You don't have to be a DBZ fan, nor a fighting fan for that matter, to enjoy the flashy over-the-top action of this game
The games graphics are as anime-like as they get on the ps2, and they really rock. From the characters facial expressions, to the detailed terrain textures. The graphics are quite appealing, and even if you don't like anime, you have to give the game some credit.
The gameplay is just plain awesome! If you played DBZ Budokai 3, then you might get the idea. Basically, you have you fighting moves and you Ki powers. Ki is kinda the mana in the DBZ world. Fighting moves are absolutely over-the-top. The game requires practice, and new players will find the bunch of combos a bit complicated, but after a lot of practice, you will easily pull off 20 hit combos. The Ki part of the fighting is much easier to perform. Once you have enough Ki power, you can pull you character's famous move from the animes. From spirit bomb to final flash, its all there. They are the craziest attack's you have ever seen. And after succesfully initating a Ki attack, you can sit back and enjoy the beautiful visuals, because they all look spectacular.
The game's story mode is just great.It really helps new players get the DBZ story in a nut-shell without being too short. The story mode is divided into sagas, which represent chapters of the DBZ series. However, players who have watched the anime, might feel that the story is a bit too summed up. Nevertheless, after the story mode is finished, you will truly feel like a hero.
Once the story mode is over, a number of other modes awaits. All of them are fun, and there's even a kinda-rpg mode, which is really simple, but solid. Most of these modes are short. Not Portal-short, but kinda Call-Of-Duty-5 short. They aren't extremely short, but the fall in comparison with the game's rivals. However, there is a lot of them, and they have a lot of replay value, because through them you will find Dragon Balls, which unlock new characters, costumes, stages, bonus content etc. So the game offers a lot on the single-player side.
But the true fun lies in the versus mode. No matter which mode you play, it is always a lot of fun to toss your friend around in the air, and then hit him with a Spirit Bomb. Words just can't describe it. You have to see it to believe it. And trust me, you will believe it.
The game isn't perfect. When you read that the roster has over 150 characters, you will probably have some balance doubts. And when you unlock all of them, you will realise that a big part of them is there just to get that number high. This can turn out to be a big dissapointment, but when you think about it, you were crazy for believing that high number, cause the anime doesn't have so much characters. Another weakness is the learning curve for newcomers. Although the story is well presented, the core gameplay is hard to get into, because of the complex combos.
That being said, if you have a lot of time and a PS2 on your hands, just get this game, you won't regret it.