Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

"Shocking! Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is a serious improvement!"

It feels like just a year ago that there was another generally unremarkable Dragonball Z video game released on Nintendo's cool new Wii system. Oh wait…never mind my pessimism. I can't say that I'm the most die-hard of DBZ fans, but I never considered myself a hater either. Dragonball Z is still regarded as one of the most hard-hitting and over-the-top of martial arts anime, and such a strong and prestigious property is no doubt going to get the expected amount of merchandising. Look back to Budokai 3, a game widely regarded as one of the best interpretations of the DBZ license. Sadly, the series quickly spiraled down to the less-than-perfect Tenkaichi series, which added more over-the-top battles and characters, but was considerably hindered by a clunky camera and cumbersome controls. Tenkaichi 2 was a step backward; once again, there are more characters, but a bad story mode and long load times made it slow and mediocre. But now Spike is back with the third installment, Tenkaichi 3. And what's this? Online play? Impressive. It's time to go Super Saiyan once more, because Tenkaichi 3 is ready for the Wii.

To all who are new to the Dragonball Z phenomenon, here's the deal: a guy named Goku with spiky hair is part of the Saiyan race and, along with a bunch of other guys, are after the mystical Dragon Balls, which when all seven are collected, let the collector get a wish. Great. Along the way, Goku meets up with some weird, quirky, and/or just blatantly aggressive characters who want to pound him into the dirt. It's up to Goku and his crew of Z Warriors to battle these intergalactic threats. The story isn't why people watch DBZ; it's because they like watching fist-to-face clashes, spiky haired guys instantly change their hair blonde, or just watching a bad guy ruthlessly dissipate in a giant energy blast. Yeah, it's weird, but it's a surprisingly satisfying mix of action and flair, making DBZ one of the best action series around.

Controls have always been a hit-and-miss figure in the Tenkaichi series, but it can safely be announced that not much has changed. If you're new to Budokai Tenkaichi, then there's an extensive tutorial into how to play with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, Classic Controller, or even the Gamecube controller. Of the three, the Gamecube controller is probably the best. The Classic Controller and Gamecube controllers are much easier to contend with than the Wii Remote's sloppy “shake-to-charge-your-moves” method. The motion sensing is pretty messy and a lot of the different techniques are extremely cumbersome to use. If you don't have either a Classic or Gamecube controller, prepare to see some frustration. If you do, however, the game can actually be pretty fun. Charging moves by holding certain buttons and showing off intricate combos flow together pretty well, and pulling off the special techniques is fun and looks good. The defensive tactics, however, still require split-second timing and the ever-popular teleportation evade is particularly difficult to pull off. With practice, though, the game has its moments of being over-the-top and fun to play, while still keeping it at a breakneck pace. Some of the more advanced moves aren't particularly useful, but they do show off some flair and DBZ-style mayhem.

For all the DBZ fans that absolutely must have their favorite characters, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 has you covered. There are over 150 characters selectable, with many of these characters being available at start. Fans who want to see their favorite characters without trudging through the story mode will be up in arms, but the unlockable characters are pretty few and far between, although some are a pleasant surprise for the roster. You get multiple forms of fan favorites like Goku and Vegeta along with super-powerful antagonists like Saiyan tank Broly along with a slew of forms for Majin Buu. This is the most comprehensive of DBZ lineups yet, and even newcomers to the series will find the diverse and crazy-looking roster a real treat.

One of the most important of moves is the inclusion of online play. Forget the simple split-screen battles; now you can fight against your friends over Nintendo Wi-fi Connection. It sounds like a brilliant idea, and in theory it is. What the folks at Spike didn't consider is making the gameplay smooth and functional. What you get is an online mode that is full of lag. How much lag? Well, you'll find the game moving at an absurdly slow pace (completely losing all sense of timing and skill involved with the still cumbersome controls) with the annoying little Giru connection icon almost constantly flashing. When looking at the Gamefaqs message boards, I'm apparently not alone. The online play is a good idea in putting more Wii games online, but Tenkaichi 3 is ruined in its execution of an otherwise excellent move.

The main story mode is the Dragon History mode, a compilation of some of the most memorable DBZ battles. You want Goku's Saiyan standoff against Vegeta? Both of them? You got ‘em. All of your favorite bad guys make returns, but a majority of the really obscure battles are forgotten. Compared to the incredibly comprehensive history seen in the original Tenkaichi, you'll only get a handful of battles in each saga. This isn't a serious problem early on, but when you get to the later sagas like the Buu Saga, you'll no doubt notice the lack of many serious battles. An interesting inclusion involves pressing a button during a battle to follow the story, or if you're skilled enough, to ignore it and play your own way. This adds some depth to the story mode, and is a cool inclusion over the boring loading-time-packed, map search game of Tenkaichi 2. There are plenty of other modes like Tournament and traditional Duels, but it would've been much better to see some other modes available, or make them more in-depth. Some subtle inclusions like day-to-night transitions (for Saiyan full moon transformations), some cool in-game minigames like Energy Crashes and clashes, and more precise motion controls make some good progressions from the past games, but the game still doesn't manage to show off these cool new ideas. It's not amazing, but it's a definite improvement in the series.

Graphically, the game still manages to look pretty sharp. The battles have their expected amount of flair and style, especially some of the more extreme ones. Energy blasts look especially good, and the game captures the spirit of the DBZ legacy incredibly well. The game can be pretty rough in terms of frame rate (not just the online mode) and has a nasty tendency to freeze up in extreme cases. It still is impressive as a DBZ game. For sound, you get your favorite DBZ voice actors with traditional acting and some light bits of melodrama snuck in. Yes, you do get Vegeta's famous “over 9000!” line, along with some modified lines to express the uncut versions of the series. It gets a bit old, but it's great seeing the famous DBZ cast back for another adventure. The music is okay and the sound effects are massive and full of power. Hearing a Kamehameha energy crash explode is just plain incredible. The presentation hasn't improved too much, but the gameplay is still frenetic and looks good while it's at it.

Pros
+ Game is still ridiculously over-the-top
+ Library of characters is incredible
+ Lots of modes
+ Looks and sounds good
+ Controls, though intricate, work pretty well

Cons
- Online play is slow and full of lag
- Dragon History isn't as comprehensive as past games
- Wii Remote controls don't work too much
- Needed more opportunities to see the improvements

Dragonball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is definitely an improvement over its predecessors, but many of the new additions end up being either broken or irrelevant. There are enough characters to satisfy even the most jaded of fans and the combo system is a good improvement over the second installment. The controls show enough insane, overkill techniques and diversity, although the Wii Remote controls are still generally tough to figure out. If you have a Classic or Gamecube controller, you'll most likely need it here. On the other hand, the completely broken online mode and incomprehensive Dragon History mode are major letdowns, especially since there aren't many reasons to fight on through the single-player. On the whole, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 makes some interesting improvements that generally make the game steps ahead of past games in the series. If you're a DBZ fan, this is a no-brainer. You'll pick it up just to see your favorite characters do battle in their traditionally over-the-top forms. Anyone else will find enough in here worthwhile of a rental and even show some newcomers to the series why DBZ is such a worldwide phenomenon. Even fighting fans will find something to like in Tenkaichi 3's frenetic pace and crazy roster. It's a fun and functional improvement over Tenkaichi 2 and is definitely worth checking out.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/14/08

Game Release: Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (US, 12/03/07)