Let's get this out of the way right now: I'm not really much of a fan of the "Dragon Ball" franchise. Not that I dislike the series, it was just never my cup of tea. As a kid, I was part of the "Pokémon," "Digimon" and "Yu-Gi-Oh" boats, but I never found a huge interest in "Dragon Ball Z" (or "DBZ," as some call it). That said, I fully believe that a fighting game based around the "Dragon Ball" franchise is a match made in heaven...at least on paper, because while "Dragon Ball Z: Budokai" has the right idea, it just doesn't execute it well.
Off the bat, the game really captures the feel of the show pretty well (basing this off of what little I've seen, along with word of mouth from friends who watch the show). It really feels like I can watch these cutscenes and understand the plot of the anime well. I also appreciate how the game actually follows the different "sagas" of the show, which makes it feel like it could be enjoyable even for people like me that have no experience with the franchise.
Unfortunately, that's about where the positives end. Though it captures the feel of the show, it certainly isn't visually brilliant, and it's extremely easy (and rather fun) to just make jokes about the weird animation and poor voice acting in the cutscenes. You'll also find yourself making jokes about the story and the dialogue, and worst of all, the gameplay is extremely frustrating. "Dragon Ball Z: Budokai" has all the potential in the world to be a really technical, exciting, competitive fighting game, but unfortunately, it's weighed down by some really poor controls that fall somewhere between "bulky" and "unresponsive."
It's clear that this game hasn't aged wonderfully and, unless you're a huge fan of the show or you really need a good laugh, you'd be a smarter person if you invested your time and money into a more interesting fighter. "Dragon Ball Z: Budokai" had some great ideas going for it, but unfortunately, it's a disappointing fighting game.
Final rating: 4 out of 10 "Bad"