Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors

"Wow, Finally a game that Piccolo is fast and agile in."

DBZ gamers have been awaiting the day in which a game that represents DBZ will make the fighting look and feel so much like DBZ. For the Playstation 2 there was DBZ: Budokai 1 & 2 which were average fighting games to say the least. On the Gameboy Advance there was a game called Taikeysu (which I never played and really don't want to) which bombed miserably. The Legacy of Goku 2 game was what DBZ gamers were waiting for (it was an RPG that went from the Trunks all the way to the end of the Cell Games) that game was really good. Now enter Supersonic Warriors and I'm gonna stop all this typing and get down to the review.

Story: 7/10
The game takes 13 different characters and gives them their own IF stories. For example, Vegeta's story starts at the beginning of the Freeza Saga and fights Frieza. All of the other stories are well represented but then the problem comes. Most of the dialogue is the same. Most of the characters say something like "I won't have mercy on you!" and something else similar to that. It gets very tedious when that is all you're reading over and over. Other than that the story is pretty good and it represents DBZ very nicely. When you get far enough in the game and get enough points you can buy the Namek, Android and Majin Saga (yeah it really is called Majin in this game) which tries to follow the DBZ story a little bit. Other than those little flaws the story is pretty well done and I commend Atari for making this game.

Gameplay: 9/10
This game is well done in this category. I reccomend going to the tutorial just like I did when I first played this game. They give you some well thought out examples of the games many attacks and how to perform them. The B button is weak attack, the A button is strong attack, the R button is power up or charge energy and the L button can be used as instant transmission by some characters (like Goku) or you can use it to swap in different characters when playing a team battle. When you hold down the R button and press the B button repeatedly you let loose a whole bunch of weak energy blasts but when you hold down the R button and press the A button you let loose a strong energy blast that can sometimes knock your opponent to the ground. If you press the A and B button simultaneously you can do something that is called a Short Range Certain kill attack that kind of acts as a throw but you have to close to your opponent for this to work. Now for the long range certain kill attack. If you press the R, A, and B button at the same time your character will do one of his special moves like the Kamehameha, Big Bang Attack, or Special Beam Cannon. They will do different attacks if your characters is right/left, bottom or at the top of the screen from your opponent. You can unlock different levels of the same characters which can make him stronger and/or give him/her a different appearance. You can also unlock the character's IF story at the shop by buying it with the tickets that you have collected. The only complaint that I have against this game is that there is no Kid Buu and there is SSJ3 Goku. Other than that this game is near perfection.

Graphics: 10/10
The graphics are one of the best that I've ever seen for a fighter (on the GBA) and all the characters look just like they should. The backgrounds look pretty good too and all the energy beams look just like they should so this section here is perfect. NO COMPLAINTS. Oh yeah I almost forgot. When you use a characters finishing move their face comes onto the screen just before they release and it just looks awesome.

Sound: 8/10
Oh man, this blew me away almost immediatly. The game's characters sound exactly like they should with or without headphones and they say their attacks out loud. For example, when Goku uses his Kamehameha he says " Kamehame - HA! The music is average but I hardly pay attention to it anyways since I'm too busy battling.

Replay Value: 6/10 - 8/10 (depends on the person playing it)
If you have any ounce of DBZ in you than you will always play this game. Everyone else might want to rent this game but I think that everyone will end up buying this game since it's a real and I mean REAL good fighting game for the GBA.

Rent or Buy: I think that everyone who likes fighting games should at least rent this game and give it a chance. If you like fighting games and DBZ then you should run down to your local game store and demand a copy. Believe me, you won't be sorry.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/12/04