It looks like Dragon Ball Z is back for some more action in the gaming world! This time the series is making its debut on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 with the newest installment Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, which was released today (June 10th, 2008) in the United States. If you are a fan of the Dragon Ball Z series or if you just enjoy the somewhat over the top fighting styles then you won’t be disappointed. The gameplay mechanics are better than any other previous game in my opinion. The mechanics behind the gameplay go pretty deep, and that is what I like to see in any good fighting game. I would have liked to see more variety in the characters and fighting stages, but it’s still a pretty fun game. The playable characters are Goku, Kid Gohan, Teen Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Trunks, Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz, Saibamen, Frieza, Captain Ginyu, Recoome, Cell, Android #16, Android #17, Android #18, Bardock, and Brolya. One of the features that always makes me happy with a game is that Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit will also feature online multiplayer action!

However, this game is not completely flawless. If you aren’t a real big fan of the actual series then you may be a bit disappointed in the story. Why?…well because they don’t really do any building up of the events that are going on and what is happening. So without the knowledge of the story lines from the sagas you are basically just…fighting. This is really the only downfall to this game because it really limits its appeal to only those who are already fans. Without the opportunity to get to know the characters you simply won’t get attached to them. The game itself is made very well so it could have launched the fanbase to new heights, but instead it is only going to benefit the current fanbase only. I’m not saying that non-DBZ fans will not enjoy the game…because the mechanics behind the game are all there. I’m just saying that after you play this game you won’t find yourself wanting to watch DBZ or really care anything about the series itself. I guess this is a game though…so we should only concentrate on the game!

The moves are easy to pull off and start out with basic ones, and then move on to more advanced moves for better combo’s & tactics. Moving on to the advanced mechanics is where you will master the game and dominate your friends or random people online in combat. Strategy plays a pretty large part in Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit as with any fighting game nowadays. Speaking of strategy…you will want to use your Ki Gauge very wisely in this game. Not only can you use it for blasting out special attacks that not only look cool…they hurt like hell, but you can also use it to unleash special blocks that will counter the other players special attack. The benefit of blocking a special attack should be obvious! However, if you save up and let your Ki Gauge become completely full you have another decision on your hands. You can either transform into another form such as Super Saiyan or you can enter Aura Spark mode. Transforming can be fun, but if you go into Aura Spark mode you get increased attacks for a short duration along with ending by teleporting and using a “Blow-Away” attack that does a significant amount of damage.

Back to fighting mechanics now. The game has a pretty cool counter-attack system that relies heavily on precise timing which can give a pro player a great advantage in battle. If you jump in with a veteran gamer and start smashing every button you can…you are very likely to get your butt handed to you very quickly. Also, for those who love to hold the block button down throughout the whole battle will get acquainted with the fatigue system the hard way. Every time you block you add a bit of fatigue to the gauge. When the gauge fills completely up you will be stunned and won’t be able to move at all for a short while…but long enough for someone to tear into you for blocking all their other blows. The fatigue system isn’t as tight as I would like it to be, but it’s a great start so I hope to see it again in future DBZ fighting games as well as fighting games in general.

My final thoughts on Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit? Well…it’s a great fighting game with solid mechanics to back it up. It’s easy to pull off awesome moves, counter-attacks, transformations, and combos. And if you master the game you will be having tons of fun in the online multiplayer modes as long as both players have a good connection. If you or the person you are playing against has a crappy internet connection your gaming experience will suffer a considerable amount. The lack of variety in both characters and stages was fairly disappointing as well, and as stated earlier the missing storyline is a bit of a downer as well. This game will be completely awesome to those who are DBZ fans, and will likely appease those who aren’t for a little bit at least. I just hope the next Dragon Ball Z game keeps the mechanics of this game, and improves on the few downfalls. It gets a 4 out of 5 from me.

DeVOTeD 2 GaminG Rating