Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2

"What? Nine Thousand?"

Dragon, Dragon! Rock the Dragon! Dragonball Z! Oh man, I remember the first time I heard those lyrics. And while that was over twelve years ago, the Dragonball franchise has been around a LOT longer. So in that time span, it's a no brainer that we would see many videogame renditions of this beloved series. But unfortunately many of them has been pretty poor, selling because it has the Dragonball name plastered on it. Thankfully, Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (Try saying that ten times fast) manages to buck the trend and bring DBZ fans the game they've been waiting forever for.

Game Play:

I'll start this off by saying that I haven't played the first BT, so this review is coming from a complete newbie to the BT series. And at first, this game was tremendously overwhelming.

Rather than taking the standard one-on-one fighting formula and adding Dragonball characters to the mix, Spike (creators of the phenomenal FirePro wrestling series) have decided to make a game revolving around the Dragonball franchise, and not vice versa. The result is absolute DBZ bliss.

Taking a behind the back view, BT2 is unlike any fighting game you've played before. You won't find combos strung together by random presses of punch and kick buttons and various directions. Using a system that feels somewhat similar to the Smash Bros series, players can use basic combos and "smash" attacks to knock their opponent into the distance. While the melee system is basic, it offers a large variety of feints and mixups to keep the action from becoming too stale.

Ki blasts (or energy attacks, for those unaware) are the bread and butter of long distance combat. While weak for the most part, players can charge up these blasts for a bit more damage, chip away at distant players, or as a means to briefly slow an aggressive opponent. And while the basic Ki blasts are fine and dandy, they really open up the playing field for special attacks, which take on a whole new dimension on the Wii.

By holding both triggers (the B button, and the Z trigger) and performing various motions, players can unleash devastating specials moves, which is where the big damage enters the fray. The most interesting thing about these special moves, is how the player activates them. Reaching into every Otaku's wet-dream and placing it into the game comes the ability to use Goku's Kamehameha, for instance, by performing it's real-life counterpart. By pulling the remote back, and then thrusting forward, players can "assume the role" of their characters with some fun results. While it's far from perfect, it's just the right amount of immersion, especially for people who aren't too proud to loosen up and have some fun. C'mon, you'd have to be really stuffy not to find yourself having fun in doing DBZ's special moves in real life. :)

It's a good thing that combat is as engaging and entertaining as it is, because you'll be doing a lot of it. The amount of content this game houses is borderline ridiculous - I got far more game play out of this game that I did on Twilight Princess, and that's without playing any other modes!

BT2 features your standard story mode, which covers DBZ in it's entirety, and even a bit of DBGT for good measure. There's a fair share of tournament and mission based modes as well to keep you busy, and if you enjoy leveling up your characters, then you'll squeeze even more life out of this monstrous game. Just be sure to spend some time in the game's tutorial, which is an absolute necessity if you plan to learn all of the intricacies of the engine.

Graphics and Sound

Employing the obvious choice of Cel-Shading, BT2 is a visually pleasing game. But like most other Wii games, it seems a little blurry at times, but that's more a hardware issue than anything else. Character models are well made, and despite a few quips I have with the animation, everything is just how you'd expect it to be. Special attacks are cinematic, and the backgrounds are destructable in true DBZ fashion.

Music serves it part, but could be a whole lot better. If there's any one thing they could improve in ALL DBZ games, it would definitely be the music. Hopefully next time we'll have the option for Japanese music...

Oh! Speaking of which, that reminds me. In a move that is sure to please fans of the Japanese version of the anime, Japanese voices are available! This is a godsend for people who have become fond of the Japanese voices and can't have it any other way. It should be a law that all anime based games have the option for Japanese voices, but I digress.

Closing Thoughts:

This is by far, above and beyond, the best Dragonball game to be released. While it's not the perfect game, it's the closest to perfect a Dragonball game has ever come. And if you're not a fan of DBZ, give this game a shot anyways. You might be surprised by how much fun you're having - even though you might look like a goof while doing it.

Pros:
*Tremendous amount of content and unlockables
*Fun system that is well complimented by the Wii controls
*Ability to use Gamecube and classic controllers, just in case

Cons:
*Visuals could use a bit more polish
*Music is very lackluster
*Steep learning curve that may intimidate newcomers

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/02/07