System: PlayStation 2
Players: 1 or 2
ESRB Rating: Teen
Publisher: Infogrames
Price: $39.99
Rating: 8.5 of 10

Review by Brutilus

If I have to tell you what Dragon Ball Z is, you are on the wrong web site.

Dragon Ball is one of the longest running franchises in anime (along with Gundam and Pokemon). It has spawned more video games than any other. There are 8 feature-length movies. There are also more toys than you can shake a Super Saiyan at.

That being said, allow me to give you the grand tour of the best of the Dragon Ball Z games...

Budokai isn't your run of the mill 3-D fighting game. It's a 3-D fighter with panache, good controls, and a sense of humor. It takes itself about as seriously as Army of Darkness takes the horror movie genre.

All the moves and characters are straight out of the TV show. Goku and his Kamehameha attack have arrived on your PS2 folks! In story mode, the game follows the timeline of the Dragon Ball Z series. Our heroes start off as they appeared in the Earth saga. They proceed to Namek and pick up additional powers and foes. They proceed to take on the Android menace. Finally, the game ends with the Cell Games saga. This means that they left room open in the upcoming sequel for the World Martial Arts Championship and Buu. It even comes complete with the kind of cheesy dialog that we've come to know and love from Dragon Ball Z.

There are dozens of moves to master for each character, but you can get by by just mashing buttons.

Each of the 23 characters are faithfully reproduced and wonderfully rendered. Cell-shading would have added a look that was closer to the cartoon, but might have cost them on the animation. I think they made the right choice. Young Gohan even cries for his daddy when he gets the crap kicked out of him.

DBz Budokai is one of the best party games I've played in a while. You can pop it in with two controllers hooked up and walk away. People can pick up the controllers and play during the party and start an impromptu tournament. Duel and the World Tournament modes are best for this.

There is a capsule system that works similarly to Marvel Super Heroes Infinity Gem system. It gives your character enhanced or new abilities for short periods. You can also create custom characters with the skill capsules you collect.

It's been a while since I've played a fighting game that's this much fun. (Soul Calibur was the last...) I'm very much looking forward to the sequel. Dragon Ball Z Budokai is a great reason to keep your PS2 around.

You can pick up your own copy of Dragon Ball Z Budokai at Amazon.com for Gamecube or PS2.

All images are property of Infogrames. Article copyright 2003 MillionairePlayboy.com