Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi

"A great DBZ game, a good game by other standards"

Dragon ball Z: Tenkaichi is a fully 3-D fighting game. Straying away the previous Budokai titles which where at soul 3-D fighters, but in the point where you were viewing both characters at the same time from a side view. Tenkaichi puts you in the driver seat, so to speak, of your favorite DBZ characters in this fighting game. I for one could not argue with the results.

Graphics (10)
Everything in this game looks like it was cut and paste straight from the show. When you see Goku launch a Kamehameha in the game and watch as the other person dodge and the mountain they where in front of crumble you will know what I mean. The Moves look as they should but what really puts this game over the top is the environments. The game features a bevy of levels ranging from Kamis lookout to Planet Namek. Each level has destructible environments and the reason i still put this in graphics is simple... It looks awesome when the objects are destroyed. Overall I couldn't be pleased more with the graphics department in this game.

Sounds (7)
This is a standard fighting game, meaning that no really expects much from a fighting game in the sound are. That being the bar however, this game still disappoints. The music selection is terrible and the voice acting is nothing to write home about. The positive in the sounds is that the beams and the small things, like a crumbling mountain or building, sound spot on. Walking by while someone smashes through a building and you'll swear your hearing the show. Overall the sound department is lacking but not horrible thanks to some small touches.

Oh and an option in this game is the original Japanese Dub voices, while some people will leap out for joy, I myself didn't really find it all that better.

Controls (8)
The controls in this game at first were horrible. I literally couldn't do anything. After spending an hour messing around however I found myself right at home. While not the deepest controls around, Tenkaichi features some of the most satisfying controls around. After playing for a while I watched on of my friends play it for the first time and struggle as I did. After playing for a half hour he was on his was to loving the controls just as I did. Thing that may turn you off in this game... they are not the deepest controls for the combo hungry player. Do not come into this game thinking Dead or Alive 3 or anything. This is a game where you can learn almost everything in a hour. The controls also allow some freedom however, example being that for the combos they do have, there is usually a way to launch your foe and from there do your own thing such as launch beams, or a special, or even follow up and just smack the guy even further. Overall the Controls in this game are exactly what I expected them to be.

Game play (9)
The first time I booted this game up I played for a good three hours without realising it. This game takes you in then keeps you there. There is so much to do in this game it's unreal. From story mode, to world tournament, dueling (VS mode), Evolution Mode (basically a ranking type mode), there are so many things to do. The main thing about this game and its game play is that there is always something to unlock. After unlocking my first character I couldn't wait to unlock my next so I could try them out in duel mode against the computer. Overall I think that this is the high point of this game... the character is long and great. You always feel like there is more to unlock in this game, which I must say is an awesome feeling.

Overall 8
I was surprised when I first booted this game up... I thought it was terrible. I couldn't do anything in the game and I had to try three time to beat the first guy! But once I got the hang of the controls... well lets just say i don't think that that will happen again, he won't beat me anytime soon. Or will it? Thats another great thing, the computer is relentless and it makes you earn a win. To win you have to almost play perfect, one slip in you may never get another hit in. Just another reason I really like this game.

Rent/Buy: If you are a fan of DBZ you should buy. If you are just a casual gamer I say rent the game and don't get discouraged by the crazy characters and such cause the game underneath it is actually really good. You can learn the characters names afterwards.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/21/05