18 May 2005 19:54 pm
Dragon Ball Z, or DBZ to its fans does not enjoy a particularly good reputation when it comes to the DBZ games. Indeed Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 which was released which was released in 2003 for the Playstation was given one of the worst reviews on GameSpot.
Still there was hope for the franchise. Back in 2002 a game came out which was known as Dragon Ball Z: Budokai which, surprisingly, was actually a pretty good game. Though it may not have been particularly deep for DBZ fans, for us “norms” is was a fun game to play.
Then in 2003, the sequel was unleashed on the world. This time the developer got it wrong. Returning to some of the poor games fatal mistakes, Budokai 2 was disappointing. They appear to have learned from this though and Budokai 3 proves once again that you can actually make a good DBZ game.
Budokai 3 is slightly more complex than the previous versions which is good news, as the simplicity of the first game was its one major fault if one did exist. The game now comes with a Teleportation function to allow you to appear behind your opponent. Although there is a counter for them too.
The stuff for Dragon Ball Z fans continues too with a beam struggle which is basically both players throwing beams of energy at each other and trying to other power the over players beam. Basically by pressing as many buttons as you can as fast as you can. It actually fits really well with the game.
The moves you can do are determined by your Ki level. Well you can still do basic moves but they lose effect when it is low. Hitting your opponent or just taking a breather will recharge your Ki levels though. If you have 4 bars of Ki you can even go into hyper mode which as the name suggests, is awesome.
If you pull off a good move the camera will switch from its regular mode into cinematic mode so you can really she your opponent take a hit, or in the other case, so you can see yourself get taken out. This comes into play most notably when one player uses the Dragon Rush, a ultra powerful attack that is great for finishing people off.
The game has other improvements to the gameplay too such as the ability to dodge and up close attack without having to move out of position. Of course you have to time it right but if you do it really throws you into atmosphere of DBZ.
One of the strongest features of the latest version of Budokai is Dragon Universe which is a large improvement on number two’s Dragon World. It is more story based and each character has their own unique story. You get to explore the place, gain experience and even a little RP.
The game is quite flexible about the different mode options you can have. You can set up battles with player vs. player, player vs. computer or even computer vs. computer. There is also a world tournament mode which is basically like a ladder of fighters that you have to climb up.
The graphics in Dragon Ball Z; Budokai 3 outdo it’s gameplay, with new and funky looking animation coupled together with some amazing looking energy patterns and attacks that really give the game atmosphere. The sound effects are good also sounding exactly like they do in the show. The music is good too and the voice talent isn’t far behind.
Budokai 3 is the best Dragon Ball Z out there and if you are a Dragon Ball Z fan then this should be on your shopping list. But even if you are not a fan of the show then it is still a game well worth considering.
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