This is the last console release for the series. Rampage: Total Destruction is another reboot, so you can forget everything from the previous games. I’m not sure if the series needed to be rebooted, but it needed to be freshened up with some different gameplay.
Rampage: Total Destruction was released in 2006 for the PS2 and GameCube. The next year, it was released on the Wii. It wasn’t received well by critics. The scores are better than Rampage Through Time, but that isn’t really saying much.
I’m going to cross my fingers and hope for a good game. Just because something gets average to bad review scores doesn’t mean it is a bad game. It is possible to have fun with something like this.
TLDR: A much-needed improvement on the PS1 games.
Narrative
The story has changed a bit from the original. Our three original monsters (George, Lizzie, and Ralph) were taste testers who worked as taste testers for Scumlabs. They try something called Soda S, get mutated, and then are contained in Cryo-Tubes, which will totally solve the problem.
So, the monsters break out and go on a rampage. They seem to be more mindless than the previous games, and no one is upset with Scumlabs, even after the soda starts turning more people into monsters. It is an odd shift from the other games.
The story is okay. I’m not sure I like the mindless nature of the monsters. It feels like the story is simply used to explain why there are so many monsters and how they were created.
Gameplay
The gameplay is much better than the previous games. This is a 2.5D version of the classic arcade game. You can move around like a beat’em up, with a foreground and background on top of scrolling left to right.
The roster has been greatly expanded with 25 unlockable creatures. That seems to be the only thing this series seems to change from game to game. More monsters and more ways to destroy things. It also ties into the game’s plot.
All the same items and enemies are back. I don’t mind this because that is basically what you would be fighting as a giant monster. It is what you should expect, and is a call back to the arcade game.
The monsters act the same. They do have some special attacks, but they aren’t too different from each other. You pick your favorite and go from there.
Getting used to the 2.5D movement and attacks takes a little time. Once you do, it is a great concept for a game like this. It is everything I wanted from the three PS1 games.
You have more freedom to move around in this game. There are also more things to do as the developers made most of the environment destructible. Being able to pick up cars and kick people is surprisingly fun.
I like the gameplay, even if the developers didn’t move too far from the original. The 2.5D approach worked out quite well. This game is more fun than the three PS1 games.
Visuals
Rampage: Total Destruction looks very good. I played the GameCube version of the game. The game was released late in the GameCube and PS2’s lifecycle, so the developers knew how to get the most out of the hardware.
I like how the monsters look in this game. They appear to be angrier and more menacing. It is a nice change from the more cartoonish look of the previous games.
The city looks good, and there is more variety in what you’re seeing. There wasn’t too much they could do here, given how the series is set up around destroying cities, but they tried to make things feel different. Humans and vehicles also look better than in the other games.
I liked that the game let you climb all over the buildings. You’re not limited to the sides, which is something I didn’t realize I would like as much as I did. Throwing cars and humans also looks very good.
This is the best-looking Rampage game, but that is to be expected. The GameCube version is awesome. It is easy to see what you need to do, and the monsters look very good.
Reviews at the Time
The reviews were mediocre to good. No one loved this game, but no one thought it was terrible. This was actually a step in the right direction for the series, but it was also the end of it on the home console.
IGN gave the game a 5/10. They praised the attempts to improve the gameplay and add more things to do, but called the gameplay sub-par. The reason was the changes in attack animations and how it can be difficult to line up attacks.
GameSpot gave the game a 5.7/10. The reviewer liked the improved graphics, but said the gameplay was stuck in the arcades. They called the game an “obsolete relic” at worst because the gameplay didn’t measure up to the Godzilla games from the same developer.
Game Informer gave the game a 6.5/10 and the second opinion review gave it a 6.75/10. The first reviewer didn’t see the game connecting with a new audience, given how video games have changed over the years, and that it was mostly for Rampage fans. The second reviewer says it doesn’t have “huge glaring flaws,” which is probably the nicest thing someone could say about the game.
Rampage: Total Destruction was an arcade game released on the home console. In 2006, most people were expecting more from video games, but there was still room for a fun game like this with simple controls. I think the reviewers got this one right. It is an average to good game.
7.5/10. This isn’t anything amazing, but it is my favorite since the original game. They tried some new things, and they paid off. It isn’t an amazing game, but it is mindless fun.
Pros
- Large Roster
- Good Graphics
- Great Gameplay
Cons
- Repetitive
Conclusion
Aside from the original game, this is the one I had the most fun with. The 2.5D perspective was a welcome change to the standard formula, and the game tried a few new things that feel like they should’ve been in all the games. Rampage: Total Destruction feels like an action movie.
This isn’t anything amazing, but it is a fun distraction from other games. It lacks a story, but as an arcade game, it didn’t need some grand narrative. I like it a lot, even if it is repetitive.
If you liked this post, please check out my reviews of the other Rampage games, such as World Tour and Universal Tour.