Dragon Ball Z: Budokai faithfully recreates the popular
Dragon Ball animated series, giving you the power to fight up to 23 familiar friends and foes in a variety of scenarios. It's not for the weak-of-thumb, so start out with a little practice, learning the powerful kicks, punches, and elaborate combinations that will lead you to victory. When you've mastered the skills and warmed up your thumbs, jump into the tournament ring and defeat opponents--every victory wins you money to spend at Mr Popo's, buying and trading skills to trounce future opponents.
The Story segment of the game may be the most fun for fans, though it diverges from standard gameplay. Where most games have long, elaborate series of gameplay, intercut with story, Dragon Ball Z intercuts very short interactive battles with long animated sequences portraying everything from the Saiyan Saga through to the Cell Games. The animation and voicing in these sequences mirrors the television series and even uses the very same voice actors as the show. Some fans may be disappointed when gameplay ends with the Cell Games--or they may take it as a sure sign that future games will be released to cover the remaining sagas.
Fun? Yes. Flawless? No. There's not a whole lot under the surface of the sagas--what you see is what you get. And you also might get a little carpal tunnel syndrome along the way--the button-mashing combinations needed to pull off the most awesome moves may not be friendly to fans' forearms. Still, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai may be a slam dunk for fans of the series who now have the opportunity not just to watch the sagas, but to participate in them. --Maile Bohlmann