"Great game, but as usual, not for everyone"

2003 Atari came out with a fighting game for the Game Boy Advance called Dragon Ball Z Supersonic Warriors. It was fast and frantic, and although it wasn't very strategic, it stayed true to the DBZ fighting series. Now, just about a year and a half later they released the sequel, Supersonic Warriors 2.

Graphics: The graphics in the first game were pretty good, but it's unfortunate that they didn't change them very much going from the first to the second SSW's game. Don't get me wrong, it still looks great, but I expected a little more. The characters models are clean and looks great, and some of the attacks in this game look outstanding. This game is a 2D fighter, but the backgrounds are 3D, which makes the game look even better. The cut scenes in the story mode are pretty good looking too.

8/10

Sound: If you've played a DBZ game before, you know that the music isn't horrible, but it isn't anything that you'll be tapping your feet to either. Sound effects for the attacks are pretty good, and while the voices for the characters are limited, you will recognize them from the show.

6/10

Game Play: Obviously the area that makes a fighting game, and in this title it isn't too bad. First off, they did decrease the speed a bit, but this is a good thing since it makes this title more strategic, and it makes you think a little bit. However, by the end of the game, your big strategy will probably be just sitting back, throw a kamehameha (or whatever attack the specific character has), then power up. Repeat as many times as necessary. Also, DS's unique touch screen is pretty worthless here, and all you do with it is click on a character portrait, then voila, that character comes in for the fight. So, they didn't necessarily do a bad job in game play, I just expected more.

7/10

Difficulty: Just like the original, this game isn't at all difficult, and even at hard difficulty it is incredibly easy. Don't expect too much here.

5/10

Game Modes: As usual they have story modes, which basically, each character has their own what-if stories. The only problem is that it is much more difficult to advance in the story. See, in every chapter you have an objective you have to complete in order to advance, but the only problem is that they don't tell you what you're supposed to do. This gets to be very frustrating when you're trying to unlock things, but don't know how to beat a specific chapter. You also have Z Battle, which is picking up to three fighters and going through a few rounds, racking up as many points as possible. Then there's mania mode, which makes you go through chapters fighting through 3 different difficulty (wait until you get to the last difficulty, which has what some call super fighters.

After that there's only practice mode, which is just as it says, it allows you to practice. While all the modes are just fighting over and over again, there is still a pretty good diversity.

8/10

Replay Value: Once you beat the game, it is fun to go back from time to time and fight, but you can only do this so much, and before long it can get pretty boring, especially since there's almost no bonus materials. The real value is multiplayer, which is a bunch of fun, especially since people at least have some competence. The fights with friends can be fast and fun, and this is the only time you have to be strategic and plan your moves.

7/10

Final Recommendation: Overall, this is pretty much the best fighter on the DS, but it still has a ways to go. If you're looking for a good fighting game for the DS, look no further. Just don't feel too surprised if you beat this game in a day or too, and don't feel too mad that there's almost no replay value. You should buy this if you're a DBZ fan, but if you're not, you might want to rent. It's a good game, but it still needs more to convert even people who don't like DBZ.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/16/06