Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

"When it comes to DBZ games, it doesn't get any better than this."

Introduction:

Hello. You may (or may not) have read my past reviews on the DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi series. I've also submitted an FAQ for another game and am considering writing one for this game. Well I waited in much anticipation for the first game in this series, and was disappointed. Next, BT2 came out. That game was a large improvement over the first, and was actually worth playing. Now it is here. The third (and quite possibly last) installment of the series. Let me give you my opinion on it.

Game play: 9/10

If you've played the first two in the series, you're already familiar with the game play. Basically, this is a fighting game. You fight against your opponent in single, or tag matches and battle it out until one of you is knocked out. This is done with the camera directly behind your character instead of at the side.

The combos and game play in general have been greatly improved from the original. You can now pull off more combos than ever and have nearly endless ways of dispatching your foe. Besides your fists and feet, you can also use energy moves that consume your ki. These moves are very powerful and can turn the tide of the battle. They range from energy beams, to rush beat downs, to raining balls of energy down on your opponents head.

The game play is not without it's problems. For some reason, the creators implemented a new auto taunt to the game play. This makes it so that your character automatically taunts when you stand still for too long. This can cost you fights if you aren't careful. You will be completely defenseless when you are taunting. That is my only complaint about the game play.

Modes:

Ah, the modes. I consider this to be part of the game play, so I won't give it a score. There are many modes to keep you busy in this game. There is story mode (discussed later), duel mode, dragon sim, evolution Z, disc fusion, training mode, and maybe a few others I forgot.

Duel mode is a necessity for any fighting game. This is where you can choose any fighter you want, and pit them against the other. Jack up the difficulty for the A.I. to the max, and have fun trying to beat them. The A.I. on the enemy fighters has been greatly improved from the last game. With the teleportation counters and all the other additions, you'll be lucky to get in a single hit if you're new to the game.

Evolution Z is a mode where you can customize every fighter in the game. There are about 161 in total, so have fun with that. You can use items called potaras to add abilities to your favorite fighters. This can include an increase to health, attack power and ki. You can also give your fighter the ability to regenerate lost health or even become a brick wall to any weak character. Brick wall is a term that means they aren't stunned by normal punches and kicks.

Do you know what disc fusion is? I hope you still have your copies of BT, and BT2. Using the discs of the games that came before this, you can unlock modes that can't be used otherwise. In these modes you can unlock more potaras, and gain Z-points. What are Z-points? I'm glad you asked. Z-points are used to increase the number of slots a character has to customize with. You see, every character has seven slots to add those potara items I mentioned earlier. However, you can't use all seven slots until you unlock them using Z-points. Seeing as how there are 161 or so characters and forms, and they all need their slots unlocked, you'll have your work cut out for you.

Story: 8/10

The story is typical of every DBZ game. You play as Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and all of the other heroes and try to save earth from the bad guys. That's pretty much it.

However, during the actual game play, dialogue is played out and many what ifs can be done. Many times as you fight in story mode, indicators will pop up on the screen, telling you to press R3. If you do, it will advance the story. If you don't the story will become a what if. This can create more replayabillity if you want to see all that the story has to offer. You will have to keep coming back and trying out different paths through different paths. You never know what result you'll get.

Music: 8/10

There are two different audios. The Japanese soundtrack (only on the Japanese version) and the English soundtrack. If you are reading this, you are most likely using the English soundtrack. While some may say the Japanese music is better, I actually prefer the English music. The music to fight to mainly consists of guitars. The music is very fast paced and gets you in the mood for a heated battle once it starts.

Sound: 6/10

The sound is the same as the last game. Muffled noises when your fist meets the opponents face, and explosions when you blast them in the face with a beam attack. Nothing here has changed from the last game. I gave it a 6 because they made little effort to improve the sound. Overall, it's ok, but I wish it was improved in some way.

Let's talk about the voices. Most of the characters in the series have had their original voice actors return, as always, to voice them in the game. You can switch between the English voices, and the original Japanese voices. I prefer the English voices, but that's just me. I like to understand what the characters are saying. Some of the voice acting isn't that well done. Some of the actors just don't try very hard in their roles. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them have gotten bored of voicing the same role for another of the countless DBZ games.

Graphics: 9/10

I don't think the PS2 can have much better graphics. All your favorite characters from the show are portrayed very well with cell shaded graphics. All of the energy moves, and character models are pleasing to the eye. Some models look slightly blocky in the hands, and suffer from emotionless faces for some. When you launch a character's signature move, you'll be in awe at the flashy, bright colors that usually accompany them. It might even make you forget that attack is going to cause major pain to you or your opponent.

Overall: 9/10

The good:

-Graphics are incredible
-Customization leaves endless options for creating the perfect fighter
-A.I. is worth fighting
-Countless characters to choose from
-Game play has never been faster or better in the series

The bad:

-Auto taunt
-Auto lock
-Some may not like the changes to customization from the last game
-Story mode is short

I highly recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of the series. You simply MUST buy it. If you are not a fan, you may not like this game too much. It's more of a fan service to DBZ fans. However, if you are a huge fighting game fan, you might find a lot to be desired in this game. Go ahead and rent it if you are not sure.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/27/07

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