Dragon Ball Z: Budokai

"Head-Cha-La"

Today I'll be reviewing the first (and hopefully not the last) Dragonball Z game for the Gamecube. This is a port of the game which featured on the PS2.

So what is it? Well it's Dbz. So that means fighting. You be fighting with characters like Goku, Piccolo and others which featured between the Saiyin and Androids saga. This stays faithful to the Japanese version of the anime. (DBZ in the U.K and U.S.A is edited and badly dubbed).

So what's on offer? I tell you. Who have the chance to fight as Goku and take him through the sagas I just mentioned. This has been praised by many as the best part of any DBZ game. You also have practice and duel. The other option is World Tournament. Here you can battle as any of the characters you have unlocked. If you win the tournament or come runner up you win Zennie, which can be used to by capsules which offer more moves and options.

So what are the Graphics like? The graphics are sharp and clear. the character look exactly who they are suppose to be and also look like they just in the manga and the anime. The backgrounds are in detailed and you can move to different sections by beating your opponent towards that area. If you use a certain special move then the area become damaged. It makes you feel like you watching an episode of DBZ.

So what's the sound like? All characters are voiced by there Japanese actors which makes this game feel more like the anime. It makes you feel that the games developer put some effort into making this games. The music on the other hand is a let down. Head-cha-la and other music from the Japanese series isn't there (due to rights and royalties). The music they do use isn't that good but it not bad and when you beating your opponent it doesn't really matter in the end.

So will I be playing this game next month? Yes you will. It will take you a couple of months if you want to collect all the capsules. A couple more if you want the breakthrough capsules. You may get bored of the repeatable gameplay but there isn't really a fighting game on the gamecube that isn't repeatable after a month or so. (e.g. Soul Caliber, Super Smash brother Melee).

Should I buy this game? Well from what I've read and heard Dragonball Z Budokai 2 will be coming to the Gamecube. I don't know when. If you want a challenge then buy this game but 2 is better than 1. (More Characters, Dragon Quest mode, more capsules.) I bought both (DB:B2 is on the PS2) and enjoyed both. If you shop around you can find it for £24-29.

Recommendation: Buy (Rent if you willing to wait for Budokai 2)

Enjoy!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/04