Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II

"Destroyed the predecessor"

If I was to review this game as is without the influence of the first Legacy of Goku, I would have given it a 6 or a 7... however, seeing that the programmers have went into greater detail this time to put out a WAY better game than the last one, they deserve an extra point or two. Still, not too much to applause about because even pac-man could have beat the first one... however, I am here to review the DBZ: The Legacy of Goku II, not anything else, so I will try to keep the comparisons low.

THis game has all the basic elements of an (action) rpg down pretty nicely, nice graphics, good sound, adequate challenge, replayability, and multiple endings plus much more... With today's game standards, it is hard to distinguish oneself from another without some radical features or just a big marketing campaign. This game falls in between the two, it does have what it takes to be a very enjoyable game, but just nothing too earth shaking, and as for marketing, it's got the backbone of the DBZ franchise so it cannot be too bad in that department. (just look at the simpsons franchise and their games.... *shrugs*)

ANyways, onto the review:

Gameplay: (8/10)
Compared to the first one, the game play has been dramatically increased. There are more moves you can do with each character, and best of all, you don't have to use the same character throughout. One major improvement is the movement system, instead of 4 way running, now it has 8 way running and as an added bonus, there's now a dash feature that allows you to move around vast areas rather quickly. Another great feature is the ability to turn super saiyan/namek... Transforming into a super saiyan/namek offers more than just extra power, additionally, each character has different properties in his other form that tickles the strategy muscles in the brain.

As for really playing the game and interacting with the environment... one BIG improvement here is the AI. Yes, it is pretty much a standard AI you'd find in most games, but again, compared to the first one, this AI is einstein. The enemies' AI are somewhat constant from one monster to another, but then the diversity comes in when it comes to size, speed, and special attacks... even with the same AI routine, the differences mention makes for a whole different experience when fighting enemies... for example, you wouldn't fight a tyrannosaurus the same way you'd fight a snake, and you certainly wouldn't try the same thing you use on the snake against the long hit range, kamehameha armed Cell. All these make the game worthy to pursue after completing one task and moving onto the next.

Speaking of tasks... a short note on this, the tasks you are supposed to accomplish in order to advance through the game make much more sense and are more interesting this time. More on that later.

Graphics (7/10)
I like the graphics. Very clean and nice, stuff look like what they are supposed to look like. There are way more sprite animations in this game compared to the first one. Movements are smoother and they are easier on the eyes.
The environments are less blocky and they actually resemble the sceneries of the tv series, that is a big accomplishment because most tv to game games usually run into difficulties when trying to stay consistent with the show.

Music (8/10)
I won't say much here since I am not an audiophile. The reason why I gave it an 8 was because it wasn't annoying and repetitive like the first one. Some (all?) the background music are from the tv series, so even though there's not much originality there, at least they didn't create an abomination. Good job.

Replayability (7/10)
There are some good secrets to unlock in this game, and you'd probably play through it again right after you beat it just to get what you missed the first time. There are two on-going quests that are introduced very earlier in the game and you'd have to stay alert from then on to fulfill all of its requirements. These two quests are optional, so players may not be able to/choose to not complete it the first time around... There's also a secret character, which is a nice addition. The rewards in this game are pretty simple and straight forward, you put the effort in, you get rewarded. Most people who liked the first time through will likely play it again at least once before putting it down and move on to something else.

Overall Impression (8/10)
If the makers of this series wanted to make this game look very good, they have succeeded. By creating a really really shabby predecessor, any improvements on this version would have seem godly. And to be fair, the improvements are numerous, so even if the first legacy of goku wasn't THAT bad, this would still be a very competitive contender. I would recommend this game to ANY DBZ fan. For people who never saw the series, this one matches the storyline of the tv series quite closely (again, comparing to the horrors of the first one) so you won't feel lost when talking to your DBZ enabled friends about it.

This game is definitely worth the rent and it wouldn't be a bad investment to buy it as well. Heh, I suggest playing the first legacy of goku so you can appreciate why this one is just SO GOOD compared to it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/20/03, Updated 06/20/03