Dragon Ball Z: Budokai

At its core, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai is a deep, solid fighting game with a fresh-feeling combat system. Several play modes, nigh-infinite character creation options and awesome, eye-popping graphics add to the great gaming experience. Wrap the whole thing in one of the world's most beloved animes while getting all the little details right and you've got a game that will appeal to rabid DBZ fans and the general gaming community alike.

I was a bit apprehensive about buying Dragon Ball Z: Budokai because of the memories of its predecessor, Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout, which, as you know, was hailed as one of the WORST GAMES EVER! Memories of the crappy controls and fighting system were flashing through my mind. Since I believe that lighting never strikes twice in the same place, I had to give DBZ Budokai a try because Goku is probably the most respectable role model ever. With that said, let’s power up and go Super Sayian!

The Dragonball universe has never fared well in gaming. The games have ranged from horrible to "will kill you if you touch it". Of course, the only titles that ever showed up in the USA were in the latter half. Titles like DBGT: Final Bout and Legacy of Goku were shoved into our faces with hate and disgust. Even that old NES game that ripped off of Dragon Warrior was just released on the GBA not too long ago. But still, I have an old standing belief that the Dragonball universe has a powerful potential to make a good game. Enter DBZ: Budokai. The name is based on the tournament in the game, horribly called the "World's Martial Arts Tournament" in the English dubs.

Dragon Ball Z Budokai est aussi bon que la version PS2. Nous ne trouvons malheureusement aucun ajout supplémentaire et seul l'aspect graphique a subi une petite refonte, qui n'apporte pas grand chose ceci dit. Dans tous les cas, ce jeu de baston se veut fort plaisant, respectueux de la série et saura certainement contenter les fans, en tout cas pour ma part je me suis bien amusé.

DBZ Budokai se présente comme l'occasion idéale de renouer avec l'univers de Dragon Ball Z façon jeu de combat, en nous faisant oublier la piètre performance de Final Bout sur PSX. La 3D est ici particulièrement soignée, et le gameplay révèle une richesse que l'on ne soupçonne pas de prime abord. Les fans du manga de Toriyama seront très certainement comblés.

Fortunately, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai really takes off in the story mode. Now, I freely admit that I have only casually watched a couple of episodes of the animated series but the story mode seems to be a direct extension of said TV show. To an excellent effect, individual battles are separated by storytelling cutscenes that feel as if they are pulled directly out of an episode of the show. What's amazing is that by playing the game in half-hour increments it seems exactly like watching a chapter of the saga. It also helps that the game is filled with 23 Dragon Ball Z combatants.

Before the Goku worshipers out there declare that I should be tossed into the pits of hell for my absurdly low score, let it be known that I truly believe that Budokai is a 9+ for Dragon Ball Z fans. With over 20 familiar characters and story segments laced between each match, this game is successful in capturing the flavor of the show. It also boasts an incredibly deep skill editor and a ton of unlockables. On the flip side of the coin, if you don’t lust after balls of dragons, you’ll see nothing more than a mediocre fighter with a really confusing plot and characters in dire need of haircuts.

Infogrames scores another win with the Dragon Ball crowd, but to the exclusion of mainstream success. Fans of the show will drool over the voices, music, and perfectly replicated look of the animated series. On the gameplay side, Budokai’s basic fighting moves are saved only by the immense customization of skills and the unlockables available. Getting seriously involved in the building of your characters, however, requires wading through average combat that you may tire of before too long. Get this only if you’re already down with chillin’ with Krillin.

Ah, Dragonball Z. It’s the topic of multiple evening and weekend conversations between my friends and me. My 8 year old and I usually plop our hind ends on the couch anytime the cartoon is on TV and watch X amount of episodes until it finally drives my wife nuts and she asks to PLEASE change the channel. She doesn’t understand what makes this a great show, and that’s OK. It’s not for everyone. Anyway, I was absolutely ecstatic when I heard that Infogrames was releasing DBZ for PS2, and for the most part I was pleased.

Resumiendo el aspecto grafico hay que decir, que ciertamente para cualquier jugón será un tanto pobre y mediocre por ciertos aspectos que podrían haberse trabajado más (lo de las sombras redondas es un detalle un tanto penoso a estas alturas), pero para el aficionado a Bola de Dragón cumplirá sus expectativas y estará más que contento con el despliegue de detalles y la adaptación tan fiel que han recreado los desarrolladores.

This is a poor fighting game with some interesting and cool-looking moves. Gamers have become accustomed to lack-luster games based on other media, and from the gameplay perspective, Budokai is no different. However, the game pays special attention to the DBZ universe and really nails it on the head. Although it was originally released on PlayStation 2 nearly a year ago, fans of the series that missed out on this game would be foolish not to pick it up.

Für Fans ist dieses Spiel wahrscheinlich die Erfüllung ihrer Träume. Sie dürfen daher gerne noch ein paar Prozent auf die Wertung dazu addieren. Wer sich aber nicht zur Fangemeinde zählt, wird an dem unausgereiften Kampfsystem und der recht einfach gehaltenen Grafik nicht sehr viel Freude haben. Den wahren Wert des Storymodus werden sicherlich nur eingefleischte Dragon Ball Z-Fans erkennen! Wer sowohl spielerisch als auch grafisch besser bedientwerden möchte, sollte sich eher für ein anderes Beat 'em Up, wie z. B. Soul Calibur II oder Bloody Roar:Primal Fury, entscheiden.

Visually, Budokai perfectly mirrors the Dragon Ball Z animated series. You’re transported straight into the plain, bright, cartoony adventure, complete with underdetailed environments and simple-looking characters. The inclusion of the actual voice-overs and theme music from the cartoon definitely adds to the game, too. Fans of the show will also feel at home with the in-depth character-customization feature that enables you to build your own specialized Saiyan warrior.

Dragon Ball Z Budokai is a dream come true for every Dragon Ball Z fan. Not since the days of the PlayStation has there been a true DBZ brawler; but for enthusiasts of the video game fighting arts, Budokai may not last an entire round.

The rather simple fighting system in Dragon Ball Z Budokai is really the key factor that's going to keep it from appealing to many people outside of the DBZ fan base. But the game pays such loving attention to the Dragon Ball Z universe and the characters that populate it, including lots of little touches that only a fan could possibly appreciate, that you can tell the developers were thinking primarily of the fans while making this game. Every single previous Dragon Ball Z video game has been mediocre or worse, making Budokai the best DBZ game ever--by a mile--and other than actually watching the cartoon or reading the manga, it's probably one of the most fulfilling Dragon Ball Z experiences out there.

It's one of the most searched Internet terms, one of the most popular animated series, and one of the most popular Japanese comics of all time: It's Dragon Ball Z, a series that has enjoyed unprecedented popularity for almost 20 years now. Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball Z, has had past success in the field of video games as the character designer for such landmark RPGs as Enix's Dragon Warrior series and Square's Chrono Trigger, but curiously, Dragon Ball Z games themselves have never amounted to much more than bad cash-ins on this huge property.

Although it originally aired almost 14 years ago in Japan, Dragon Ball Z's popularity in America is a relatively recent phenomenon. Thanks to Funimation's translation of Akira Toriyama's animated series, which is a staple on Cartoon Network, DBZ is more popular than ever. So it was no surprise that a videogame was made in order to capitalize on the show's newfound popularity. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai is arguably the best Dragon Ball game ever made… but that's like saying Hot Wheels Velocity X is the best Hot Wheels game of all time.

Budokai is far from a perfect game, but Dimps has gotten one thing right and that's the presentation values. They've essentially taken an episode of Dragon Ball Z, put it on a GameCube disc, and inserted playable fighting sequences. It looks and sounds exactly like the series. The only problem is, as a fighter, it doesn't quite live up to its Saiyan namesake.

There's a massive conglomerate of Dragon Ball Z fans out there that are going to run out and snatch Infogrames' latest fighter despite the score I have given it at the bottom of this review. Whether I presented it with a meager zero-point-zero or a perfect ten, the ultra-devoted masses that worship all things Goku will pick it up regardless of what I have to say. Naturally, there's still going to be a legion of fans who email me angrily with accusations of bias, hatred, or other such absurdities anyway, but it won't take away the fact that Dragon Ball Z Budokai is a less than stellar slugger.

Basically, if you want to play a fighting game for a good while, stay away. But if you want to immerse yourself in the goodness that is Dragon Ball and have a fun party game to play with friends, this is right up your alley.

A Dragon Ball Z game wouldn't be a Dragon Ball Z game without story segments. As lame as the American dubbing can be at times, it's the story – not just the battles – that hooked me for its first year on Cartoon Network. All your favorite characters are here: Goku, Gohan, Raditz, Trunks, Frieza, Hercule, Master Roshi, Cell, Piccolo, etc. Not all of them are playable, but you'll get the chance to control the best of the bunch (among the good guys at least).

Even with the simplistic fighting and the poorly thought-out unlocking system, DBZ fans will still have fun with story mode, which is a brief synopsis of the storyline from Raditz's arrival on Earth up to the cell games. Each chapter also has a mini-story that provides a what-if scenario, which is unlocked automatically after completing that chapter. Story mode, along with the great attention to detail and faithful adaptation of the license, make for a game with, at the very least, a rental's worth of play for any fan.

On the surface, Dragon Ball Z Budokai looks and sounds like it might be the real deal but underneath lurks a soul-less program that will reveal itself once the novelty of controlling your favorite characters wear off. This Christmas remember, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.