Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 First Look

If there's one thing the Dragon Ball Z universe has no lack of, it's content. With hundreds of characters streaming forth from the manga, anime, and film DBZ properties, the world contains a wealth of material from which to draw when developing a video game. The first game in the DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi series found a decent balance between interesting gameplay mechanics and the massive Dragon Ball Z roster, and based on our first look at a recent Atari press event, Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is upping the ante considerably for the second game in the series.

The first place to start, of course, is the roster of otherworldly fighters that will be featured in the game. Whereas the original Budokai Tenkaichi featured around 50 playable characters, the second game is upping the number to 70. What's more, characters will each have multiple forms they can transform into--Goku, for example, can switch into two separate forms of his alter-ego Super Sayain. Also, because you will have some ability to customize your characters, the total amount of selectable characters comes out to somewhere in the neighborhood of 120, quite a step up from the last game.

The variety isn't limited to the characters, either. The fighting environments have been upgraded--they are larger than in the first game, for one, and they feature a number of destructible items such as boulders and buildings, which can be broken apart during combat. One particularly devastating supernova attack can actually destroy the planet you are fighting on, transforming the fighting environment from a lush and green field to a stark and desolate wasteland.

The backgrounds in BT 2 aren't just bigger and more interactive; they look different, as well. The development team behind the game has done away with the cel-shaded environments from the first game and created more photo-realistic levels this time around. One level we saw, Dying Namek, showed a mountainous, heat-blasted landscape with craggy mountains and blasting volcanoes. It's certainly a departure from the animation-inspired levels of the last game, but the contrast between the cartoon characters and the more realistic-looking environments makes for a nice switch.

Fighting in Budokai Tenkaichi 2 still plays similarly to last year's game--you still mix things up between close-quarters strikes and long-distance energy blasts, and the players have the ability to fly all around the environments. The camera angle, much criticized in the previous game, has improved substantially, resulting in a much more flexible camera that rarely seems to get in the way of the action and still lets you see everything you need to see. A number of new moves and combos will also be packed into the game, including a particularly cool teleportation combo that lets you sock your opponent a few times, toss him into the air, then teleport behind him and continue the onslaught. The ability to transform to a new form in the middle of the battle is another cool addition. What you change into will have an effect on how you fight--one character's transformation into a giant fighting ape, for example, meant that he was slower and less agile than in his original form, but his attacks were much more powerful.

Another important addition to the fighting in BT 2 is the introduction of tag-team mechanics. Whether fighting with two fighters against one opponent or engaging in two-on-two battles, you'll be able to tag in your partner at any given time to keep dealing the pain to your foe. In addition to tagging in and out, characters can combine their powers into a fusion fighter who is more powerful than either of the original characters.

Budokai Tenkaichi 2 will feature a story mode that is played significantly different from that found in the original game. Instead of a mostly linear progression, BT 2's story mode--known as dragon adventure mode--plays more like a role-playing game, letting players choose from several missions on a world map to move the story forward. This flexibility lets you choose when you wish to move to the next crucial plot point or simply spend some time leveling the characters in your party by traveling to other points on the map and taking on opponents. In this mode, you'll be able to engage in minigames, interact with folks found in the many cities, or find customized items that you can buy and sell with money you earn from winning battles. In all, dragon adventure mode will feature approximately 60 hours of gameplay.

Other modes in the game include the obligatory training mode; multiple battle modes, including ultimate battle (which is a ranked battle system that has you climbing a ladder from the bottom to the top by beating foes), tag battle, and dragon battle; the Evolution Z feature, which lets you customize your character; the dragon library, which is an encyclopedia of the DBZ universe; an item shop; and a data-center option. By saving your customized characters in the data center, you receive a password that you can then upload and share with friends so that they can make the exact same customized character, if they wish.

While we only got our hands on the PlayStation 2 version of the game at Atari's press event, we did see a video of the Nintendo Wii version of the game in action. While the content will be very similar to that found on the PS2, the controls will understandably be considerably different. The nunchaku controller is used to move your character, while the traditional Wii controller is used for attacking and defending. As you might expect, you can use the Wii's motion-sensing capabilities to great effect in the game.

The way you move your hands will determine which special attacks and combo moves your character uses. Using both hands in a striking motion, for example, will let Goku pull off his Kamehameha energy attack. Similarly, if a character is armed with a sword, using slashing motions with the Wii controller will result in slashing attacks onscreen. There's a bit of a delay between the movement and its execution on the screen, but for the most part, it seems to work pretty well. The developer seems aware of the amount of exertion involved when using the Wii controller for long stretches and was quick to point out that if you get tired blasting foes with energy attacks using the Wii controller, you can always plug in a GameCube controller to your Wii, sit back and relax, and devastate your enemies with just your fingers and thumbs.

In all, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 seems to be a worthy sequel to the original game--one that is bringing more to the series not just in terms of sheer content but also in terms of gameplay. We'll have more on this game in the future, so stay tuned.