Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors

"Wow."

Well, as of a month or two ago, the newest Dragon Ball Z game came up. It was a release in Japan and Europe, but Infogrames has translated it and it will arrive in North America on November 12th. The game was made by Banpresto, and covers the entire Dragon Ball Z series. From the opening scenes against Raditz to the ending fight against Kid Buu.

For those of you who have played Super Saiyajin Densetsu for the Super Famicon (Released 1992, made by Bandai), you will know what this game is. It's an RPG/adventure game. You use cards to select an attack (i.e. Kamehameha), cards for defense, and support cards (e.g. Dende). Each card has a different effect on your character. (e.g. Dende heals your character)

That would actually add a nice strategic effect to the game, and it does mean you'll have to think about what you actions may cost you. As for the RPG element, you do gain experience points which eventually causes you to level up (Real rocket science there, eh?) and with that your stats go up. The stats are: HP (If you lose it all--you die, simple), KI (Needed to preform attacks), SPD (Determines who goes first), and that's it, I do believe.

And now that I've explained a bit about the game, we'll get on with the review!

Graphics - People think that graphics make or break a game. And if that's the case with you, you shan't be disappointed. For a Game Boy Colour game, this does look great. The map graphics are good for a GBC title, though they would have been much better on the GBA. The colours on the map were a little bad, but nothing horrible about it.

The battle animations are... wow. Just wow. The Kamehameha looks great, the Masenko looks great, the Destructo Disk looks great, and the other moves you like look great. The battle animations will not disappoint you. From what I've played of this game, each battle animation is unique. From when you use your Limit Attack (Yes, a Limit Attack, like the Limit Breaks) to a regular power-up.

Let me explain about the Limit Attack, since I know you're curious. The Limit Attack (Or LA) can actually be picked by you. On the LA screen in Details from the menu you can select three cards to use. It is up to you. You can put Super Saiyan transformations there or attacks. Some cards cannot be placed there, such as healing cards. You see, the LA will always be there, which is a plus. You can use it unlimited times supposing you have the KI to preform it.
Now, to use an LA you have to be powered up. To power up you go to the forth option from the right in Attack Mode, and then select the power up. Then the next attack turn you get you select the first option (Limit) and pick whatever. This is not a rip-off of Final Fantasy VII. It's better. ~_^

Sound - Well, it was bad. Actually, to be blunt, it was horrible. I guess I am sort of biased, though. I was never a fan of handheld music. In most cases I've hated it. So I guess I shouldn't say much here. Just don't really have high expectations for the music, and you should be fine.

Controls - Well, it's a handheld with only A, B, Start, and Select. The controls can't be difficult. It's all straight-forward stuff, really. A selects things, B cancels them, Start brings you to the menu, etc. etc. Nothing complicated. They're smooth.

Translation - Hm... there has been one repeated flaw thus far. ''NOW LOST!'' Instead of using the word die, for some unbelievable and stupid reason, Infogrames decided to teach kids how to say ''Lost, dude!'' Yes, that's right, instead of saying 'die' they say 'lost'. BUT, and this is a big but, Infogrames made up for this. There is cursing in various points of this game, so that's a step-up, of course.

The dialogue is mature, as well. Such as the description of the Bluma card: Demotivates the enemy with sexiness. The game is much more mature than the dub of the anime is, and will definitely be a jewel for any DBZ fan (Or non-fan, too).

The Numbers:
(All marked out of 10)

Graphics: 10
Sound: 7
Controls: 10
Translation: 9
Overall: 9

Final Thoughts: Whether or not you are a DBZ fan you should check this game out. It's the first English release of a good DBZ game. If you like RPG, strategy, or adventure games then check this out. The early chapters of the game are more of a card game than anything, but only because the game was mainly made a sequel to Super Saiyajin Densetsu. As soon as the Freeza saga ends the game takes on the true element of an RPG. There will also be something to keep you playing: the fact that you can play as a lot of different characters. You can unlock characters in this game, which is a plus.

To unlock them you have to... well, you figure it out yourself. There is a lot of replay factor in this, so don't miss out.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/25/02, Updated 09/25/02