One of the better fighting games for the PSP, one of the better Dragon Ball Z games in general.
One of the highlights in this game you'll immediately notice is how much this looks like Budokai 3, which is a VERY good thing. The characters look great, and all of the special effects that you see in the game, from the ki attacks (for instance, kamehameha), the aura that comes from the characters showing their power, and small things like dirt flying into the air when you power up really show they put a lot of care into this. However, there are some flaws, although they aren't much of a big deal. First, the environments aren't as impressive as Budokai 3's, and for some odd reason, they didn't put in the time to animate their mouth movement when they talk. Very small things, so you don't have to worry about it.
The sound, on the other hand, is pretty much what you have come to expect from a Dragon Ball Z game; lots of recycles music. This isn't necessarly a bad thing, since nothing in the game will really want to make you shut the volume off, but still a disappointment. Also, before each battle, the characters have the usual "wow, this is so exciting!" or whatever the specific character says. Other than that, you will not hear the characters talking very much, besides their screaming during battle, or saying their attacks. So, they didn't necessarly fail in this area, but they might want to put more effort into it in the future.
However, anything I might have said above that was bad doesn't really matter once you finally start playing the game. If you've played Budokai 3, you'll probably think this is a straight port, but there are a few improvements that make this game a little bit better. They've included a technique called Aura Burst, which makes your character have a large aura around their body, and with this you will go much faster and have the ability to do more damage to your opponent. Also, you will notice that there is a large amount of combos in the game that are easy to pull off, but satisfying. A few things they've put into this game that were already in Budokai 3 are teleportation, which allows you to dodge your opponents attack, but at the cost of 3 ki bars (in case you were wondering, out of 7 ki bars). Also, you can do a tornado combo, which allows you to teleport by your opponent and knock them around the screen, at the cost of one ki bar each time. And finally, by pressing X just as your opponent is about to hit you with a melee attack, you can dodge their attacks. These are just a few things that not only make it more like the show, but make it a more entertaining game.
Shin Budokai does have a few gameplay modes, such as arcade, time attack, survival, training, and story mode. Since all the modes are pretty self-explanatory, I'll only give a brief description about the story. Basically, Hell and Heaven have connected together, and because of this, villains have been able to get to Earth. Knowing this, Pikkon takes Goku to Other World to help out. This is as far as I go, since I'll end up spoiling the story line if I tell anymore. The story is more or less a bunch of what-if scenarios (which is what made Supersonic Warriors 1 & 2 so popular), and while it isn't very polished, I think it's great. Why? Because it is new, and finally you don't have to go through the Saiyan Saga all the way to the Buu Saga. Also, as a final note, there is two player, but you cannot go online.
There is one things about this game, however, that will turn almost everyone off, and that is the replay value. To be serious, it is nearly non-existent. During the game, you earn zeni (or money) for completing battles in story mode or arcade. However, all you can buy with zeni is stamps, which is to create your own profile card to show the people you play with. Now, I'm sorry, but this was just a pathetic thing to do. It doesn't really give a player the incentive to play through the whole game, other than to unlock characters.
This is a great game in almost every area. The presentation looks excellent, and really is a great reminder not of of the show, but the fact the the PSP does have the power to make games that look as good as the Playstation 2. The gameplay is smooth, quick, and surprisingly deep, and thankfully, all controls very well. The story mode finally gives us something new, and hopefully they follow suit in the future and make more games based off of DBZ movies. If you're looking for a good Dragon Ball Z game, look no further. If you're looking for a good fighting game for the PSP, then this is the way to go.