Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II

"Possibly One Of The Best DBZ Games Ever."

Holy cow...I must say, Atari sure has blown me clear away with the sequel to last years disaster, despite what their reports say about the game being a ''smash hit''. Well, we all knew a sequel to Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy Of Goku was going to be made, but I always kept in mind not to get my hopes up, due to doing that last time and totally being letdown, but boy, yet again, I was wrong. This game is such a HUGE improvement over the last game, you'll have a hard time trying to believe that this game is the sequel. Though, exactly HOW good is this game and does it live up to the DBZ name and make it worth owning, let alone let you enjoy playing it? Read on...

Story: Well, it's DBZ, so this is a given. The story takes place from the Trunks Saga up until the end of the Cell Saga. Seems short, right? Wrong. Atari threw in some other elements to the game, such as DBZ Movie #5's Plot, so you'll encounter Koola on New Namek and Garlic Jr., though, he's not in the game, but you'll see how he ties in. That and they actually use Gohan's Dream as a playable area. You know, the one where he meets Goku when he comes home. Though, I can't really bash this game, since it's one of the few DBZ games to go past the Frieza Saga, so it gets points for not only that, but for also using some really good ideas this time around that not only make sense, but fit.

(Also, the Koola idea WAS used once before, in Dragon Ball Z III: Ressen Jinzouningen for the Famicom.) Also, there's a bunch of things to do in the game that stray from the plot, so it adds to the story and game play. Though, trust me, Goku isn't saving Cats this time around. Over all, same old story that's been used over and over, but some good ideas, as well as some original ones, so it's very well above average. Not the best, not the worst, but just great.

Rate: 8/10

Controls: Well, this is a Action RPG, so you'd hope it'd have good controls, right? Well, it does, but they aren't perfect. This time around, you can move in any direction, which makes fighting a HELL of alot easier, as well as moving around and everything. Using attacks and fighting is also pretty good, but it has its flaws. It'll take you some time to master the controls and learn how to work them, as you'll see how hard it is to do so when you lose to Dream Frieza the first time you play this game. (Unless you're just THAT good and you win the first time.)

As for the Menus and selecting and finding things, etc, the controls for these are easy to use/navigate, so nothing's hard to do and it's a GREAT improvement by Atari by far. Over all, though, it's not perfect. I still think they did a great job with the controls, but they needed just a TAD more bit of work. Easy movement in any direction, fighting's easier, but still hard to master, controlling characters in areas, etc, works fine and it's fun to explore with a easier way to do so. What more could you want?

Rate: 9/10

Graphics: Pretty much the same from the first game, only there's been a few improvements here and there. The characters look the same, but the changes you'll notice are the text boxes and character icons. Wow, they REALLY took my advice too far. I said increase the icons a bit, but not by THAT much, heh, though, they still look better than the old ones from the first game. The text is bigger and easier to read and the characters look like the characters with some medicore detail. I also noticed the character sprites have been improved. Several times throughout the game, people's appearances change, (Gohan and Trunks are an example.) which is really cool and helps with the game's story.

Also, unlike in the first game, people actually LOOK like they're supposed to. Remember how Yamucha's Hair was in Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy Of Goku? Yeah, well, this time around, everyone looks how they did at that time. I guess Atari finally stopped being lazy, though, I DID notice they didn't give Gohan his Piccolo style clothes...damn them. Anyway, as for the main game graphics, I must say, WOW. They added in weather changes this time. From rain to snow to nice weather, heck, even having the seasons change, which I find is a nice touch, the game improves in many areas for the graphics. SNES did this back in the day during the later years and it's nice to see the Gameboy Advance is doing it as well.

Not to mention the forests, cities, etc. Holy God, they look great. This time, the main city in the game is explorable and is VERY big, as well as filled with detail, so you won't be let down. Enemies look very well done, except for the fact that King Cold, Koola and Cell look WAY TOO BIG. I mean, really, really, big. Also, the Ki Techniques have been DRASTICALLY updated. The Kamehameha looks like it SHOULD have been before and attacking with it is a blast. (No pun intended.) As for the Makankosappo, it's also been done perfectly, as well as all the other attacks in the game. Just top notch, really. Still, even with a few oddities around, these graphics won't disappoint you in ANY way.

Over all, great in game graphics, characters look great, attacks look amazing, detail to everything is high and enjoying it will not let you down. I guarantee that.

Rate: 10/10

Sound/Music: Well, I have to be honest here. I never liked the dub's music for DBZ. Ever. I hate what they came up with and prefer the original score better, but eh, it's not THAT bad. But, the good thing is for you fans of the dub, this game does infact use music from it. Yes, it really does and it's AMAZING. The music sounds perfect, especially with headphones. I loved how they did that connection to the show, even though I hate the dub, but this music is sure as heck better than what they used for the first game. Though, they DID use some of their own songs, so don't expect an entire music score from the show, but it's pretty close. The music's VERY tolerable and you'll like it, unless you absolutely HATE the dub music, which, if that's the case, expect to mute it.

As for the sound effects, everything sounds good as usual, except there's no voices in this game like in the first and thank GOD. The ''Kamehameha!'' from the first one got annoying. FAST. And it wasn't even timed right. This game was better off without them. When you hit enemies with attacks, they sound good and the sounds fit, so it's not completely off and the other numerous things in the game, such as getting Items and running into objects, which is always fun, their sound effects also fit well. Over all, the music is AWESOME for a Gameboy Advance game and helps fans relate to the dub and the sound effects fit very well. No complaints here and it seems Atari just keeps on improving with this game.

Rate: 10/10

Game Play: The moment of truth...does this game really add up and make it fun to play? You bet your sweet Senzu Beans it does. (Haha, corny joke. Sue me.) This time around, you're not just Goku. Heck, you don't even play as Goku for a good while in this game. For the sequel, you now play as Trunks, Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, Goku AND a secret hidden character...Mr. Satan! Come on, it's Mr. Satan. Any game that has him as a playable character HAS to be good, right? Also, since there's a bunch of new characters to play as, you can now play a MUCH bigger game, as you go through EVERY SINGLE EVENT from the Trunks Saga until the end of the Cell Saga. Great, huh? Not to mention, there's a World Map now, which you can fly around on, much like in any Final Fantasy.

That and there's certain areas only certain characters can explore and with more attacks to learn, more things to do and see, trust me, you won't be breezing through this game like the first one. No, sir, this game at LEAST will keep you busy for a little while, especially with getting everything AND unlocking the secret ending. And, if you're wondering if those side quests are back, yes, they are, but they are NOT as bad as the first game. There's still some weird things you have to do, but they're all tolerable and not mind numbingly stupid, like getting some kid's toy boat with Goku. Also, since there's a World Map now, you can revisit areas you explored before and even return to them to get stuff you might've missed or couldn't access before.

That and not to mention, you can get a Scouter in this, which allows you to scan ANY living thing and collect data on them, allowing you to check it all out later at Capsule Corporation, which REALLY adds to the gameplay. Though, the thing is, there are some downsides to the game. For starters, the replay value. Just like the first game, there is none. Period. No secret things, nothing. Though, there IS a secret ending, so that helps aim for something after you beat Cell, but other than that, nothing new. That and even though the enemy's AI has been modified, it's still the same strategy over and over to win, but at least it's better, but, that's pretty much it for the downsides, really. There's a few, but nothing major that'll turn you off from this game.

Over all, TOP gameplay for a DBZ game, with multiple characters to play as, huge areas to explore, numerous things to find and unlock, ALOT of side quests to do and a whole bunch of other cool stuff that's just waiting to be done. Just a GREAT, solid improvement and Atari's really shinning now. Perhaps they learned from their mistakes, eh?

Rate: 8/10

Over All: So, there you go. Does the game sound better to you? It should, because it is. If you HATED the first game, give this game a try, because you'll seriously grow to love it. If you for some twisted reason liked the first game, you'll REALLY like this one. But trust me, the game's very much worth your money, even if you're a DBZ fan or just a guy wanting another Action RPG to play. Either way, it's still a great game. But, even though there were a few things Atari could've done to improve this game even more, I still find the final product good and very worthy of playing. I have no real complaints at all. There's a very good story, the controls are good, the graphics are amazing, as is the music and sound and the gameplay is great. If you don't at least give this game a shot, you're missing out.

Well, anyway, if you need to choose between renting or buying this, I'd say buy it. It's only about $30 or so and you won't be let down with your purchase. If you're a DBZ fan, DEFINITELY pick this up and if you aren't, hey, give it a shot if you like Action RPGs. Can't go wrong here. But, if you're still skeptical about this game, which I REALLY don't blame you for being, go ahead and rent it and see if you like it. If you do, then go ahead and buy it. That or borrow if from a friend. Either way, enjoy the game and give it at least one try before you decide or judge it for being DBZ.

Final Rate: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/26/03, Updated 06/26/03