"If you've played the Budokai games, you have no reason to touch this one."

Get that gel from outta your drawer and dye your hair yellow. We got yet another Dragon Ball Z video game on the PS2. However this one doesn't have Budokai in the title. What a shocker!

STORY
For once, this game didn't have a story. It's just random battling for the sake of battling I guess. Some could say that you're goal in Arcade mode is to take out the evil android Cell, but chronologically Majin Buu and other various characters wouldn't be there to do so. And since they are playable characters, the storyline is non-existent.

GRAPHICS
Like the other games, Super Dragon Ball Z has a cel-shaded anime look to the game. Characters will fire giant laser beams outta their hands and grow yellow hair like they were hitting puberty. Tons of magical attacks, character specific animations like in the TV show, and some pretty detailed background areas to look at. I like how it's partly destructible....though it was more destructable in Budokai Tenkaichi. Meh, to each his own.

SOUND
Fans of the TV show will be pleased to know that Goku and others are still being voiced by the same actors from the show. I will say though the quality of the voice acting was a tad scratchy this time around. One major change which I'm so happy to see are some new original songs. Basically from Budokai 1 to Tenkaichi, they've used the same songs in every game. This one finally goes in a different direction. It's not orchestral or epic or anything, but it fits the anime cartoon's attitude. And finally all the sound effects from the show remain in the game as well.

GAMEPLAY
Another fighting game based off of Dragon Ball Z. Oy. They need to know when to quit. You pick from 18 different fighters and battle each other. That's about it. A lot of reviewers have compared this game to Street Fighter. I myself do not see the comparison at all, considering these characters can fly and move around in 3D. The only similarities are the combos. Ryu's Hadoken attack from Street Fighter is the same button configuration as Goku's Kamehameha. But that's about it.

You create a character card right off the bat and can only choose one character out of the 12 or so unlockable from the start. You spend the rest of the game completing Arcade mode and Z Survival mode to earn experience for your character and earn him new special abilities. You also collect Dragonballs by winning fights. Once you collect all 7 of them you must present them to the dragon Shenron in order to unlock new abilities for your character, as well as new fighters and various other unlockables as well. And that's all there is to the game. It has very little depth and you can unlock all of the characters in 4 to 5 hours if you really tried.

And speaking of characters, 18 is just not enough. Considering the huge roster of Budokai Tenkaichi, which had like three times more characters than this one, it's a letdown. The ads said that a new character was made up for the game. It was a lie. Basically they just made Mecha Frieza again and gave him some new attachments like a rocket launcher...it's the same character so don't be fooled. It won't take long to unlock everything, and with the roster being so thin you'll be greatly disappointed. The fighting engine is okay, but in reality it's too awkward trying to fly and jump and everything. A character can jump and then stop in mid-air. The person who is still on the ground will have a hell of a time trying to even himself with his opponent, and that makes for some bad gameplay.

You can fight a buddy and train a character to become really strong. That can be addicting, but it can also be finished in a day.

IN THE END...
The fighting engine is unique, but the short roster and lack of depth kill this experience. If you've played the past DBZ games, I would say stay away from this one because it does nothing for the series. No story, no replayability, no fun.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 10/27/06