Reviewed: February 1, 2007
Reviewed by: Justin Nixon
Publisher
Atari
Developer
Spike
Released: November 19, 2006
Genre: Fighting
Players: 1-2
ESRB: Teen
6
7
5
6
6.3
Supported Features
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
In 1989 Dragon Ball unleashed itself on Japan and Hong Kong. It was a huge success. Seven years later it hit the United States. Some loved it. Some hated it. Personally I’m not a big fan. I can’t say that I have watched a full episode in my life.
On the other hand, I have somewhat followed the games. No matter if they are good or atrocious fans love these games. This has always amazed me. I can see how games that are made from children’s movies are popular no matter if the game is good or not. Young children do not care. Dragon Ball games can be horrible but twenty-year old men will still buy them. Why you may ask. I don’t know. I like the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games, but I don’t go out and buy every single new one because I know they suck and I am willing to except that and move on. Some love Dragon Ball so much that they are willing to ignore the problems that these games have.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 could prove to be the Ultimate Dragon Ball experience for any fan. Not only is it a new Dragon Ball Z game, but it is also on the Wii. Will the Wii controls make this game totally immersive or just frustrating? This is everything that a true fan would want, right? Oh wait. Someone forgot to add the fun.
Dragon Ball fans unite! This is the game that you have been waiting for. It is full of Dragon Ball characters spanning all corners of the Dragon Ball world. You can relive the greatest battles in Dragon Ball history. It has a great story with 60+ hours of gameplay. If you are a diehard fan of Dragon Ball then this game will probably be the perfect addition to your gaming library. Take away the actual battles and this game is great for not only fans of the series but fans of gaming in general. Unfortunately the battles aren’t all that aspiring.
This game could honestly be on any console and play the same way. Just spend a few hours with it and you will realize that this game was not made just for the Wii. The controls with the remote are a little clunky. Most of the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii are not used in the actual battles. A few of the special abilities use the motion sensing, but for the most part they are completely ignored. You don’t even get to swing the remote to punch or kick. This, to me, was a huge let down.
I felt that this game could have utilized the Wii remote better than any game has, excluding possibly Zelda. Unfortunately you just use the face buttons to do most of the attacks and the nunchuck to move your character. This game is essentially a button masher. This can get really repetitive really quick. If you don’t like using the Wii remote then you can just plug in that old Gamecube controller or a classic controller if you’ve purchased one. I would recommend using the Gamecube or classic controller instead of fumbling with the Wii remote. This game feels more natural with a basic controller.
The battles are intense, fast pace, and finger numbing. After your first battle this game will appear to be great. After about the fifth battle it will appear never-ending as you remember that it will be not just a few hours of repetition but instead 60 hours. If you are a true fan this probably won’t be that big of a feat, but if you aren’t a fan or just a casual fan you’ll most likely call it quits after just a few hours of these finger-numbing battles.
True fans will have a blast battling their buddies using the multiplayer that this game offers. The only drawback is that a second controller and nunchuck are required for any kind of multiplayer and as of now that is a $60 purchase for both of them if you can even find them.
This game looks pretty good on the Wii. The characters look just like their television counterparts and the environments are nicely detailed. With so many character models this game is still able to make each one look unique.
The environments look never-ending at first glance, but there are definitely boundaries. This game does not utilize invisible walls like most. Instead it uses blue webbed force field to contain the battles. This is a little bit odd, because the last thing that you would expect to be in the middle of a mountainous area is a blue webbed force field.
The voice-overs are somewhat boring. The characters sound tired. Apparently they feel that this game is too long also as there is no excitement in their voices. They seem like they just don’t care.
The music in the game is better than the voice-overs, which doesn’t mean much. A few of the tunes are good, and that will be all you hear simply because the rest is very forgettable. A good tune will start playing and you will realize that this game does have music after-all, and then when it’s over you’ll forget all about the music until another good tune comes on. This will continue throughout the entire game.
Right now the choice of Wii games on the market isn’t that strong. I’m not saying that there aren’t good games for the Wii, there just aren’t a lot of games available yet. If you’re a Dragon Ball Z fan then don’t hesitate. This game is packed full of perks for fans. If you’re not a fan then don’t bother purchasing this game.
If you want a few hours of multiplayer fun for you and your friends and you managed to snag an extra controller and nunchuck then rent this game for a weekend. Beyond that, if you don’t follow Dragon Ball then you most likely will not find much to like about this game.
I was ecstatic when I learned that I would be reviewing this game. The thought of the possible controls had me very excited. Although I am not a fan of Dragon Ball Z, and never have been, the Wii’s controls could have turned this game into an instant classic for anyone. Instead it is just another bad anime game that will sell like it a good anime game.