Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi PlayStation 2

Kamezokot..Oh DragonBallZ so cool

By Mr.Anji V.I.P  Oct 27, 2006

Pros: Wealth of DBZ and DBGT characters; american and japanese voices included; solid presentation.

Cons: Relatively steep learning curve; unwieldy camera; inconsequential multiplayer mode.

Prior to the 2002 release of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, video games based on the high-octane anime and manga series all had one thing in common: Unless you were a hardcore Dragon Ball Z fan, they were generally quite unbearable. Though the Budokai serie...s has had its ups and downs, all of the Budokai games so far have had a level of polish and accessibility that has merited praise without requiring the "for a Dragon Ball Z game" qualifier. That said, fans looking for a straight follow-up to Budokai 3 will be surprised by what Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi has to offer, and possibly a little disappointed. Originally released earlier this year in Japan as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking!, Tenkaichi deviates quite significantly from the standardized 3D fighting formula that the core Budokai games have generally adhered to. Developed by Spike, a Japanese studio best known for its somewhat technical wrestling games, Tenkaichi inserts a fairly simple, stripped-down fighting engine into the framework of a free-roaming, third-person action game. For the majority of the game, you're given a behind-the-back perspective on the action, though the camera will lean a bit to the side when you get up close to your opponent and will cut to an entirely different camera angle for special moves. The main reason behind this rather unorthodox camera angle (unorthodox for a fighter, anyway) is to let you run and fly around the environment as you please. The free-roaming components definitely gives the game a more authentic Dragon Ball Z feel by increasing the overall scope of the fights, though it's stymied somewhat by force fields that limit the size of the levels. It's not unusual to find yourself stuck up against one of these rainbow-colored boundaries, which kind of ruins the whole illusion. Another negative aspect is that there's not much in the way of direct camera control. The problems this creates are twofold. For one, it's not hard to lose track of your opponents, and though you have a radar that can help you pinpoint their location, it's often not quick enough. Secondly, the camera isn't quite flexible enough for the game's fully 3D environment, and you'll regularly find yourself viewing the action from a rather uncomfortable angle. By using the L1 button to lock onto your opponents, all of your movement instantly becomes relative to their position, allowing you to dash right at them or do a bit of circle-strafing. The lock-on function is a little inconsistent; you can lock on to an opponent from a great distance, though if you choose to move to do a little circle-strafing rather than attack head-on, you'll lose the lock. Hand-to-hand combat is pretty simple, since the square button is the only way to throw a punch. A few consecutive taps will dish out a nice little combo, and you can vary your attacks by holding a direction as you launch your attacks. Additionally, you can create longer combos by throwing in instant teleports and energy attacks. You can launch simple energy (or "ki") attacks with the triangle button, and holding down L2 and triangle will produce a much more substantial blast. You can expect to see your favorite characters trotting out their most well-known moves, as well as power struggles when two characters throw massive energy attacks at you at once. Read more Less