening.

And truly, they did an AMAZING job, translating the ALttP experience to the Game Boy's limited hardware. It really looks and feels QUITE similar, the graphics even having an almost "16-bit" look to them. No matter how you shake it, from the gorgeous graphics, to the excellent soundtrack (still my favorite version of the main "Zelda Theme"), to the large, enchanting dream world, this is hands down one of the very best games the Game Boy ever received. And it is easily my very favorite Game Boy game of all time. If you've never tried it, or even if you've played the recent Nintendo Switch remake, I'd say you need to go back and try this original masterpiece. You'll be glad you did!

2 – Game: Mega Man V, Publisher: Capcom, Originally Released: 1994

As for what is probably my second favorite Game Boy game, that would have to be Mega Man V. Not to be confused with Mega Man 5 on NES, the Game Boy had its own MM series, after a fashion. Except that while they had some new content, the first four games in that series, were made up of parts of the NES Mega Man games. For instance, Mega Man II featured four bosses from Mega Man 2 on NES, and four from Mega Man 3. This would continue for Mega Man III and IV. But for Mega Man V, Capcom finally stopped being lazy, and gave Game Boy its own FULLY original Mega Man game, a wholly unique experience! Not only that, but MMV holds the distinction of being the ONLY traditional Mega Man game in the entire ridiculously expanded franchise, that doesn't hold with the OG series' convention of all bosses being named "____ Man" (like Heat Man), or the X spin-off series' convention of every boss basically being "Adjective Noun" (such as Chill Penguin).

On the magical Super Game Boy!

In Mega Man V for Game Boy, the Earth is invaded by "Stardroids", allegedly robots from space! And while Dr. Wily (SPOILERS!) is of COURSE involved, the robots he builds THIS time, are made of stronger "space metal", and based on an ACTUAL space robot he discovered, the final boss "Sunstar". Regardless, these "Stardroids" are named after the nine (yes 9, Pluto's still a planet, dammit!) planets of our solar system. Mars, Mercury, Neptune, etc., all except Earth, which HAS an equivalent, but he's a boss you face more than once, named Terra (because I guess "Earth" didn't sound cool enough). MMV also featured a couple other elements unique to it, the first being the "Mega Arm" upgrade for your traditional Mega Buster, which as you can see above, shoots out a big FIST instead of a blast of energy. This fist is useful, because it can be used to snatch hard to reach items, and there's even an upgrade you can buy from Dr. Light's workshop, which basically makes it attach to a given enemy, and punch them to death! The OTHER unique element, is a new robo-pal, who for some idiotic reason is ONLY featured in this one, sadly more obscure entry in the series: Tango, the robo-cat! Tango is a special weapon you can summon onscreen, who essentially turns into a big buzzsaw, bounding around the screen, killing enemies for you. Plus he's adorable!

As you can also see above, Mega Man V was one of several later Game Boy releases, that were extra-compatible with the Super Game Boy peripheral for the Super Nintendo. While all Game Boy games were playable on the SGB, which was a cartridge that you slapped your tiny Game Boy carts into, which allowed you to play them for your Super NES on TV, only some of them were made with the SGB specifically in mind. Normal GB games you could still "colorize" with limited palettes, and choose from several generic borders. With games like MMV, they came programed with their own palettes (still limited, but some looked MORE "colorized" than others), and their own unique screen borders. When I got the Super Game Boy, quite randomly as I recall, in 1996, I was stoked, because now my handful of old Game Boy games had new life, as I could play them and enjoy them on a bigger TV screen. Though, as a side note, I DO generally prefer to experience my Game Boy games in the original "black & white", just as I dislike "colorized" black & white shows or movies. There's something about those "colorless" GB graphics that I find quite charming!

Overall, while Mega Man 2 on NES is my top favorite MM game of all time (and 2nd favorite game of all time, period), Mega Man V on Game Boy is my 2nd favorite Mega Man. It's just a really fantastic game, a great soundtrack, cool and actually useful boss powers (especially the Black Hole you get from Saturn, which sucks enemies into it, and politely drops any items right onto you), just a fun and unique entry in the franchise in general. If you've never played it, go dig it up somewhere (even if you have to find it on the "side of the road"), and give it a whirl!

3 – Game: Kirby's Dream Land, Publisher: Nintendo, Originally Released: 1992

As I related earlier in this article, my first experience of Kirby, was actually the sequel to this, Kirby's Adventure on the NES. I'm going to going to guess that I probably rented Adventure sometime in the summer of '93 (it released in May), but either way I didn't even own a Game Boy when I played that. I was aware of this original game, however, through gaming magazines, and the neat claymation commercial which I'm sure I saw on TV. But I'm eternally grateful that HAL Laboratories made Adventure for NES. They could have made it for Game Boy, a logical sequel to one of the most successful games on the portable powerhouse (they would later make Dream Land 2 for Game Boy in 1995). Or they could have made the sequel in full-blown 16-bit, on the still fairly new Super Nintendo. But instead, Nintendo decided that the old, now mostly "defunct" NES, deserved a sequel to Dream Land instead. And not only did they make a sequel, they absolutely went nuts with it!

This original game is simple, but brilliant. However, it lacks many of the conventions of the series that most people are used to, such as copying enemy powers, hell, even a simple act like being able to slide (which for some stupid reason you STILL can't do in Dream Land 2). In Kirby's Dream Land, which was made as most early Game Boy games were, with "bite sized", shorter portable gaming sessions in mind, all you can do, is suck up enemies, and either swallow them, or spit them back out as stars. Seems very basic, compared to the rest of the series. HOWEVER, while short and simple, Dream Land IS still a very funny and whimsical experience. When it first launched, there was really nothing quite like it. While sadly I never got to play this game when I first had my Game Boy as a kid (for some dumb reason rental stores just didn't want to rent out Game Boy games), I still got to play it later in life, and my abiding love for Kirby makes me love it more than even some gems I actually owned and got to play in my pre-teen/early teen years.

This game was somewhat remade as "Spring Breeze" in the SNES Kirby Super Star game, but I would still highly suggest experiencing Kirby in his original Game Boy form.

4 – Game: Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land, Publisher: Nintendo, Originally Released: 1994

Another Game Boy gem I spent a lot of time playing, was the original Wario Land. Wario first appeared as an oddball new big bad in Super Mario Land 2. He's a greedy, fatter, vulgar, almost doppelganger of Mario himself, and "Evil Mario" if you will. But, he also proved to be quite popular with fans, so much so that similar to what they did with Yoshi, Nintendo took a chance, and gave him his very own game!

Technically speaking, this game, and the rest of the Wario games that follow, is a spin-off of the Mario series. It does, in point of fact, have almost nothing to DO with Mario. But, much like the original Yoshi's Island on SNES, they still titled it "Super Mario Land 3", because corporate marketing logic says that that type of thing, retaining a name connected to something that has already succeeded, will somehow make the new product more of a success. As far as I'm concerned, this isn't "Mario Land 3", and Yoshi's Island most definitely is NOT "Super Mario World 2", and I don't think either needed those confusing titles. I think they would have done JUST as well, had they simply been called Wario Land and Yoshi's Island.

But as for the game itself? It's certainly an odd duck, but then you'd expect it to be, centered around an odd character like Wario. Where I suppose you could state that Mario games tend to have more "classic" style enemies, Wario's enemies and bosses were quirkier, more out of left field. Where Mario games tend to have often brighter, bouncier and energetic music, Wario Land features a very off-kilter soundtrack. In fact, one of the games musical idiosyncrasies, is that many of the tunes in the game, are different variations on what you could call the "main theme", differing in tone and "flavor", to fit the differing worlds you traverse.

I wouldn't say that I LOVE Wario Land, or his series in general, certainly not like I love the classic Mario titles. But given how much I played this as a kid, I AM rather fond of it, and they definitely didn't skimp. Wario Land is a high quality product, and a sizable adventure well worth playing for the portable powerhouse.

5 – Game: Donkey Kong, Publisher: Nintendo, Originally Released: 1994

Another game that I'm including in large part because it was one of the handful of games I actually owned when I originally owned a real Game Boy (and didn't play them on other platforms, via emulation), is the 1994 remake of Donkey Kong. Yes, yet another '94 hit for the gray brick. 1994 was an excellent year for gaming in general, but especially so for the Game Boy and Super NES. Even the old NES still got some love (the last year, in fact, that it received new games in North America), with releases like Star Tropics 2, Mega Man 6, and Wario's Woods

In fact, '94 could also rightly be called the "Year of DK", because not only did the Game Boy get this great exclusive, but the SNES also received the super-popular Donkey Kong Country. However, DK on Game Boy is more than just a straight remake. While the game does in fact begin with versions of the original four stages from the arcade classic, once you beat those, the adventure explodes into something else altogether. There's actually a nice graphical touch, where those classic stages look simple like the arcade did, but once you dive into the MAIN adventure, the graphics become more snazzy and elaborate, with more detail, backgrounds etc. All told, DK '94 features a whopping 101 total stages, spread across 9 worlds. And in each world, you are faced with new (sometimes quite sinister) types of puzzles and obstacles to overcome, but you're also taught new moves or abilities to use in overcoming them.

This game is elegantly simple, like its arcade forebear, but it's also deceptively deep, and can become quite challenging. Nintendo didn't skimp when it came to the content of this game, any more than they did with Link's Awakening or Wario Land. This was truly a golden era, in the late 80s and early to mid 90s, when companies like Nintendo, Capcom, Konami, etc., actually gave gamers their money's worth, regularly releasing high quality games, often stuffed to the gills with more content than they honestly needed to pack in. We were spoiled in those days, but I'm glad we were.

If you've somehow never had the classic Donkey Kong experience, I'd say that there is no better way to rectify that, than with this game.

6 – Game: Tetris, Publisher: Nintendo, Originally Released: 1989

Another game I'm including in part because I owned it back then, and thus played it a fair bit. But it also deserves to be included, because it is, simply put, one of the finest puzzle games ever created. In fact, it innovated and established conventions that countless other puzzle games would emulate, for decades to come! Created just for fun in his spare time by one Alexey Pajitnov, Tetris first blessed the world (or rather, Communist Russia), in 1984. Through licensing via the Russian government (poor Alexey wouldn't see a penny for his mega-ton creation until the 1990s), versions of Tetris made their way outside the "Iron Curtain" by 1987 and 88, for various platforms. But it was Nintendo, winning the "licensing lottery" if you will, who secured the full rights to make their own version of Tetris (not to be confused with the unlicensed Tengen Tetris), exclusively for their own gaming platforms, in 1989.

Tetris on the NES was a major hit, even though it nonsensically didn't include 2-player gameplay. But Tetris on the Game Boy, was not only THE major launch title of the Game Boy's debut in the summer of '89, but for many the pack-in game included with the system itself. That not only made the Game Boy an instant smash success, further spreading a love of video games to many people who otherwise didn't "game", it was also THE version that helped make Tetris a household name. Tetris on Game Boy went on to become one of the top best selling video games of all time, and as stated, people from all walks of life who otherwise didn't play video games, would often buy themselves a Game Boy JUST for Tetris, and would be addicted to JUST that game, for years!

As for my own Tetris experience, I first played it when we rented it on NES, probably in late 1990 or into 1991. It's very possible that my grandmother may have rented it more than once, which she did with multiple games she liked, though for some reason she never just bought us a copy of it. It wasn't until receiving the Game Boy for Christmas 1993, that we finally owned a copy. And wouldn't you know it, she would go on to regularly annoy me by keeping ME from playing my Game Boy, because she was spending hours playing Tetris herself. She really should have just bought it on NES. But as for me, while it may have been one of my lesser played GB games, I did still spend a fair bit of time playing it. And for my money, while I'm quite fond of the NES version, and certain later iterations of the game, I am quite nostalgic for this OG Game Boy game the most. Not the least of which, because unlike the NES game (who knows why it lacked it), the GB version has THE classic tune that most people just call "The Tetris Song", a fantastic 8-bit rendition of "Korobeiniki", a Russian folk-song.

7 - Game: Avenging Spirit, Publisher: Jaleco, Originally Released: 1992

One of the games that I first wrote about for my Forgotten Gems series, Avenging Spirit was originally a somewhat obscure but ahead of its time arcade game by Jaleco. And surprisingly, the ONLY port of any kind, was to the Game Boy (the same was true for fellow arcade classic Tumblepop). As I impressed in those pieces a decade ago, these are games that should have been ported to NES, and/or even the fairly new at the time Super NES, or Sega Genesis, or PC. But nope. Game Boy was it. Which, on the one hand, sucks that those other platforms didn't get ports of what is a really unique, fun game. But I guess, on the other hand, it IS neat in a way, that GB had some oddball exclusives like that.

Originally titled "Phantasm" in Japan, this quirky arcade hit really was ahead of its time in a way. Specifically, the core mechanic of the game is that you play the ghost of a dead man, who is trying to save his girlfriend from the same fate. To do so, you must possess enemies, and use their abilities to fight their fellow henchmen, on your way to rescue her. For one thing, it's very unique for a 1991 game, or hell, ANY game, to feature your main hero being a ghost who's already DIED! Meaning, in some sense at least, the hero of the game already lost before the story begins. But it's also unique in that, unlike Mega Man or Kirby, where you absorb/gain a defeated enemy/boss' power, in Avenging Spirit, you literally BECOME the enemy themself. The enemy abilities aren't SUPER varied, but you can become many different things, like a high-kicking punk chick, a magic-wielding wizard, a gun-toting mobster, or even a fire-breathing dragon!

The Game Boy port is a bit different, naturally, than the arcade original, having its own graphical look, and somewhat different (but similar) levels. I'm not sure if EVERY enemy/power from the arcade is present in the GB version, but there are still a fair few. All in all, it's a good port, and a game I'd highly recommend (on arcade OR GB). It's another game I wish I'd been able to play as a kid, because I would have loved it (though the hero already being a ghost would have made me a bit sad).

8- Game: Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2, Publisher: Kemco, Originally Released: 1991

As I covered in depth when exploring the history of one (technically TWO) of my favorite NES games (Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout and Kid Klown), the history of Kemco's Crazy Castle series is a somewhat confusing one, and pretty unique in gaming history, to boot! When I rented The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle on NES, I had no idea that in Japan it was a Disney game that starred Roger Rabbit! I just rented it because I loved Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes. I also had no idea that in Japan, there were multiple Game Boy entries starring another childhood favorite of mine, Mickey Mouse, or that in America, those too were transformed into Bugs Bunny games. All told, because of different licensing deals for different international regions, this Kemco franchise featured Roger Rabbit, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Garfield, the Real Ghostbusters, the European character Hugo, and Woody Woodpecker. I don't think any other franchise can make that kind of claim.

I like Crazy Castle on NES, in fact if I had made the list even longer than it is, I'm fairly certain it would be in my Top 30 or at least Top 40 NES games, for sure. But it isn't in my Top 10, or even Top 20 (though Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout, and Kid Klown, are). But this is another case where I really wish I had been able to rent Game Boy games as a kid, and had been able to play at least one of these Game Boy Crazy Castle games, because the series grows and improves over time. The first Game Boy entry, which again was a Mickey game in Japan, is extremely similar to the NES/Famicom game.

Same game, different characters.

My favorite entry (excluding Kid Klown, which was technically Mickey Mouse III in Japan), is Crazy Castle 2 on Game Boy. It sticks to the same core set-up and gameplay, wherein you guide your hero through a series of rooms, collecting keys (originally carrots, or hearts in the first Mickey game) while avoiding enemies. In the earliest Crazy Castle entries, you merely collect all of the items in a stage, and once you have, the stage is clear, and you move on to the next. A very simple, arcade-like experience. In Crazy Castle 2, however, it gets a bit deeper and a tad more complicated, as while you do collect keys, this time around you actually use them to unlock doors, one key per door. There are also non-locked doors, and each contains some kind of item, whether it be another key, or a weapon you can use against enemies and obstacles in the stage. You eventually get all the keys, and unlock the exit of the stage, moving you on to the next.

It's just good, simple fun, perfect especially for Game Boy's "bite-sized gaming on the go" motif. Crazy Castle 2 has a nice variety of enemies and stages, more, I think, than the first NES or GB games. If you've never played any of the Crazy Castle series, I highly suggest playing at least the original NES game. But if you get a chance, check out Crazy Castle 2 on Game Boy, I think you'll have yourself a dang blasted good time!

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I'm going to make a quick admission: PART of the reason that I'm only listing 8 games, besides saving time (and you more reading), is because, sadly, in ALL the years I've had access to Game Boy roms, there aren't a ton of original GB games I've sat and played through, and beaten. There are MANY I've played, and liked, but not enough that I feel confident in saying "THIS is one of my favorite GB games". I absolutely need to change that, and thus I'm certain I will expand this list in time. One game I actually owned and played a fair bit as a kid, that I DIDN'T list, was Kirby's Pinball Land. It's a good game, probably one of the best pinball video games ever made, in fact. But while I like it, I don't LOVE it, so thus I didn't list it. I've also beaten, and quite like, Super Mario Land 1 & 2, but I left them off this time around, because they're not TOP favorites, over those I did list.

Here are some other GB games I like, however, that may well be considered candidates for an expanded Top Favorite Game Boy Games list (as well as other games you should definitely check out):

Super Mario Land

Trip World

Kirby's Star Stacker

Metroid 2

Super Mario Land 2

Gargoyle's Quest

Kid Niki (different from the NES game)

Knight's Quest

Mickey's Dangerous Chase

Kirby's Dream Land 2

Battletoads (different from the NES game)

TumblePop

Bonk's Revenge (different from the TurboGrafx 16 game)

etc.

Saturday, October 8, 2022

Godzilla Chronicles: Terror of Mechagodzilla

Well here we are! This Godzilla Chronicles journey began all the way back in May, 2014, in part as a way to honor a "new Godzilla" coming out, the first Legendary Pictures film. I was always going to write about my love of classic Godzilla films, but that seemed like as good as time as any to finally get started. I wound up deciding to cover the entire Showa series of Godzilla films (as in Toho films of that era that actually featured the "Big G" himself), and wound up most years, doing two entries, or if you prefer two movies a year. And as I said, here we are! It's now October 2022, essentially the 10 Year Anniversary of Retro Revelations itself, and what better way to celebrate, than by wrapping up what I consider the greatest period in monster movie, and certainly Godzilla history?

The final battle?

When I left you last time, I was discussing 1974's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, or as I had first known it as a kid, "Godzilla vs. The Cosmic Monster". While all of the Showa Godzilla films (and most other assorted non-Godzilla Toho monster/sci fi flicks of the era) are technically connected, some of them are actually direct sequels to one another. For instance, Godzilla Raids Again was a direct sequel to the original Gojira. Invasion of the Astro Monster was a direct follow-up to Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster. And in a looser sense, Godzilla vs. Megalon was KINDA a sequel-ish to Godzilla vs. Gigan. And with a couple of odd exceptions, Terror of Mechagodzilla is a direct continuation of the first Mechagodzilla film.

His helmet lets you know he's special.

Those couple of exceptions, are really cosmetic for the most part, but still odd changes, or in one case exclusion. Firstly, you'll notice in the picture above, that those dastardly aliens from the Third Planet of the Black Hole, have upgraded their attire to include some very stylish helmets! I have no idea why they didn't bust these bad boys out in the first movie, because they certainly scream "Hey, we're ALIENS over here!" I guess cool headgear was only part of their "If our FIRST attempt fails" plan.

The exclusion I mentioned, is that in the first film, it was pretty clearly established that these kooky xenos, were actually some kind of strange green ape-men. Their "human" looking facade would disappear when they were either damaged, or would die. Yet in Terror, the only time you see any of them change form like that, a dude just straight up rips human-looking makeup off, to reveal underneath a decidedly NON-ape looking, either mutated or burnt face. Again, totally cosmetic, but a very odd, non-continuity conscious choice on Toho's part.

In THIS corner, the Big G himself!

And in THIS corner, Mecha-G...Mark 2?

As I mentioned in the other article, "Cosmic Monster" was a movie I first discovered thanks to the wondrous spinning VHS rack out in the aisle at our local Walmart, when I was probably around age 10 or 11. For Terror, however, the only reason I got to see it, was because it was included in one of the Godzilla Marathons they ran a couple of times in my pre-teens on the original format of my beloved TNT's MonsterVision. In those early pre-Job Bob Briggs days, when MonserVision focused pretty much entirely on classic sci fi, horror and monster flicks from mostly the 50s and 60s, with a dash of 70s, I clearly remember there were at least two major Godzilla marathons they ran. The one that stands out the clearest in my memory was "Godzilla Bash '94", which was a New Years Eve all night celebration. I don't remember which one I first saw Terror in, but I do know that it was one, along with Godzilla vs. Gigan (or as it was called "Godzilla on Monster Island"), and probably Mothra vs. Godzilla, that my grandmother stayed up and helped me record on blank tapes (which of course I was thrilled about).

Whip it, whip it good!

Now while I was, of course, absolutely thrilled to be able to see "new" Godzilla movies I hadn't yet seen, as I wanted to see them ALL, it would only be fair to relate that even upon first watch as a kid, I remember being a little disappointed in this movie. Not that it doesn't have its finer points. I knew from a cool Godzilla book I found at the library, that this was the last of the original Godzilla series. And I also knew it was a sequel to the tape I already owned. But somehow, this film being a much darker affair, along with the new monster Titanosaurus (we'll get to him in a bit) being somewhat goofy and underwhelming, it just didn't feel as cool to me, as the first Mecha-G film. And for the most part I still feel that way today.

The master at work.

One of the reasons this movie is notable, is because after taking several years away from directing films, to rest and do a bit of television work, the great Ishiro Honda returned to direct this. I'm not entirely sure, in the planning stages, if they knew for certain that this would wind up being the last Godzilla film for a decade, but that is of course what it wound up being. So in that sense, it was only fitting that the director to help originate this phenomenon, return to the helm one last time. And one last time is exactly what it was, for Terror would wind up being the last film that Honda directed himself. He would, in later years, spend time assisting his close friend Akira Kurosawa with some of his 80s and early 90s works.

Akihiko Hirata, back one last time as Dr. Shinzo Mafune.

His haunted daughter Katsura.

Plot-wise, the film focuses on both the efforts of Japanese military and scientist trying to find the remains of Mechagodzilla in the ocean, as well as the case of a mysterious girl and her allegedly dead father. The father in question is Dr. Shinzo Mafune, a disgraced and bitter scientist, played by none other than Akihiko Hirata, who played Dr. Serizawa in the original Gojira film. That was a nice touch, having him basically book-end the series. But where Serizawa was a reclusive but more or less benevolent scientist, Dr. Mafune is more your angry-at-the-world mad scientist variety. He has teamed up with those bastard aliens, both because they saved his daughter once upon a time, and because they offered him the means to prove his theory of being able to control animals through technology. The specific animal in question, being the giant (and doofy looking) Titanosaurus, the last brand new Kaiju of the Showa era.

Hello, my name's Fred.

I do clearly recall, even as a kid obsessed with monsters and monster movies, feeling that poor ol' Titano, or as his friends call him, Fred, was kind of a let down. Not a TERRIBLE monster design, but basically, he's a giant amphibious dinosaur, with fins even on the end of his tail. And aside from apparently a REALLY strong bite, that's his whole attack, outside of brawling, is turning around and fanning his tail-fin back and forth, creating hurricane force winds. A monster attack, I might add, already done by flying monsters like Rodan and Mothra, but far more imposing. I don't mean to dump on poor Fred, it's not his fault, after all. But in all blunt honesty, of ALL the 70s Toho kaiju they came up with (the creatures in Space Amoeba, Hedorah, Gigan, Megalon, King Caesar, Mechagodzilla, hell even the SUPER obscure Daigoro and Goliath), Titanosaurus is unfortunately kinda the lamest one.

The roles are reversed!

Since their "invincible" Mechagodzilla was defeated by the combined might of two monsters (though mostly Godzilla) in their previous caper, those mad-cap clowns from the Black Hole decided to take a page out of the enemy's playbook. THIS time, they were gonna use an "improved" (not really) Mecha-G, in tandem with Mafune's controlled Titanosaurus, both to crush Godzilla once and for all, as well as to conquer Japan. The thing is, they included this wacky idea to have Katsura, Mafune's daughter, who as it turns out they had to turn into a CYBORG to save her life in the past, be connected mentally to Mechagodzilla. In addition to her already being the one who handles controlling Titano. So they literally put all of their eggs in the Katsura basket, even though she's conflicted, and has a thing for studly scientist Ichinose, who has been trying to study Titanosaurus too, and "believes in her". Hoo boy!

That's just not right.

Christ, I'm on fire!

Well, their nefarious plot seemed to pay dividends at first, as their Titanic Team, their Colossal Connection, did in fact wreck some major havoc on poor Tokyo, AND they managed to do a real number on poor Godzilla when he first shows up. As seen above, Titano apparently has a SUPER strong bite, and neck, because at one point, he just bites Godzilla's lip, and uses THAT to slam him around like a rag doll. Quite possibly the goofiest looking thing the Showa series ever produced, outside of Godzilla flying backwards. As you can ALSO see above, and not for the first time in the series, at one point when explosions were going off on set, the Godzilla suit caught a bit of FIRE, so thinking it looked wicked-cool, they decided to leave it in.

Take THAT!

Wait...WHAT?

There really isn't too much to say about the final showdown between Big G, Mecha G, and Fred. I personally would have preferred if they had dusted off Godzilla's buddy Anguirus (my 2nd favorite kaiju) one last time, and made it a tag team affair again. For one, because it would have been a bit more interesting, and for another, it would have been a nice opportunity to follow up on the previous film, and have Angy seeking revenge for Mecha breaking his damn jaw! But alas, they decided to have Godzilla go it solo against two opponents, I suppose to make him look stronger in the end.

Ichinose, the good guy science man, discovers almost by accident while aboard a submarine, that Titano's mental control device (basically a pair of metal antennae), can be disrupted by sonic waves. So he and the Science Squad concoct a setup that allows them to shoot his ass with sonic waves from a helicopter, aiding Godzilla by more or less taking Fred out of the fight. This leaves Big G and his metal doppelganger, to finish the fight as they should. Though honestly, Mecha was more imposing in his first outing. He's supposed to be "upgraded" here, but he actually lacks the force field ability. Instead, his only new gimmick, essentially, is a "GOTCHA" moment to the audience, as in their previous fight, Godzilla ripped his fuckin' head clean off! And this time, when he does it again, SURPRISE, he doesn't need no head! As seen above, he instead has this doofy little dome that shoots a laser.

I wouldn't have spoiled even THAT much of the final battle for you fine folks, but I felt it was too funny/novel not to share.

Hey, it was the 70s man.

So in a nutshell, as I intimated earlier in this piece, the way I felt about this movie after my first viewing back in the mid-90s as a youngster, is pretty much how I still feel about it today. That isn't the case with certain movies, even just in the Godzilla series. For instance, as I mentioned in its own article, the first time I finally got to rent and watch Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster, for whatever reasons I wasn't very impressed. But upon coming to own it in my 20s, and repeated viewings over the years, its really grown on me, to the point that I'd probably put it in my Top 5 Godzilla films. I also turned quite a bit on All Monsters Attack (or as I first saw it on TV, "Godzilla's Revenge"), which even as a kid I felt the overuse of stock footage, and the fact that Godzilla and Monster Island in the film were just a kid's daydreams, was kinda lame. But my sour take on that film improved, and while the glut of stock footage IS still lame, I appreciate it for what it is now.

But Terror of Mechagodzilla? I still feel, in a way, that it was the Showa era going out with a bit of a whimper, instead of a bang. It's not a BAD movie at all, in fact in certain ways I think Honda did as good a job as he could, given even tighter budgets than he had to deal with in the 60s. But when I really think about it, out of all 15 actual Showa Godzilla films, I might honestly like Terror the least. Yes, even below All Monsters Attack, surprisingly. That film has a charming and endearing story of a kid who has to spend a lot of time alone because of working parents, coming to grips with bullies, and life, at its core. Terror is still interesting, and I DO like it, it IS definitely a good movie, but I dunno. It just somehow kinda lacks that spark that even the first Mechagodzilla had.

Still a great monster, though.

All that said, there isn't a single Showa Godzilla film, or even any of the greater Toho Showa sci fi catalogue, that I truly dislike. They all have a spirit and a charm that is just unmatched by more modern takes, even with bigger budgets and improved effects and filming technology. The "suitmation" techniques they used, especially for these old films, was an art form unto itself. It took a lot of hard work, to build the miniature sets, to make things look reasonably believable at a small scale, to build these elaborate (and often great looking) monster suits, for tough-as-nails actors to actually ACT in those heavy, sweat-house things. You name it! It's an art form that's largely lost now, at least in feature film form. I do believe shows that continue to get made in Japan, like the Super Sentai (Power Rangers), still use suitmation and miniature sets. Which is good, because much like 2D animation, or Stop-Motion animation, or Jim Henson type puppetry, I don't EVER want to see this wizardry that Eiji Tsuburaya pioneered, truly fade away. That would be a tragedy and a crime.

With the last of the Showa Era Godzilla films covered, I am also now going to put the Godzilla Chronicles sub-series to bed, I think. My goal was always mainly to just cover the old, original series Godzilla films that I love so much. I do think I will, eventually, do pieces on non-Godzilla entries I love, such as Rodan, Mothra, Frankenstein Conquers the World, or King Kong Escapes. Hell, I may even someday get a bug up my ass to go ahead and cover the Heisei, or even Millennium film series. But for now, I think that the end of the Showa Era, is a fitting end to my Godzilla series as well.

So as always, I want to wish you all a very happy Halloween season, and I sincerely hope you take my works as inspiration, and watch a lot of these wonderful old films that exist. SO much goodness, and it breaks my heart to know there are TONS of people who are perfectly content to mostly just watch whatever new shit comes out. Ignoring the vast array of amazing older shows, cartoons and movies (and games, books, music, comics, etc.) that exist, I truly believe is doing yourself a major disservice. But I digress! Just please do old "Retro" a favor, and watch some classics as we count down to another All Hallows Eve, ok?

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As an added bonus, I thought I'd share my personal order of the Showa series, ranked from most liked to least!

1. Invasion of the Astro Monster (Godzilla vs. Monster Zero) - 1965

2. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster) - 1966

3. King Kong vs. Godzilla - 1962

4. Godzilla vs. Hedorah (Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster) - 1971

5. Destroy All Monsters - 1968

6. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster - 1964

7. Gojira (Godzilla: King of the Monsters) - 1954

8. Godzilla Raids Again - 1955

9. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla - 1974

10. Godzilla vs. Gigan - 1972

11. Mothra vs Godzilla - 1964

12. Son of Godzilla - 1967

12. Godzilla vs. Megalon - 1973

14. All Monsters Attack - 1969

15. Terror of Mechagodzilla - 1975

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Here is the full list of Godzilla Chronicles articles, if you've missed any:

1. The Beginning

2. Gojira (aka Godzilla: King of the Monsters)

3. Godzilla Raids Again

4. King Kong vs. Godzilla

5. Mothra vs. Godzilla

6. Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster

7. Invasion of the Astro Monster (aka Godzilla vs. Monster Zero)

8. Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster

9. Son of Godzilla

10. Destroy All Monsters

11. All Monsters Attack

12. Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster

13. Godzilla vs. Gigan

14. Godzilla vs. Megalon

15. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

Thank you for reading!

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Godzilla Chronicles: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

Back again for the last two installments of the Showa Era. For the last two Showa Godzilla films Toho would produce, before giving the franchise a decade-long rest, they introduced a new and fearsome threat for "The Big G" to face, one who was every bit his equal, in some ways. And one that would go on to be not only one of his most iconic and popular foes, but also one that would see new versions/interpretations in the subsequent eras. You could argue, the ONLY monster, due to its mechanical nature, to receive literal "upgrades".

My first exposure.

As I'm sure I've related in the past, I didn't get a VCR in my home growing up, until around 1989/90. So while I'm sure it's very possible I may have seen SOME kind of Godzilla film on TV before that, my Godzilla experiences, as far as I can properly recall, began with my grandmother buying a VCR. And the VHS tapes we would buy almost 100% came from the local Walmart, which at the time had relatively recently opened in the town where I lived. There was a specific tape rack, one of those spinning column ones, located out in the aisle, right outside of the electronics section (which also played host to my beloved Nintendo games). It was that rack, which served as a home for almost exclusively ALL of the Godzilla, Super Mario Bros., Bugs Bunny, etc. tapes that would be "my" VHS treasures.

The first such tapes we got from that rack, of course, were Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, and the American release of the original, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Others would follow, but eventually, one day when going shopping, as I often would, I gravitated towards that magical tape rack once more. It was magical to me, because I never quite knew what kind of gem I would find, as there were often new ones. The problem, of course, as I painfully experienced with Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster, was that I then always had to try to talk my grandmother into actually BUYING said treasure/tape. But luckily for me, the day I saw the box art pictured above, was a day she said "Yes". Just seeing the art mesmerized me, Godzilla fighting some giant ROBOT! And "The Cosmic Monster" sounded incredibly mysterious, whatever could it BE?

The REAL title.

Still just learning my way through Godzilladom, at the tender age of probably 9 or 10 years old, I had no way of knowing beforehand, that such a film existed. But upon reading the back of the box, imagine my shock and awe, at learning that there was a "MECHA-Godzilla"! Sufficed to say, I couldn't wait to get home and pop this bad boy in. I HAD to have this movie when I saw it, and once it was mine, I HAD to see/know what it was all about!

Poor Angy.

Released in 1974, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (alternately titled Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster and Godzilla vs. the Bionic Monster) was directed by Jun Fukuda. He was the director of previous series entries Sea Monster, Son of, Gigan, and Megalon. Mr. Fukuda was the second most prolific director of Showa Era Godzilla films, behind Ishiro Honda himself. In fact, the only Godzilla film (out of the 14 original entries, not counting other Toho sci-fi/monster efforts) to NOT be directed by one of those two men, was 1955's Godzilla Raids Again, the direct sequel to the original film, which was directed by Motoyoshi Oda. While Fukuda's initial 60s turns at the G-wheel were somewhat lighter, island-bound affairs, more typical of the decade in general, his 70s Godzilla films (with the possible exception of Megalon), tended to trend a bit darker.

This is especially evident in this film, as it opens with a great volcanic eruption, and my 2nd favorite kaiju monster, Anguirus, witnessing what appears to be Godzilla rising up and storming off towards Japan. But you see, Angy (as his friends call him) is a smart cookie, and he can tell that something is amiss. So early in the story, as this "Godzilla" is very robotically stomping along, Anguirus ambushes him, and jumps his ass, managing to claw off a chunk of his flesh! Underneath, wouldn't you know it, this strange "Godzilla", whose mechanical roar sounds NOTHING like the real deal, reveals shining silvery metal. Trying his best to put an end to this charlatan, Anguirus takes him on, but the Fake G is too much for him, and in perhaps the most brutal monster scene of the original films, and VERY reminiscent of King Kong (in fact already mimicked in 1967's King Kong Escapes), Fake G straight up forcibly breaks poor Angy's jaw! Seeing that as a kid kinda mortified me a bit. But Anguirus is a resilient bastard, and manages to run away, tunneling underground (an ability he only displays in this movie).

Godzilla vs......Godzilla?

The imposter REVEALED!

Thankfully, Anguirus probably ran back to tell the REAL Godzilla what was up, because before long, Real G shows up to confront Fake G, in a quite literally explosive battle. Godzilla does some real damage, clearly pissed that someone is trying to ruin his good name (wouldn't you be?), and in surprisingly short time, the imposter reveals himself in a blaze of electric flames. Where once the Fake G stood, now you saw the mechanoid terror above, in all of his metallic glory! And let me tell you something, this Mechajerk was no joke! He was outfitted, as you learn throughout the film, with jets for flight, heavy plated armor, re-loadable missile fingers, and bad ass rainbow laser eye beams! And if THAT weren't enough, he ALSO has a chest panel that shoots electric bolts, AND he can create a force field around himself! Those aliens thought of everything! But wait...I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

Those alien BASTARDS!

I don't know what it is about Earth, but seriously. in Godzilla, many other old sci-fi films, classic comic books, Doctor Who, you name it, our home planet seems to be THE hot spot of the galaxy, that all of these other Cosmic Crumb-Bums want in on. In the Showa series alone, prior to Mechagodzilla, there had been no less than FIVE Toho films (including non-Godzilla fare), which saw dastardly aliens trying to take what's ours. They just won't stop! And the new kids on the block in this movie, inventors of the seemingly all-powerful Mechagodzilla, might just be the biggest jerks yet. Hailing from the "Third Planet of the Black Hole" (wherever the hell that is), where the last few batches of Xenos tried to use multiple monsters to attack us, these pricks are so arrogant, they think they're going to get it done with just ONE monster: Mechagodzilla.

Some of our heroes.

Meanwhile, as is always the case in these monster movies, there do also happen to be human characters milling about, do their thing. In this particular case, a couple of brothers, the Shimizu brothers Keisuke and Masahiko, are busy studying different stuff in Okinawa. While one brother stumbles across an ancient statue (with a prophecy about ancient monsters to boot!), the other goes exploring a local cave, and discovers a chunk of strange, non-terrestrial metal, that comes to be called "Space Titanium". While Keisuke runs off with a hot archaeologist he meets named Saeko, to study more about the statue, Masahiko takes the metal chunk to Professor Hideto Miyajima and his daughter Ikuko, to identify it. It is during these escapades that these guys, these gals, and these professors, get into more adventures, with Dr. Miyajima and crew witnessing the first battle between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla and finding some more "Space Titanium", which sends them on a chase looking for its source.

While the brothers' uncle Dr. Wagura and Co., find themselves assaulted by people who are after the statue. Keisuke and Saeko also keep finding themselves running into a mystery man (pictured above), who claims to be a reporter, but he acts more like a spy. The two professors are of special note, as both are played by frequent Godzilla actors. Dr. Wagura is played by Hiroshi Koizumi, previously starring in Godzilla Raids Again, Mothra, Godzilla vs. Mothra, and Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster, among others). And Dr. Miyajima is played by none-other than Akihiko Hirata, who starred in the original Gojira as Dr. Serizawa, as well as Rodan, Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster, and Latitude Zero, among others.

The OTHER other monster.

I won't spoil TOO much more of the plot, but I will say that around midway through the film, due to some hot coffee to the face of a returning statue thief, it is revealed (no joke), that the alien menace behind Mechagodzilla, are actually weird, green-faced APE men! Far out, right? Though not as far out as, say, the aliens really being giant COCKROACHES, ala Godzilla vs. Gigan. Anyone who's familiar with the old Mystery Science Theater 3000 show, might well be aware that Japan also produced OTHER ape-men science fiction properties in the 70s, and my guess is, someone over there took a real shine to the popular Planet of the Apes movies that were prevalent in the decade.

Godzilla, having faced some difficulty in his first encounter with his robotic doppelganger, certainly wasn't left all by his lonesome in this story. While his good buddy Anguirus was KO'ed by that mecha-bastard, Toho had another brand new monster up their sleeve for just such an occasion. That monster would be of the "Ancient Protector of the Okinawan Royal Family" variety, referred to in the western release as "King Caesar". You know, as in Emperor Caesar, from ancient Rome? Well, on that note, it just so happens not to be the monster's actual name. In truth, the giant fluffy guy you can see above, was really called "King Shisa", which to anyone up on their Chinese mythology, was a kind of guardian spirit, a sort of "Lion-Dog". And that's basically what good ol' "Caesar" is. Except that he can walk upright, he can box like a sonuvabich, and when evil monsters shoot inevitable beam attacks at him, he can reflect them right back AT them, with his own fancy eye beams! All in all, not a bad new monster, one of the cooler ones of the 70s, I think.

It's like looking in a mirror!

Fun Fact: Punching Space Titanium HURTS!

The only problem, is that to activate your Ancient Okinawan Protector home defense system, you've got to do some serious prayer-singing. In fact, it might take you an entire extended performance on a beach, before you finally get that sleepy giant to wake the hell up! But awake he does, and at first, Caesar actually tries to take on the Marauding Menace all by his lonesome. Without spoiling the WHOLE thing, let's just say he doesn't do so hot. BUT, our hero Godzilla finally shows up just in the nick of time, and these two strangers quickly perform the Mega-Powers handshake, and unite as the greatest tag team this world has ever known...besides Godzilla and Anguirus, that is.

A force field is basically cheating, right?

Movie specific power activate!

Leaving the final battle for you to enjoy yourselves, I will reiterate that those Black Hole jerks weren't messing about when they made Mecha-G. When your killer robot can spin his head around REAL fast, and generate a nearly impenetrable force field that hurts to even try and PUNCH? That's what I call advanced planning. Thankfully, as I've mentioned in more recent previous entries, the 70s Showa films had a bit of thing for introducing new one-film-only abilities that Godzilla employs in his fight against evil. In Hedorah, it was the goofy-as-hell use of his thermonuclear breath to be able to fly through the air...BACKWARDS! In Megalon, it was the somewhat infamous (thanks to MST3K), but in my opinion awesome "Sliding Tail Kick" attack.

And in "The Cosmic Monster"? Well when Godzilla went back to Monster Island to lick his wounds from Round 1 with Mecha-G, he was assailed by a random lighting storm. The lightning struck him several times, and somehow, it infused him with some manner of electromagnetic field. WHICH he conveniently was able to basically store up in his body, until right when he would need it, late in the story. It seems to have been a one-use sort of deal, so you can understand him saving it up, much like in a video game! Godzilla is nothing, if not a master of strategy.

In another life, they coulda been pals.

All things considered, kid me was quite happy with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla upon seeing/owning it. In fact, for a long time, even though I previously owned Godzilla vs. Megalon on tape, and would come to see Godzilla vs. Gigan and Terror of Mechagodzilla thanks to TNT's Monstervision, this gem would be my favorite 70s Godzilla flick for a long time. It wouldn't be until well into my 20s, that I would come to like Hedorah, aka "The Smog Monster" even better. At first I didn't even love Hedorah that much, as it was so WEIRD. But it really grew on me, and well into my adult years I came to be quite fond of it. But Mechagodzilla is still my 2nd favorite 70s G-flick, with good reason. Even IF Gigan extensively features my boy Anguirus.

I tend to always end these things by suggesting that, if you've never seen this particular film, I really think you should (I mean why would I talk about them if I didn't want you to WATCH them, right?). And Mecha-G is no different. It's one of the best 70s Godzilla films, and while I think it misses out on my personal Top 5, I'd say it's one of the better Showa films overall. It didn't originate the concept of a monster (or hero for that matter) having to face his own bionic double. Toho themselves had done that back in 1967 with King Kong Escapes (another movie I'll have to write about someday)! But if you ask me, while Mecha-Kong was cool, Mechagodzilla is the bee's knees. A perfect, armed-to-the-gills foil for the mighty Godzilla. And between you, me, and the internet, probably Godzilla's deadliest foe, this side of King Ghidorah.

So with this year's Halloween season WELL underway, if you do like I do (and you should), watching horror and monster movies in celebration, make sure to add Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla to your list! You'll thank me later. And with THAT said, there's now officially only ONE last Godzilla film of the Showa series to go! So make sure to keep a look out in October, for not only the last entry in this Godzilla Chronicles adventure (at least for a solid while), but ALSO, the 10 (yes TEN) Year Anniversary of Retro Revelations itself! Make sure to watch plenty of old films, and I'll see you next month!

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Here is the full list of Godzilla Chronicles articles: