"Good But could be better"

Introduction- Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 delivers an extreme 3D fighting experience, with over 150 playable characters, and over 20 battle stages. This PS2 version comes with a disc fusion that allows special modes from BT1 and 2 to be unlocked.

Game play (6/10)- This game like the others has the duel mode and story mode plus tournaments and others. Unlike in the second game where the opponent was virtually no challenge after a while this game offers a real challenge for gamers even when they play off against th easy mode. The new sonic sway ability gives easier dodging capabilities and with new cut scenes for transformations such as cell looking for the androids to become perfect . The lock-on/off system has been replaced with an auto-lock that activates when locked off by an Ultimate Attack and the taunt system has been changed to activate after a period of time where the character has remained still which can be a real bother for those who get beat because they danced around.

Story (5/10)- This games story mode has changed drastically from the previous. You no longer travel across the planet now instead you choose a certain saga from a small list and continue to choose a battles. A new edition never seen before in a DBZ game is that during story mode you will hear voices of certain characters talking to each other or an off screen character talking about the fight. While it can be fun it gets very annoying when you are unable to hurt the opponent until you hit the R3 button to advance the story further. The story itself would really only take a few hours until its completely finished up.

Sound/graphics (8/10)- The sound is almost always the same as before with little to no advancements done to it. The graphics have improved greatly this time around however with new transformation sequences that are much flashier than ever before just as different camera angles while doing the oh so famous super saiyan transformation.

Play time/Replay (5/10)- One thing this game has really missed is such replay ability. The story mode only takes a couple hours and with almost every character unlocked from the start there is a very limited amount to achieve. The tournament mode will take up most of the time with a new random system that will choose any level and any tournament mode at any time. The time clock goes up every time you enter and some tournaments can only be entered at certain time. If you want a short game thats just for something to do get this one but if you want a game that will take a long time to finally complete this game is not for you.

Final Recommendation- Overall if your a DBZ freak then yes go out and get this game but really it is not the great hype that it was intended to be. If you get it from a friend or family member then it would be a good gift or rent it but if your looking for the awesome Dragon Ball game that was promised look away into the future because it still has not come.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/07

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