Super Dragon Ball Z

Rating ESRB: Teen Genre action Publisher Atari External Links Official Dragonball Z Website

When I think of Dragon Ball Z, the television series, I think of a number of things; a rabid base of loyal fans, characters with crazy names and crazier special powers. I think of a television show that became a rather large sensation helped influence the spread of anime to the shores of America.

When I think of the Dragon Ball Z videogame series, however, I think of a number of other things. I think of games that are rushed out to earn a quick buck or two. I think of that rabid fan base of the television series wasting their hard earned money on games that are typically trash. But after playing through Super Dragon Ball Z for the PlayStation 2, all of those feelings on the videogame series seem to be wiped away. Well, at least some of them.

The game features a variety of game play modes, none of which are anything new, but are still fun. Besides "Original Mode" and the requisite two-player and training modes, Super Dragon Ball Z gives players the chance to duke it out in a "Z Survivor" battle. Think of it as a gauntlet match of sorts, where you continually fight opponents until one of them eventually drains you of your energy, leaving you for dead.

Super Dragon Ball Z is little more than a button-masher. The controls are rather simple, with a variety of attack types for each player to use. Seeing as the core players of this game are younger, a simplistic control scheme is understandable. Thanks to it, players can pull off multiple-hit combos and special maneuvers with relative ease. However, the game does allow for players to steal their opponent's special attacks and utilize them as part of their offense during a battle.

Graphically, the game is a mixed bag. The cel-shading of the characters certainly adds an eye-catching element to the game, and some of the special attacks can also bring upon some visually stunning cut-scenes.

On the flipside, the game designers seemed to not care all that much about level design. In Super Dragon Ball Z, we see that every level features interactive elements, such as pillars you can slam your opponent through. But aside from these, the levels are a big disappointment. Backdrops often have very little detail, if any. While fighting in the sky on clouds may sound awesome on paper, actually doing it is quite bland. With nothing around except for clouds, you have to wonder why the designers couldn't have added maybe a bird or an airplane (or anything!) in the background.

While previous incarnations of Dragon Ball Z games have featured nearly every character imaginable, even as many as seventy in a game, Super Dragon Ball Z has a much more limited selection of characters. While each character does have a different set of moves, a wider range of playable characters was always one of the strengths of the series.

While the game does feature eighteen characters, there is no real discernable difference from fighter to fighter. Each character seems very similar in strengths and weaknesses when compared to one another. As you progress through "Original Mode," there never seems to be a difference in difficulty between the first enemy and the final one. The only real difference between the characters is their special moves. Some of the moves, such as Trunk's "Final Flash," are nearly impossible to avoid, while others can easily be dodged by jumping and hanging around in the air until they are completed.

While Super Dragon Ball Z is not a bad game by any means, it really does not offer anything new or exciting to the beat 'em up genre. Yet, out of all of the games in the series, Super Dragon Ball Z still offers the most depth and consistency out of any of the other titles. Perhaps the release of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 in November will take the series to the next level.