The graphics are impressive, very clear, best looking DBZ game yet. The energy effects are amazing! Some small touches I like is when you hit someone hard enough to have them slide along the ground it actually leaves a mark. You can even choose the Japanese voices if you want, which is great.

I started with Z Chronicles (story mode). Starts from the beginning of the DBZ series and ends with the Cell saga. You get to play as the bad guys sometimes to which is fun. But a lot of the story mode seems really repetitious. They argue and start a small fight which is the exact same animation (two different types of fight animations) every time just a different character, except once with android 16. But come one that’s just lazy. I haven’t watched the DBZ series in a long time, but I have seen every episode. And I don’t remember them saying “Darn You!” so much. I wish they would have done more with the cut scenes, because if you’ve never seen the episodes you would be really lost sometimes.

One thing I did like was all the what if spins offs after you beat Cell the final time. That was fun for a while. You can go back and choose any fight from the story mode at your choosing. But honestly .. I don’t have any desire too. The story mode is just boring. The only fun part to watch and play is when Goku turns into a Super Saiyen for the first time. They really got that part right, the energy you felt is perfect. You do unlock 2 bonus movies which are fun to watch but why not include that in the actual story mode where it was supposed to be?

Now the gameplay. It’s easy to get started, controls are easy to learn. The basic throws, transformations, and vanished moves are there. There is Super and Ultimate Attacks. A typical super attack for example is Goku’s Kamehameha, and if you hold the circle button the attack is more powerful. Ultimate attacks you can only do when your Ki gauge is full. Aura Spark attacks are fun, they launch your opponent into the air and you have a button pressing battle in mid air.

There is a new addition to this game called “Drama pieces”. You have a character jump in and hit your opponent and it also gives you health recovery, extra defense, etc. Depends on what you choose before battle. One thing I like to do is the heavy smash hit. It knocks the breath out of your opponent. You can see the pain on his face as the punch or kick goes threw his body. Feels good to nail someone with that and follow up with a quick energy attack. But be cautious not to overuse it because your very open if you miss.

When your in the sky and you are pummeled back down to earth there is no crater, which is lame I thought. Because it’s the same animation for everyone, just throw in a crater. One thing I always wanted in a DBZ game was that the clothing gets dirty and torn apart, get bruises and bleed a little during battle like it would in the show. Sadly not this time.

The loading screen is dragonballs rolling around and you can control them and play around. Useful to pass the loading time. Which isn’t bad actually.

The online multiplayer is a nice addition. You can battle anyone from around the world, and there are leader boards. I only played online a few times, but every opponent picked Vegeta. That is my all time favorite character in DBZ, so I didn’t want it to be a Vegeta vs Vegeta battle. So I picked somebody else. But it plays really well, no lag. I really need to brush up though. You can create a room, quick join, or search for a room.

Overall, the story mode was boring and repetitious. The online multiplayer really saves this game. I give this a 7/10. I’d give it a 8.5 if the story mode was better.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 25th, 2008 at 11:52 am and is filed under Game Reviews.