Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu

"Just a Generic Fighting Game with the DBZ Label Slapped On...And a Bunch of Unlockables"

Let's face it. Dragon Ball Z is an obvious license for fighting games. It has all the elements: the battle between good and evil, high-speed battles, mind-blowing special attacks, and a diverse cast. Budokai is a solid title that serves as more than just a cookie-cutter fighting game. Taiketsu, on the other hand, is exactly what DBZ doesn't need: a generic fighter with all the prerequisite, albeit slightly flawed, elements, with the DBZ name attached.

The basic idea is this: you pick a fighter from an initial roster of 7, which can be expanded to 15 (including Buu and Broly), and take him/her through a series of battles capped off by a boss battle. It does little to push the envelope, nor does it truly show the GBA's potential.

Graphics: 6/10
Average. The characters look grainy, and the animation is choppy. The special moves are represented well, from Goku's Kamehameha wave to Frieza's deadly sphere of destruction. But that still doesn't make up for the lack of decency.

Sound: 8/10
The sound is better. The soundtrack is passable, and the sounds made by the fighters is what you would expect in a fighting game. Besides, sound was never truly the backbone of a fighting game.

Control: 7/10
It works basically the same as a fighting game typically does. Weak Punch, Weak Kick, Hard Punch, Hard Kick, and basic 8-way control. All this game offers other than that is the building of Ki(for special attacks) and a Sky Battle feature. The controls aren't quite spot-on, however, and the special moves can be difficult to pull off at times.

Gameplay: 5/10
This can kill any game, and this game is just about as generic as the suburban houses of the 50's. You have your arcade-style ''tournament'' mode, an endurance mode, and time attack, and that's about it. Even the special moves are generic in design. As if that weren't disappointing enough, there are only three special moves per character, and they work like super moves! Let's face facts; special moves need to be usable from the get-go. Hit detection can also be a problem.

Lifespan: 7/10
This game will last longer than you'd expect, but only because there's so much to unlock. And I'm not just referring to the 8 extra fighters. As you play, you'll earn Z-Points to spend at...the Z-Store. Hardly creative, I know. But there's Bios, Pictures, Tracks, Extra Settings and Bonus modes. You'll be playing for a while to unlock everything...that is, if your patience holds out.

Final Verdict
I got this game for Christmas, and I'm glad I didn't have to spend $30 for it. I was kind of let down. It only goes as far as you can unlock stuff, but it's still too generic to do justice to the Dragon Ball Z name. It seemed too slapped together, maybe even rushed. Maybe Atari should find another developer for the next GBA fighter.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/01/04