Hidden Gems #31 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai

Historical Background: Well since Dragon Ball Z Fighter came out I started to think what games in DBZ series felt under the radar in terms of where people thought was the best of the best, and the original Budokai for the PlayStation 2, and later the Nintendo Gamecube, but never for the Original Xbox which is interesting since it appeared on the 360 library of games to purchase again how does this work who knows, and its one I can't resolve. I do love the intro to this game that reminds us why Dragon Ball Z was just great with its action packed action, but one thing people were annoyed by its wait for the next episode for the showdown, and all that. In a video game form you get the price of admission right? The story's timeline goes from the saiyan saga, all the way to the Cell Saga which was when the show was really at its peak.

Insert Disc: While the second featured the kid saga I didn't think that was the highlight of the show in my opinion, and yet they say the second game is better than the original? The roster is pretty small well for me considering there are way more characters in the series not included that I feel like maybe they could of had in here to add more depth, but for 2002 this was fairly acceptable. For its time it looked good, but as the years went on it felt more like a PS2 launch game in a way. Each battle is to deplete your opponent's health bar. Battles take place on a area of that time period of the show, where characters may move around. To unleash super attacks you would need to have you're gauge at full charge ready to give it all in. Obtaining enhancements such as super attacks and increased strength transform into an unstoppable being. You have three skill set all have a certain perk, a special move, physical style (fighting style), and equipment. If you wish to get better throughout the game then you're best chance is with the talking Mr. Popo. Let's actually back, and just dive into the main story which sound sound familiar by those who have seen at least DBZ. ''The player automatically collects capsules (or sometimes Dragon Balls and characters) at the end of each battle. Also, more levels are unlocked during a second playthrough. At the end of every saga there are bonus "what if" episodes, and one plays as the main villain of that saga; Vegeta, Frieza and Cell respectively.'' This meant that the games storylines are based off of three main antagonists of each saga one in which ended up turning good-ish. Complete the long, and satisfying campaign, and you should unlock a ton of hidden things you not have noticed. There are also other modes you could chose to do since the game does have more variety. World Match is basically you complete in a tournament, and if you win your rewarded with Zeni (money). Duel is the ultimate test how you stack up against a much more stronger A.I if you wish to be the ultimate DBZ fighter than this if all on you to attempt. The final mode in which is not unlocked originally called Legend of Hercule which is basically playing as Mr. Satan... great. Its you're typical Mortal Kombat like arcade style where you go from the bottom to the very end.

Final Verdict: I feel 16 years later revisiting the game is pretty ancient for me compared to today's set of DBZ games which are solid in their own right, but to me this was the first one I played in the series that I felt was pretty awesome. After this game however many say that the sequel far overshadow this one, and sure I guess, but to be honest I liked the first three sagas I wasn't big into Majin Buu, and maybe that is why I prefer this story over the other ones. I'll admit I didn't recall the sound in the game being incredibly repetitive especially when it comes to the cutscenes in the story. Oh, and that strange grunt like sound when I player gets first strike that eventually is noticeable as well. Yet again I still felt the game is passable, and for not being a big anime person this was probably one I dedicated the most time with back then. 8 out of 10

Comments

My older brother got this game on my 6th birthday I suppose :P.

But yeah, I have memories of this either way. However, Budokai 3 not only eclipses this, its also one of the best fighting games and the best DBZ game before FighterZ came along. - CrimsonShark