"This could have been so much more..."

NOTE: This is a review of the Japanese version of Final Bout. Any differences, which are minor, will be elaborated on in the review.

When it comes to the Dragonball series, North America has always gotten the short end of the stick. The unnecessary censoring of the show and horrible dubbing of the show have been a true disservice to the work of Akira Toriyama. The same has held true for games. Before the release of Final Bout, only one DB game had been released here, and that was for the NES. Out of three Playstation releases, Final Bout was chosen to make the transition to the North American market, which would prove to be a terrible decision by Bandai and another slight to the beleaguered American DB fan. Although this is a review of the Japanese version, everything in the review holds true for the American version, with the exception of sound.

Graphics:
Final Bout begins with a very nice opening animation. If it's your first time playing this game, you will probably be fairly impressed and anxious to play. Then, you will realize you should have just shut off your Playstation. The menu screens aren't too bad, although they do seem to be a tad bit dark. The profiles of each character on the selection screen are fine. Now, we actually get into the game. The characters are very blocky and only bear a fleeting resemblence to the characters they are supposed to portray. The most hideous character here is Vegeta. If the proud Saiya-jin prince actually saw how he was represented in this game, he would be ready to ransack Bandai's offices in search of the offending programmer or maybe just obliterate the entire building with a well-deserved Final Flash. Most of the other characters are recognizable, but let's be honest: None of them look very good. Backgrounds are forgettable.

Score: 2/10

Sound:
I have heard that the American version of Final Bout is plagued with atrocious sound and voice acting. The same is true here, with one exception. Sounds your characters and attacks make during battle are very annoying. A kamehameha sounds absolutely nothing like it does on the show. I don't expect perfection, but it is reasonable to want at least some resemblence to the show. You don't get that here. The notable exception here is the voice acting. A voice clip from the show plays for both your character and your opponent at the selection screen. When a character executes a special attack, you hear the Japanese voice actor call out the attack. It's always nice hearing the Japanese DB voices, since they did such a great job on the show. Extra points here for that.

Score: 4/10

Gameplay:
Where to begin here? Well, to start, you have a decent selection of characters from which to choose at the beginning: adult Goku, Pan, young Goku (GT), Trunks, Vegeta, Gohan, Cell, Buu, Freeza, and Piccolo. There are also other characters here to unlock, but I'll let you consult a FAQ for that or just discover them on your own. Although not blessed with as many playables as Ultimate Battle 22, this is an acceptable number. Once again, actually playing the game is a disappointment. Didn't Bandai test this game before they released it to see if it was actually playable? Controls here are very frustrating. The moves are not very complicated, even for a novice at fighting games, but getting your character to respond to what you're inputting is maddening. Your fighter only seems to do what you want it to whenever he/she feels like it. Meanwhile, your opponent is whittling you to shreds. Blocking is virtually impossible, and it seems like the computer's attacks always take priority over yours. Usually, winning a fight comes down to pure luck. Prepare to be frustrated early and often. You might want to invest in some spare controllers since you'll be smashing your current ones. The game also includes the typical modes: Vs., a build-up mode, etc. Not a bad variety there.

Score: 1/10

Replayability:
Wow, this is a tough area to grade. Fighters, like sports games, usually have high replayability, but this one is very hard to judge. I can go for months without touching it, but I will occasionally pick it up and play through it a couple of times. I guess that's not the most shining recommendation in the world, is it?

Score: 3/10

Overall:
With all the things I have listed wrong with this game, you're probably wondering how it got a 6 from me. There are several factors which are hard to put into a review like this. The game has a certain amount of charm about it, I suppose, as there are characters in this game you can't find anywhere else. I'm a huge fan of DB, so I get some enjoyment out of it that perhaps a typical gamer wouldn't. Final Bout is a game which is more than the sum of its parts. I only keep it so I can have a complete collection of PSX DB games, but it's fun to play every now and then. I do emphasize that this game is not worth the money you'll pay for it on eBay (if you're looking for the American version). Get the Japanese version instead. It's cheaper and easy to find. I would recommend that you get the other two DB PSX games first, though. Both are much better than Final Bout. It's too bad one of them wasn't chosen to be brought to the U.S. instead of this one.

Overall score (not an average): 6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/07/02, Updated 08/07/02