Much like Speed Racer this anime was kind of like the gateway anime. The type when you first see it you can’t get enough of and then after 200+ episodes you get burnt. During those times, boy there was a lot of DBZ games. From the SNES all the way to the Wii. Nothing quite like doing a Kamehameha with the Wiimote. Heard this game was coming down the pipe and wasn’t to sure what to expect. After playing the demo I was sure this was at least a rental. My lucky day is it was 2 for $10 on game rentals.

The game is solid through and through. At times it seems to be a bit overwhelming especially coming from playing Soul Calibur IV. Most things in SC make sense and in DBZ it becomes button mashing. They have added a lot to this series especially comparing it to the Wii version. There is this thing called “Drama Pieces” which are events triggered by something in the fight. Like Piccolo cover shot which consists of Piccolo coming in and interrupting the fight. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this. Seems kind of boring and takes away from the chaos which is DBZ fighting. Though it was great to see them do a “His Power Level is 19000!” Other then that the game is pretty much the same as it’s ever been except for the graphics.

The graphics stand out tremendously. I am actually shocked by how pretty it looked. I thought the Cube did a fantastic representation in the Budokai series however this one certainly takes the cake. From the cell shading and the Goku shading….ok that was a really bad DBZ joke but couldn’t resist. Just know the graphics kick ass. It seems really fast too. There isn’t a moment where your like “come on go faster”.

The sound quality wins a special point for me. One of the biggest issues that I have with anime games is the Lack of Japanese dialogue. I prefer my anime series to be in the original language with subtitles. Both language options exist in the game. Either English or Japanese. Much like my Soul Calibur experience, I locked it down to the Japanese. (Even though I love the Spanish Dub Goku. Always sounded like Antonio Banderis. “I’m looking for a Man who calls himself Freiza.” In Antonio Voice) The SFX also stand out and make the greatest combination’s of the classic DBZ SFX. They did a nice job incorporating the surround sound. It really makes you feel like your in the battle. Another plus is the soundtrack. I’m not a big fan of the non DBZ music but the rock stuff actually seemed to fit pretty well.

Overall this is a great game for anyone that has seen or played a DBZ Game. It is totally all the fun of the series minus all the filler. Relive those classic days when anime was 2 VHS tapes at your local blockbuster.