Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

"Tenkaichi 3 from the stand point of a long time DBZ fan"

Here we are with this year's newest DBZ game, folks, Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3, or Dragonball Z Sparking! Meteor, if you have the japanese version of this great game. The Tenkaichi series has had a good run so far. The first game of the series was a great game for it's time, but after playing the newer releases in this saga of games, it is so obviously flawed in just about everything. Then Tenkaichi 2 came out, and it was a massive step ahead of it's preceding game. Many wanted characters were added in, stages were enlarged, and the fighting system underwent multiple changes for the better. This game's addictive elements kept me playing it for just under a year. Now there's Tenkaichi 3. The transition from 2 to 3 is not so grossly large as it was before, but there wasn't that much that HAD to be changed from 2. A diverse group of new characters enter the fray, and some new stages appear, but what really makes the difference is the new story mode style, ultimate battle refinement, and upgrading system. But the question still lurks in the minds of many DBZ game forum user's heads: "Is it better than Budokai 3?" The answer: Hell yeah. Honestly, who plays Budokai 3 anymore? (rhetorical)

Game Play 9/10
This game's game play is one of it's greatest points. It is basically the essence of DBZ packed into a fighting game. As you've been able to do in previous games, you choose your favorite fighter, then fly around the massive, destructible back drops while beating the crap out of the guy your facing in the process. The fight system has been made even quicker than Tenkaichi 2's, and there is now a wide-spread array of combos you can perform with just about every character. The AI in this game has been increased dramatically, and, believe it or not, it's actually a challenge this time. The AI can often times beat the living crap out of you if you don't watch yourself. There are many modes to keep you busy in this game, such as the five different world tournaments, survival mode, which is a new addition, Dragon Sim mode, which gives some weak RPG elements to the game, and you go through an active survival mode while training your character and making him stronger. (Sometimes weaker, too.) The story mode has been revamped, and is quite different from any other DBZ game's story mode. You now only have the major battles from a saga to choose from, but the battles are many times more interactive. Often times, you find yourself struggling to survive against a powerful computer opponent until you get the 'press R3' signal, which allows a cut scene to occur. This story mode is very short, but boy, is it fun to play through. The only thing that hurts the game play is the strenuous task of gathering the Dragon Balls to unlock all characters and stages. Combine that with the new 'World Tour' tournament system, and you have yourself a fully-fledged headache.

Story 7/10
It's the same old story we've been through in all the other DBZ games, tracing over the adventures of Goku, and Piccolo, and Vegeta through the Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball GT, Dragonball Z Movies, and What If sagas.

Graphics/Sound 8/10
First, we'll cover the good, the graphics. This game's graphics are very nice, the nicest I've seen in any DBZ game. They took the energy blasts and made them look amazing. Any attack seen in Tenkaichi 2 can be seen in this, but only to look far better graphically. The energy blasts are vibrant and colorful. The flame effects look many times better. Character models look less blocky, and have a much more 'real' look to them. But where there is good, there is bad. Some of the voice acting in this game is less than impressive. It sounds as if they're either mumbling, or talking completely monotone. It is annoying from time to time, but you get used to it, and that problem is taken care of.

Play Time/Replay-ability 8/10
This game's story mode is quite a bit shorter than the other games'. 5-6 hours tops, and you should be done with the story mode completely. Seeing as 85% of the character roster is unlocked from the beginning, leaving only new characters to unlock also shortens this game's lifespan slightly. But, considering you have to collect the Dragon Balls a multitude of times and play with the screwy tournament system to unlock some characters, this might as well just compensate for that little problem. Once you've beaten the story mode, and unlocked all characters, what is left? There is the Ultimate Battle mode, that's what. You can play the RPG like Dragon Sim mode, which also possessed mini-games. Or you could play the 100 Battle Mission, which is listing of 50 or so teams you must defeat. And then, you can unlock the Survival Mode, giving you three different 50 back-to-back battle long fights to beat. And then, you need to max out your favorite characters, or, if you're a perfectionist like I am, you want to max out each character and buy all Z items. This will take a lot of time to do, because you need to gather Z points to do so, and that means a hell of a lot of Ultimate Battle, Tournaments, and Story Mode. 'Maxing' characters out in this game is a little different, it'll take a lot of critical decisions, because you can't max all stats, and you're pretty much forced to use the yellow potaras, this time. But, that's besides the point. You can replay the story mode, and find in-planed what if scenarios in the normal fights. Changing the course of events often leads to different things happening, like, for example, if you struggle against the Ginyu Force with Goku, Nail appears and helps you out. Hunting for little side quests like that can only add to this game's replay-ability.

Final Word- I completely recommend this game to you, if you are indeed a DBZ fan. It will make you very happy to see how close some of the character have come to their anime counterparts. It's great to play through, and endlessly enjoyable after you've gotten the hang of the battle system. In my opinion, it's a must buy for any moderate DBZ fan. Thanks for reading my review! ^_^

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/07

Game Release: Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (US, 11/13/07)