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The best Dragon Ball Z game ever

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 19 / 21
Date: January 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2.

INTRODUCTION:
Dragon Ball Z has long been one of the greatest anime series ever created. It's doubtful manga author Akira Toriyama knew just how successful his franchise would one day become! Unfortunately, great as the anime and manga are, let's be realistic. Many video games based on the series have been stinkers. There's an occasional gem, but many of them are just terrible. With the Budokai series, though, Atari managed to make an excellent fighter based on the series, with each additional installment improving on the last. And then came Budokai Tenkaichi. Finally, we had a game that captured the high-flying, fast-moving, butt-kicking action of the anime. It had its share of flaws, and that's undeniable. But now a sequel has arrived! Read on for my review of Budokai Tenkaichi 2!

OVERVIEW:
Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 was released in Fall of 2006 for the Playstation 2 and Wii video gaming consoles. It is another three-dimensional fighter, with a fighting engine similar to the first game, with some modest improvements. There are several characters/transformations/backgrounds/skills/etc, with a ton of unlockable bonuses.

REVIEW:
This is it. Hands down, this is the single greatest Dragon Ball Z game I have ever played. Most of the flaws of the first game in this series were fixed for the second installment, and there's a ton of cool new stuff. Read on and see what makes this game so great, as well as its few shortcomings.

-THE GOOD-
-Characters, characters, and more characters. When it comes to the sheer number of selectable characters, this game is king. Although you start with a modest number, you can unlock tons more. By the time you've unlocked every character/transformations/etc., you've got close to a hundred and fifty playable states of characters - a new record for ANY fighting game.
-All characters have the same general move motions but have a unique feel all their own. Every character's strongest attacks have the same motions, so regardless of who you play as, you can immediately get a feel for what you have to do to launch your strongest stuff. But don't think this means the game lacks diversity, because there's a ton of it here. Every character has his/her own series-accurate special attacks. If you saw a character use it on the series, it's probably here.
-In-game transformations. The lack of this in the original Tenkaichi pissed a lot of people off. Well, it's no longer a problem! You can transform, detransform (with some exceptions), skip stages of transformation, and even perform fusions!
-Multiple game modes. There's the story mode, the ultimate battle z arcade-style mode, world tournament, standard-style exhibition dueling, and plenty more to hold your attention. There's even a training mode for newbies to the series.
-Multiple versions of the same character. This is good for when a character changed multiple times. For instance, there's a Saiyan Saga version of Vegeta whose transformation is to the Great Ape form, since he still has his tail, while there's also a Cell Saga version who can go Super Saiyan, as well as Ultimate Super Saiyan (Super Vegeta.) This way, in many cases, you can pick the version of the character(s) you like best.
-Customizable stats. You can set the stats up to your liking for a character, and even level up in the story and ultimate battle modes! This way, you can get a character with the stats you like.
-Characters never before playable in a Dragon Ball game! There are a number of anime and movie only characters here who have never been playable before, at long last. Amongst them are Turles from the third movie, and Hildegarn from the twelfth movie.
-Story mode improved greatly over the first Tenkaichi. It borrowed a lot from the Budokai 3 story mode, and thus benefits greatly.

-THE BAD-
-Despite the huge character variety, there are still some glaring omissions. I'm not gonna nitpick like everyone else does, but I do feel this needs a mention
-Not enough costumes! Most characters just have "pallet-swaps", and not alternate costumes. Goku has like six outfits, but they're all just alternate versions of his orange gi! What's the point of that? Not a huge issue but still worth mentioning.
-Steep learning curve. The Tenkaichi games are NOT easy to learn. This is no exception. If you're a newbie, I urge you, go through the training mode.
-Not enough customization options. Goku says on the main menu you can create custom characters, but all you can really do is customize their stats with various items. You can't even select their attacks. We need a better customization mode for this series. And while we're at it, how about a mode that lets you customize outfits?
-Confusing. Item Fusion, which is necessary to gain many items/characters/etc, is an extremely confusing and questionable process. You have to have Z-Item Fusion Potaras in addition to two things to fuse, and this makes it even more confusion. King Kai's "you lack the item fusion numbers" quote, which actually means "you don't have any Z Fusion Potaras," has confused many fans.
-Uneven artificial intelligence. Sometimes the computer starts up on an assault and never lets up, while other times it's dumb as a box of rocks and easily defeated by melee attacks. This is VERY annoying, because you never know what to expect.
-Too difficult to get out of combos. Seriously, most fights you can win by getting behind your opponent and melee attacking them to death. If you strike fast enough they won't recover. Likewise, they can do the same to you.
-Action gets too slow and cumbersome when it's between two big characters. When you see two big guys in action, you'll know what I mean.
-Some characters have obvious unfair advantages/disadvantages over others. Hercule's attacks don't even make the enemy flinch. Come on! That's just stupid; the guy sucks enough as it is. Some characters suck at flying, and thus are murder to play as in stages that focus on flying (for example, Kid Goku on Kami's Lookout.)
-Some story mode missions force you to play as Hercule. Need I say more?
-Several control flaws. Blast 1 attacks take too long to execute, and thus, are pretty much worthless. Likewise, if you try to dash away from your opponent, there's a few seconds of delay which ruins any potential escape. And sometimes the dashing control is so bad you'll totally overshoot wherever you're trying to get to. Come on, Atari. Work on the controls.

OVERALL:
Overall, despite some little flaws, this is the greatest Dragon Ball Z game ever made. If the first Tenkaichi was a demonstration of what Atari was ultimately capable of, this is the ultimate payoff of their efforts. If you're at all a Dragon Ball Z fan, and you're patient enough to learn the fighting engine, or you just loved the first Tenkaichi and want more, don't hesitate to buy this one.

EDITION NOTES:
The game is new and readily available pretty much everywhere that sells games.

"I just flew in from the training camp, and boy my arms are sore!"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 23
Date: December 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Well, I just spent almost 2 hours training as Vegeta with Yamcha, and my arms (Especially my elbows) are sore! I should have taken suggested breaks every 30 minutes, but I got caught up in the DBZ game.
This game gets a big smiley face :-)
This is the way Dragon Ball Z games were meant to be experienced!!! It is just great! I hammered Yamcha (Of course, I am still learning) After two hours, I am getting the knack of Dashing in, then up before I reach my Opponent, Then quickly down again, while attacking...What a killer move (Learned it by watching Goku!) If I sound fanatical, its because this game suits the Wii controls soooo well. I have about Six Wii Games now, not including Wii sports, and I got to tell you, This one makes the best use of the controller abilities (Although I have not played Zelda yet...it is still in the wrapper...waiting to get done with another RPG game before opening that one.)
This game with the Wii controller proves that a new way to game is upon us!
I would like to also thank Atari, for really taking the time to understand the capabilities of the Wii controller....other games missed the mark, this one did not!

If you like fighting games...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: January 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is a really good game. On wii launch day, as I sat sipping my hot chocolate and thinking about what other game I would get (other than Zelda) and I saw a poster for this game. Im a big fan of Dragonball Z, and I saw it has 120 characters. I didnt even KNOW that there were 120 fighters in exsistence, so I got this game. What a pleasent surprise this was.

The controlls are pretty good, but, dispite this being on the wii, it's still a button masher. You have to hammer away at the poor 'A' button. Energy attacks, however, are a bit more fun. You make motions to corrispond with the attack you are using (for example, kamehameha is back and foreword and spiri bomb is up, then down.) Pretty fun stuff. The arenas are pretty cool too. you get a HUGE circle to fly around in, and EVERY SINGLE THING in it can be destroyed. (including your opponent! xD) As you smash the area around you, sometimes a dragonball will apear. collect all 7, and you get a special skill capsule.

Of course, the real crowning achivement, the reason most people who wouldnt normally buy this game will buy this game, is the number of fighters. The box says 'over 120 characters!' This is misleading though. There is 120, but that includes the characters and their transformations. For example, Goku, SS Goku, SS2 Goku, and SS3 Goku all count as seperate people. Still, you still get about 90 different people, which isn't too shabby. Fighters include:

Goku, Gohan, (the rest of the 'crew') Tapion, Lord slug, Pikkon, Giant ape (FINALLY!) cui, bardock, Androids 16-20, android 13, all the main villens, (buu, cell, etc.) master roshi/jackie chun, plus tons more.

Overall, this is a great game that will probably be overlooked by many. too bad, though, because this is really one of the best fighting games ive played, even if it wasnt about DBZ.

No button mashers allowed

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: December 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

What do you get when you combine high speed anime martial arts with motion sensitive controls? A darn good time.

There are tons of different game modes to keep you busy, along with over 100 different unlockable characters.

Where the game truly shines is the control element. Yeah, yeah, it's a Wii game so get used to it.
Literally every button on the Wiimote and Nunchuk is used. Holding down Z and flicking the nunchuk makes your character dash towards your opponent. And, trust me, being able to pull back and thrust the controller forward to unleash an energy blast can be extremely theraputic.
Button mashers won't get too far, since you really do have to stay calm and focused in order to pull off some of the special moves and counters.
There's a really nice training mode which will let you practice all of the different moves.

One problem I ran into was Story Mode. I've never been able to bring myself to watch the Dragonball Z cartoons except when I happen to come across it channel surfing. Story Mode allows you to 'relive' scenes from the various Dragonball Z stories. It was a bit disheartening to absolutely level a badguy, tossing him up in the air, pounding him into the ground, and finally unleashing an energy blast that literally destroys 1/4 of the planet, just to see a cut scene that says I died.

Non-Dragonball fans can enjoy this game, but I'd recommend the more traditional gameplay modes like duel and tournament.

It will take awhile to get a hang of the control scheme, but once you do you're in for a treat.

A Ton of Fun After Getting Past the Learning Curve

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: December 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The Wii's innovative remote and nunchunk has a lot of potential and I'm glad that the makers of Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi saw the potential and ran with it. There is a slight learning curve using the remote but once you get it down you will find that you can have a lot of fun, be very creative, and even get a slight workout.

I've never seen the show but that did not stop the ability to learn and enjoy the game. Granted, I still have no interest in tooning in, but don't let the lack of familiarity with the show stop you from picking this up.

If you like the Martial Arts type of games (like Street Fighter, Tekken, Mortal Combat, et al) then you really need to try this out with the new feature of the Wii remote and nunchunk.

definite buy for dragon ball z fans

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is actually a lot of fun. I've never really wactched much of the Dragon Ball series so I didn't know what to expect from it. However, I had heard about certain storylines and seen a couple of episodes to get my curiosity peaked. When I found out this game basically went throughout the entire story of the Dragon Ball series and had pretty much every character, I had to purchase it.

The control mechanics are well suited for the Wii and Atari did a great job making them intuitive. I've read some people saying that the controls are difficult to get used to. This is only true to a certain extent. It took me about 10 minutes to learn the control mechanics.

The special powers, which require unique movements with the Wii-mote, are a lot of fun to do. It also makes you feel like you "earned" the special when it happens. Its kind of like a fatal finisher in mortal kombat. Because it took a little bit more to do make its that much sweeter.

The one thing I still don't understand how to do with this game is to combine the elements... I tried playing around with it, but it just didn't make any sense.

In the long run you don't need to, though.

The other con about this game is that, as in most fighting games, the storyline just leads to the same old fights over and over again. Thankfully, there are some great cut scenes for the storyline that mix up the game play.

I recommend this for anyone that loves fighting games and has an overall curiosity in the Dragon Ball series. If you don't, you may find the gameplay pretty monotonous... The experience in itself though is above average.

Best DBZ Game to Date and Great Wii Launch Title

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've played every console DBZ to be released in America to date. And with each iteration, more characters are introduced and the gameplay gradually improves and becomes more refined. This title is no exception.

In Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2, you fight one on one battles with your opponents by having the camera fixed over your fighter's shoulder. Now this may seem like an awkward angle for a fighting game, but it works well and does a great job of making you feel like you are in the shoes of the character you have chosen. The battles are fought in gigantic landscapes with many destructible objects to knock your enemies into, giving each fight the epic feel that make DBZ battles so exciting.

There's no shortage of replay value here either, as there are but a small sample of characters available when you first start the game. The remaining roster of well over 100 characters is unlocked by playing through the single player game which not only spans the main DBZ sagas, but also most of the movies and the Dragonball GT series. The single player mode represented in this game is quite similar to the one in Dragonball Z Budokai 3 where you are given a map to navigate and can choose to fight optional battles, find dragonballs, or advance the story. It worked well then, and it works well now. In multi-player mode you can play in tournaments, team battles, or your standard one on one fights. One thing I've noticed about multi-player is that the game tends to lag during these types of games for whatever reason.

Considering that this is basically a port of the Playstation 2 version, the graphics are not going to blow anyone away. The characters are completely cel-shaded, much like in its preceding titles, which gives it an authentic anime feel. The characters' special attacks are also well animated and are executed in a very flashy and dramatic flair. As battles progress, the characters suffer "battle damage" when their health depletes, so you can physically tell when they are starting to get weak.

The sounds are what you would expect from an anime based title. The characters are voiced by their respective english voice actors, which can be considered a benefit or a downfall depending on who you're asking. The various sound effects seem like they were lifted directly from the show, which definately adds to the game's atmosphere. These range from Super Saiyans powering up to energy attacks to even that funny sound characters make when they are launched long distances!

The controls in this game are well executed and offer enough configurations to where everyone should be satisfied. The game can be played with either a standard Gamecube controller, or the Wii remote/nunchuk combination. I find the latter to be the most fun, although the learning curve is a bit steep. One has to be conscious of where the cursor is onscreen as this dictates what moves you can do and controls when you block attacks. Also, the nunchuk will control your movement forward and backward, so players also have to watch where this is being aimed as well. Holding down the right combination of buttons will enter you into a "free action" mode which will allow you to mimic the special attacks of your favorite characters. An example of this is Goku's infamous Kamehameha, which you can do by bringing your hands back and then moving them forward really quickly. Any DBZ fan will fall in love with this feature alone as it makes you feel much closer to the action.

With a lengthy single player game, hundreds of characters, and several multi-player modes, it's hard not to recommend this game. Dragonball Z fans, and even fighting game fans will find something to enjoy from this game as it is one of the best launch titles available for the Nintendo Wii. So eat your Senzu Beans, grab your Wii remote, and prepare to power up for the best DBZ game to date!

Tenkaichi 2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the better games for the Wii.

Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is an awesome game for the Wii. The game fully integrates the Wii remote and uses its abilities to the fullest.

The game is pretty short, you could finish the "Dragon Adventure Mode" in less than a week.

The game is one of the better installments for the series and deserves a closoer look. The game is no longer a button masher, but a all out Wii Brawler...

BEST FIGHTING GAME EVER

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 21
Date: January 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Just got it and haven't played it yet,but i am a huge fan of the show and its a must have if you love high intense fast pace fighting games and come on people you can fight in mid-air and use powers and completely destroy the environment around you,what more can you ask for.This is a game everyone must experience even if you never watched the series you will love this game more than you know

Excellent Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: June 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Ok this is the first game i buy for my console wii, is awesome the movement and the characters, in the begining is a little complicated to play but if you take the control of the game play, you will habe a excellent time playing.

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