Good
I have long been a fan of the Dragon Ball Z series. The series has a "love it or hate it" reputation, but even those who do love the series aren't afraid to say that a lot of the games based on it haven't exactly been that good. The Budokai series is a major exception to the rule. Its two-dimensional fighting action has been nothing short of excellent, and definitely one of the best Dragon Ball sub-series of games. In 2005, Budokai Tenkaichi was released, which totally reinvented the Dragon Ball Z fighter. Did they do a good job. To find out, read on!
OVERVIEW:
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi was released in October of 2005 in the United States. The game features several characters available right off the bat, as well as many more characters/forms that can be unlocked. There are many different gameplay modes.
REVIEW:
I had some doubts about this game, and some of those doubts I was right to have. This is a good game, but sadly, lots of little problems kick it down a notch. Let's check out the pros and cons of Budokai Tenkaichi.
-THE GOOD:
-THE GREATEST GRAPHICS EVER SEEN IN A DRAGON BALL Z GAME. EVER. This game's graphics, particularly in the opening intro, are nothing short of excellent. I have mixed feelings about cel-shading, but this game does cel-shading better than any other game on the market at this time. It's the ultimate triumph for this graphic style
-EXTREMELY INNOVATIVE. Previous Dragon Ball fighters restricted you to a two-dimensional fighting plane. But here, you have huge, three-dimensional arenas, with tons of different and interesting locales to battle in. This game makes every effort possible to capture the free-flowing, fast-paced battles of the anime, and it succeeds beautifully,
-YOU HAVE THE OPTION TO HEAR THE ORIGINAL JAPANESE VOICES FOR THE CHARACTERS! As a die-hard fan of the uncensored, unbutchered Japanese version of the series, I can't tell you how happy I was to discover this.
-LOTS OF DIFFERENT GAME PLAY MODES. With all the different game modes, this is a game that is likely to hold your attention for a long time, should you be able to get into it.
-TONS OF UNLOCKABLES. Dragon Ball games always have unlockable stuff, and there are a ton of hidden things in this game, including many more characters than just those initially available.
-CHARACTERS ARE IN THIS GAME THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY NOT PLAYABLE IN ANY OTHER DRAGON BALL GAME! Granted, most of them have to be unlocked, but it's just awesome that so many of these characters, deprived of their place in earlier games, get it here. It's about damn time we got a Dragon Ball game that lets us play as Chiaotzu! Likewise, the ENTIRE Ginyu Force is here! There are even little-known characters, like Janemba, the villain from the twelfth movie. Furthermore, the game also boasts a few original series and GT characters. With all the different characters and forms of them, there are close to a hundred different playable identities in the game!
-THE BAD:
-PLAY CONTROL. I understand that the game maker wanted to be innovative, but the controls in this game just aren't that good. They take some major getting used to. Even I, a veteran gamer, had a big problem adjusting to them. Most of the flaws in this game stem from the control issues.
-THE ACTION IS TOO FAST-PACED! I understand this was done in an effort to capture the feeling of the anime, but combine it with poor play control that is extremely tough to grasp, and the end combination is NOT something desirable.
-THE COMPUTER IS TOO DIFFICULT TO DEFEAT. Granted, this is mostly due to play control issues. However, it is still a key issue. In the story mode, because of all these little problems come together, it must have taken me ten tries just to defeat Raditz! Now that hurts.
-IT IS UNCLEAR HOW TO UNLOCK/OBTAIN THINGS. I understand why the unlockables remain a secret; it adds some fun to the game. However, many different items/skills/etc. must be obtained in the various game modes, and it's confusing as to what does what, and how it must be obtained.
-THE STEEP LEARNING CURVE MAY TURN AWAY POTENTIAL PLAYERS. The control issues are obviously the biggest factor to blame for this, but just the same, I wish they would have found a way to make the game more accessible.
Overall, I think that this game is a very mixed bag. Where it succeeds in one area, it fails in another. If you're a die-hard fan of Dragon Ball Z, definitely check the game out, but I strongly recommend you try before you buy.
EDITION NOTES:
At the time I write this review, the game is still fairly new and fairly popular. You should have absolutely no trouble finding it in any place that sells video games.