"If you like the characters..."

Battle Stadium D.O.N. is a 1-4 player fighting game featuring cahracters from Dragonball Z, One Piece, and Naruto.

Comparing this game to Super Smash Bros. Melee(SSBM):
you have your shield which can break, you can roll dodge, spot dodge, it looks similar when u fall off the stage, the entire life bar system in this game is just like the Coin Match system in SSBM, and there are also tons of items.

The problem this game has when standing next to ssbm is that it's far too sluggish. It's like playing in molasses and the character builds in BS-D.O.N. are too similar. Sure, their moves are different, but each character has the same aerial recovery, all character run the same speed, and jump the same height. I'm just glad to see there are some differences in fall speed. Also, when you are in a combo there is no Directional Influence to help you escape at all.

As a gamer I'm spoiled by SSBM which is a landmark fighting game that is difficult for ANY game to stand up to.

This game in no way stands up to SSBM, but I've been spoiled by SSBM, so how does this game stand up to a traditional 2D fighting game? Well, it's still sluggish and the life system is barely workable and the automatic BURST MODE feature can ruin matches entirely. 1vs.1 matches with a time limit can be completely thrown around with a simple reversal attack. Without a time limit matches can last FOREVER for the same reason. 2vs.2 matches require large amounts of strategy and get very tiresome because you and your partner share LIFE AND ENERGY and everyone is still vulnerable to the reversal attack because of the automatic burst mode, and in 4 player free-for-all matches... well you can never expect balance out of that. It would be so much better if the game wasn't sluggish.

If you like the characters in this game or shows they are from then you might enjoy this game. If you have been spoiled by fighting games like SSBM or you are just looking for some good fighting action then this game isn't worth a buy.

SSBM is a 10/10. The average fighting game is 5/10. This game gets 3/10.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 07/21/06