Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II

"This Can't Be the Same Series......"

I have to say that this cannot be the same series as the first Legacy of Goku. I never ran out and bought this I waited until one of my friends bought it then I borrowed it from them. They didn't want to give it up but I persuaded them. I ran home with the game and played it and I must say I was impressed. This game was far different from the first game because it was entertaining and fun: two opposites from the first game.

Story: This game leads off from the Future Trunks timeline for training then after that it picks up at the beginning of the Trunks Saga all the way until the Cell Games. The story was more picked up and every pointless to incredible thing was there including when Goku teleported Cell to King Kai's planet. There was even a little fight between Gohan and Dream Frieza. I was completely shocked at how great this game followed the story. Overall, this game followed the story great and I was overwhelmed by how good a Game Boy Advance game could turn out.

Gameplay: I don't know how they did it but they managed to spice up this game's gameplay. You still get the same controls minus fly (more challenging that way anyway) but instead you get this cool scouter that you can scout things then come back to Capsule Corporation and look at your scoutings. However the combat is almost the same, except, you now stand a chance because you can now have hand to hand combat! Your punches actually effect the enemy and so do your ki blasts. Each character gets their on signature attacks (Gohan gets Masenko, Vegeta gets Big Bang,etc.) You can actually fly now using the new world map which comes in handy when you want to backtrack to your home and Capsule Corporation, etc. They actually include the music from the series which is a giant plus! Gameplay is greatly improved from the old game and I just love it!

Graphics: The graphics are great I love them! Their not that much better than the first game but you can see the differences when you compare. All the characters look different. The character sprites are all there but they kind of look deformed but they're more detailed than the first game. Goku actually looks more like Goku instead of Yamcha, Gohan looks like Gohan,etc. You can actually tell the characters apart. But there is something wrong here. The character models of Cell, King Cold and another villain is just too big. That is my only complaint. All in all everything looks just like they should in the series and the backgrounds scream Dragon Ball Z. Also all the Ki blasts look like they should. Special Beam Cannon, Kamehameha are all expressed in great detail and all of them are unique.

Sound: While the Goku's voice is absent, which I think is a major plus right there, the game is just great without that. The blasts sound almost like they do in the series. The music can get annoying but most of the music that is featured is in the series which is a plus. I think that because the first game's background music made me turn down the sound in the first fifteen minutes which was bad. All in all the sound is deeply improved and I'm impressed.

Challenge: The challenge is much much much more improved than the first game. You actually have to level up to beat some of the bosses which is good when I used to be able to get through the first game at level 18 at the end. The bosses are now more smarter and don't stop and look around when you get a certain point ahead of them which is a plus. Cell was said to be hard and that he is because I had a hard time beating him the first time through.

Replayability: This game has a lot of replay value compared to the first game. If you want to unlock a special character then that will be something that you will want in advance. If you want to play against Cooler than you will have to do something to actually get to him which will prove rewarding when you get to him. Personally I just love this game and every time there is a long car ride I hop into the front seat and play through it again. It's just that fun.

Final Verdict: All in all this game rocks! If you're a hardcore Dragon Ball Z fan go out and buy this game right away! If you're not a Dragon Ball Z fan but you like Role Playing Games then buy this game. This game just rocks and deserves at least a rent. It's just that good!!!!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/16/03