As noted in our list of some of the best Godzilla games ever made, with Destroy All Monsters Melee being one of the best that captured the whole experience of battling other kaiju while stomping around a city. Longtime gamers know that there have been plenty of other titles that captured the similar spirit, and without the use of any Toho licenses. You can talk about Rampage (which was good for its time), or King of the Monsters (SNK knows its fighters), but for myself (and many others), the one that got it right the most was Incognito Entertainment’s 2003 effort, War of the Monsters.

The story for the game is pure cheesy 50s B-movie nonsense, where aliens have invaded Earth. Scientists respond by creating weapons that when activated, send out shockwaves that crash the UFOs. Unfortunately, the radioactive goo that powered the UFOs leaks out and mutates animals, plants, humans, robots and even the earth itself. From there, you pick one monster from the roster, defeat the other monsters and the remaining aliens, and declare yourself king.

Built on the theme of vintage monster B-movies, with tons of building destruction and even more tons of monster-on-monster action, War of the Monsters skirted around having to shell out licenses for Godzilla, King Kong et al by going the parody route. But hey, looking at monsters like Congar, Togera, Preytor and Ultra V, you could easily tell what Incognito was referencing. Incognito didn’t stop there, as they also had references to Mars Attacks!, Them!, War of the Worlds and other films that were all part of that 50s era of drive-in films. But with all that going on, was the game fun?

In two words? Hell yes! War of the Monsters used a relatively straightforward control scheme that allowed for some variation. Admittedly, it’s inadequate when compared to more deep fighters then and now, but once you got used to how to move around (and handle the camera), you were in for a lot of fun. For an arena brawler such as this, the control’s a bit more complex than what you’d get in Destroy All Monsters Melee or Super Smash Brothers, but Incognito still managed to keep it simple for you to get into the game. After that, it allowed you to expand upon the basics while having a ton of fun in the variety of things you could pull off.

Controls are just one part of what makes War of the Monsters fun. The whole idea of the game is you’re a giant monster, right? War of the Monsters absolutely caters to the idea of just what you’d expect. Picking up vehicles to hurl at your opponents is one thing, but picking up your opponent and hurling them into a building to see it come crumbling down on them (or yourself, if you’re not careful) is oh-so-satisfying.

Using towers and girders like baseball bats or javelins (or a sword as a, well, sword) is also in here to complete the fantasy, alongside stepping on the innocent people running for their lives. Incognito also sought to add a bit more dimension to fights by tossing in a few powerups that are found throughout the stages.

Then there’s the art. Incognito obviously put in a lot when it came to creating look and feel. Not just with the monsters, which perfectly capture that 50s aesthetic while maintaining a vague resemblance to their licenced counterparts. The added costumes are also great, with a great variety of looks (including a hidden Sweet Tooth costume for Agamo). The devs also used the colour palettes and lighting from the posters to light and colour each stage, which I’m sure there are some fans who didn’t even realize it.

And speaking of the stages, there are also those level-loading screens for each of the battles, which parody those same 1950s posters in their style. Again, Togera’s poster doesn’t exactly match with Godzilla‘s 1954 onesheet, but you get the idea. Plus, you have to appreciate artist Owen Richardson’s effort in capturing that 1950s feel in them.

Of course, you can’t forget the booming orchestral soundtrack by Big Idea Music Productions, aided in part by the legendary Tommy Tallarico. The soundtrack echoes the bombastic horn-filled nature of 50s monster movies scores (sadly, not enough theremin), which only enhances the onscreen carnage. Likewise, the sound effects have enough explosions, monster roars and laser blasts to bring satisfaction for those sticklers for detail.

Another no-brainer was the multiplayer. In fact, it would be downright criminal if the game never included it. Yes, while only having a max of two human players is a shame, it still results in glorious mashfests. You and a friend can go at it in glorious splitscreen that merges into two when you’re close enough, with the camera set up to mimic the epic standoffs you see in practically every Godzilla. Those aforementioned powerups took the gameplay to a whole other level during these matchups.

And if beating your friend up isn’t to your liking, there are also some minigames available, including a city destruction mode where you and your friend wreak havoc on a city to determine who causes the most damage.

Truth be told, there are some issues with the game. The camera can be overly sensitive when rotating, and the splitscreen during two-player battles can be a bit finicky, causing it to merge at inconsistent times, resulting in a bit of disorientation. The AI also doesn’t have much variation in its playstyle, and will turn to being extremely flighty when its health is low. And outside of beating the crap out of your friend, the other minigames don’t quite match up in the fun.

But probably the most glaring omission is a four-player option! Destroy All Monsters Melee had a leg up in that department, and seeing as the PS2 version was cancelled, Incognito could’ve taken advantage of this.

Though not selling enough copies to become part of the PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits line, War of the Monsters, like the B-movies it sought to emulate (and largely succeeded in doing so) is an obvious cult classic for gamers. Despite missing that four-player action, the game is still a blast to play with a friend (or friends, if you guys like taking turns). The sheer attention to the aesthetic and style can’t be ignored, and the game is simple enough to pick up and play, with enough variation in characters and attacks to allow you some depth.

It’s not Godzilla, but the fact that it’s a loving tribute that succeeds in replicating what it’d be like to stomp around a city, and beating the crap out of other monsters while you do it, is still good enough for many people. War of the Monsters is available digitally on the PlayStation Store, and for those who want a physical copy, the game is still easy to find.