GAME
Super Dragon Ball Z

Format: PS2
Atari
£24.99
3 296580 802944
Age Restrictions: 12+
Available
14 July 2006


From the producer of the acclaimed
Street Fighter II game comes Super Dragon Ball Z, a new, highly intense fighting experience unlike any other Dragon Ball Z game. Featuring an all new fighting system plus intense combos for super damage, and multiple unique special attacks and fighting styles for all 18 characters, this game gives players a more hard-core 3D fighting experience in the air or on the ground...

The Dragon Ball Z games are a bit of an acquired taste. While it's not essential that you are familiar with the animated series, some familiarity with the characters and Dragon Ball Z world will certainly help you to appreciate the rather bizarre characters.

In this, the latest instalment in the games franchise, you get the chance to master the unique fighting styles of 18 mighty Dragon Ball Z warriors in the fighting engine designed by Noritaka Funamizu, producer of Street Fighter II. Unleash lightning-quick combos and brutal finishing moves. Steal your enemy's special moves and use them as your own and pummel your opponent in highly destructible environments.

The developers have tried to make everything look and play like the original anime. And to be honest they've done a great job. But, and this is a big but, after several hours of playing you start to think that there should be something else - that the game is missing something that you can't quite put your finger on. And then it hits you... this game is way too easy. By simply finding a special move that works you can beat your opponent by simply repeating that same move over and over again. And, as the levels pass by, and your opponents tend to block more and more, it's not long before the whole thing becomes dull - with you trying to time your attacks to avoid your opponent's blocks, while at the same time blocking their attacks.

There are various different modes that you can play, but none are overly impressive. The main arcade and the Vs mode are probably the only two that you'll really want to play more than a couple of times.

Dragon Ball Z fanatics will probably lap this up, the rest of the gaming world will probably wonder what all the fuss is about. For me, personally, it wasn't a patch on previous games in the franchise. It feels like a step backwards to be honest.

Nick Smithson

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