If you have access to the
Cartoon Network, and just about everybody does these days, then you
should be familiar with Dragon Ball Z. Whether you are a fan or not is
another story entirely, and I would rather not get into mainstreamer vs.
otaku vs. yo momma debate that usually accompanies DBZ discussion. The
videogames based on the series have been pretty cruddy for the most part
and none have really managed to capture the same action and excitement,
and definitely not the humor, of the show. That is, until Dragon Ball Z:
Budokai was released. It appeared on the PS2 a year ago and is now
making its debut on the Nintendo GameCube, and it stands as the best DBZ
game ever. Of course, it didnt have a long way to go to be the best,
but it really is the most accurate depiction of the show that you will
find outside of actually watching it on TV.
To fully explain the story
of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z would take years. Either you have
watched the show and understand it or you dont. Budokai makes this
feeling very clear and throws you into the middle of the story right
away. The story mode in Budokai spans from the Saiyan Saga through Cell
Games, but the tale is told in a couple of hours rather than over the
course of several years like the show. All of the important plot points
are covered and some of the most famous scenes are recreated perfectly.
You have to play the story a couple of times to see everything and you
get to play as several different characters each time so you get to see
the story from many points of view. In an interesting touch, there are
even what if scenarios for things like what would have happened if
Vegeta turned Super Saiyan before Goku, among others.
In addition to the story
mode, Budokai features several other worthwhile modes. You can play
through the World Martial Arts Tournament, just like on the show, where
you can win money to use to buy new skills. You use those skills in the
Skill Edit mode where you can assign special moves and abilities to
create custom fighters. There is also a survival mode called Legend of
Hercule that follows lovable loser Hercule. Budokai also features the
now standard versus and practice modes that no fighting game can live
without these days. Most of the characters in the game are unlocked in
the story mode, along with some of the skills, but a majority of the
skills are earned by completing the World Martial Arts Tournament.
The main problem with DBZ
Budokai lies in the fighting engine itself. It stinks. Each fighter only
has a handful of moves like less than ten and the controls for every
single character are exactly the same. The game uses only one button for
kick, one for punch, one for guard, and one for an energy attack. All of
the moves in the game are performed by tapping different combinations of
punch and kick followed by the energy button. If you have any experience
with fighting games at all you will learn everything this game has to
offer if less than an hour. Youll be using Galic Guns and firing off
Kamehameha waves in mere minutes. All of the characters move and act and
fight exactly the same way with the only difference between them being
the way their special moves look. One aspect of Budokai that is nice is
the burst system. Just like on the TV show, under certain conditions the
fighters will both start throwing a frenzied assault of punches and
kicks that move so fast you can barely see what is going on. This is
cool, and a nice way to be true to the show, but it isnt enough to make
up for the lame fighting engine.
Despite the fact that the
game isnt really all that great, it does pack enough DBZ goodness to be
worth checking out for fans of the show. The menus are all highly
stylized and feature characters and sights and sounds taken from the
series. The story mode is excellent and does a great job of shrinking
the long-winded saga of these fighters down. The fighting, even though
it pales in comparison to a Soul Calibur or Virtua Fighter, is rather
true to the series and lets fans fly and turn Super Saiyan and send huge
energy blasts at their opponents as much as they want. The only thing
Budokai doesnt have is characters screaming for five minutes or endless
discussions about power levels. If it had those things it would be an
absolutely perfect adaptation of the show. The characters that are
included are all of the major players in the Saiyan, Namekian, and
Android sagas such as Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Frieza, the
androids, and Cell. Each of the 23 characters has multiple costumes as
well as different forms and power levels that you can change into during
fights. DBZ Budokai has everything a fan of the series would want. That
being said, it doesnt offer anything that will change the minds of
non-fans, and they will probably see the weak fighting engine and pass
on the game entirely. Thats ok, though. This game isnt for them; its
for us fans.
Graphically, Budokai looks
very true to the show. Every character looks exactly like they should
and special moves and powers look just like you remember them. The
environments are bland and boring, but that is exactly like on the show.
One neat part of the environments is that when you are in certain
positions, you can send your opponents crashing through mountains and
out the other side, which happens with every other hit on the show. This
was a labor of love to make sure everything looked just right, and fans
of the show should be able to appreciate it.
The sound is also well done
and true to the show. The same exact music is used in the game and the
voice actors from the US version of the show have contributed a ton of
voice work. This game sounds just like the show and that really helps to
immerse you into this universe of the super powerful Z fighters.
Overall, Dragon Ball Z:
Budokai is as close to the show as you will find in videogame form. If
you arent a fan of the show already, Budokai wont offer you anything
new. If you are a fan, however, Budokai is definitely worth checking
out. All of the characters you love in the storylines that you cant get
enough of are included in this game, and everything looks and sounds
just like it should. This is a game that was made by fans, for fans, and
it shows. Of course, with Budokai 2 just around the corner, this game
might be more of a rental than a purchase, but if you are a fan you owe
it to yourself to play it.
Eric Qualls (11/20/2003) |