Don't get me wrong, I'm a HUGE DBZ fan. This DBZ title did great considering its platform,just not enough to offer.
Hey, they still got that training tutorial mode to help all the newcomers with all the basics. They also got that "Free Mode", otherwise known as practice mode where you can..........well.....Practice. Also similar to Budokai 3.
Now, this is rediculous. How many games about Dragon Ball Z have come out AFTER the Buu Saga was Long over and only went so far as to go to the Cell Saga. Welp....................this ISN'T one of them. And now this brins up the story mode. This is the first game where you can actually go through every single character's ( well........in the game) story + just play by the Sagas. This is cool and all, but the fact that there is ONLY 13 playable characters in the game and that some of the storylines for some of the characters are somewhat boring and made-up kinda brings you out of the whole experience. Anyway, the characters you can play as include: Goku, Krillin, Piccolo, Gohan, Future Trunks, 18, Dr. Gero,Vegeta, Cell, Frieza, Buu, Captain Ginyu, and Gotenks.
Now, the characters bring us to transformations, right? WRONG! (sort of). There are things called (Now you probably NEVER heard of something like this before) "Points" (ooooooooo.........AaaaaaaaaHhhhhhhh). you earn points by completing story modes, beating a team in Challenge mode(which is when you choose a team of people to go up against an assortment of computer controlled teams), or get a highscore in Z Battle mode (where you battle a bunch of people to get a high score on the boards, It's cool becuase the score are determined by a scouter reading or a power level on a scouter). Anyway, those points you earn can be used to purchase different levels of your characters(you'll be surprised, I'll talk about that in a minute) different story mode sagas, different computer diffuculties, and a MUSEUM (ooooooooooo......aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh). NO! not exactly that kind. I lets you see some official DBZ artwork, the SE used in the game, the game music and more.
Ok, anyway, back to the transformations. Now in this game each character has 3 levels(self exclamitory) level 1, 2 and 3. The higher the level the stronger the character is and how "old" they are. Each one will might have different cloths and moves depending on who they were during that time. For example, Level 2 Gohan I think is SS2 Teen Gohan, Whole Level 3 Gohan is Regular Adult Gohan. This part of the game is all mixed up and variable.(you might not get it now, but if you get this game, you will). Anyway, this is basically how you transform. NO ingame transformations (I know it sucks, HEY I'm the one with the game). For example,Level 1 Goku is just plain old goku, Level 2 Goku is SS Goku. This is also mixed up and variable.
Now onto the battlefield. First up, gameplay. Pretty good for a GBA DBZ game. You have full conrol over your character able to make them go in anywhich direction.The melee combat was pretty well done. They act as they should (most of the time) and go hurtling to the ground when clobbered. What would a DBZ game be without handthrown fireballs and flashing lights. Yes, the energy attaks are also pretty well done. There are weak energy attacks where you can repeatedly through energy balls at your oppenent, strong energy attacks where you through 1 big energy ball at your opponent 1 at a time, and of course, the special attack. (All of the things I spoke of in this paragraph is variable for every character from melee to rapid fire energy attacks, but the biggest variation of all is the special attack). Special attacks vary depending on the person, and also, where you are standing from your opppnent. For ex.,Level 1 Goku on the roght of someone: KameHameHa, Level 1 Goku over someone: Spirit Bomb, etc. The attacks also vary by level, too.Of course, there is a health meter + an energy bar. All energy + special attacks+ teleporting (you can figure that one out for yourself) costs you energy. Weak enrgy = a little bit, strong = about 20%, special = 50%-100%. Some specials require 100% energy instead of 50%. And some %0% special attacks can be powered up and strenthened by using !00% instead, but only some can do that. WHEW! That "about" covers it. Overall, very good, but sometimes repetetive and somewhat simplistic. I'll leave the rest for you to figure out.
Moving on: Graphics. Now I have to say right up in front here. The background battlefield graphics are AMAZING considering it's on the GBA. Wherever you fly to or move to while on the battlefield, the background moves accordingly and how it should. My only problem with it though is that the background is just plain and nothing in it. You only really see the ground moving like that and all(and some of the stuff far into the distance), but there is some stuff a little ways back , but nothing really in that nice smooth looking and moving with you background. if it weren't for that, it would have looked Totally 3D. Well, except the character models. But I still gave it a 10/10. Those are also some pretty good looking character models(considering on the GBA). Them and all if their melee, energy and special moves look cool.Overall, fantastic.
Now, last but not least, sound. I gave this a 9/10 because it had all the right stuff and had just the right things at just the right time, but there still could have been a little more. They have the awsome sounding "clashing" noises when they go into melee combat and the energy attacks were well done, but there just wasn't enough variety.Simply put.
So overall, this is probably one of the best handheld DBZ games available (so far.......). Since the price is now $20, it is probably one of the best deals you find unless a stupid kid walks up to you and asks you if you want this game for $5 (but do you trust him....).