PlayStation 2

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.