This is where the two series clashed kamehamehas. Even worse, Tenkaichi’s framework became a standard for later Dragon Ball Z games like Raging Blast and Battle of Z, both of which shared the camera and control issues that Tenkaichi Budokai established.
The Tenkaichi series did tear down many of the walls set up during the Budokai era, providing a much more frantic combat system, but with this heightened intensity, control was lost.
Button combinations and timing your dodges were near impossible already, but completing these tasks when the camera doesn’t even show your opponent made things worse. The games suffered from a persistent camera issue which made fighting into a nauseating affair, while super moves became extremely convoluted. Tenkaichi Budokai was the ambitious move to make Dragon Ball Z games more like their source material: fast, intense, and over-the-top.īut the Tenkaichi series did not function nearly as well as its predecessor. Special attacks rose in scope and even destructible environments came into play (which offered an interesting cat-and-mouse element when you were looking for a hidden opponent). It featured full 3D movement in much larger arenas, coupled with considerably faster movement. This allowed the player to experience fighting in the DBZ world instead of just watching from the sideline like a spectator. The Tenkaichi series was ambitious in that it aimed to emulate the fury that characterized the anime. This conflict is exacerbated in the next major DBZ game, Tenkaichi Budokai. Budokai 3 might have been an excellent fighting game, but because of its restrained mechanics and slower pace, it was not a true Dragon Ball Z game. When compared to a scene from the anime, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 feels like it’s masking its true power level to trick a scouter. The movement on the ground was always sluggish outside of the counters and the scripted special attacks. However, Budokai 3 felt slow and deliverate. The beam struggles, the transformations, and the teleportation countering system were all great additions to the game engine. Budokai 3’s improvements were a step in the right direction toward making a fighting game that translates the over-the-top intensity from the anime. This is a problem that stemmed from the Budokai series in general, but it stands out most in Budokai 3 due to its high acclaim. The game was a smash hit to fans and reviewers alike, setting the bar high for future installments in the DBZ game library.īut despite this praise, Budokai 3 still had a crippling flaw: it didn’t feel like Dragon Ball Z. Budokai 3 is widely regarded as the best game in the series, improving upon the action with more balanced techniques, energy clashes and strong focus on in-game transformations.
The series got its first critical hit with the next game in the Budokai series, DBZ: Budokai 3. Its sequel fared similarly, a steady-paced button masher with all of the crazy special attacks you’d expect from the anime. A serviceable tie-in, Budokai’s flashy aesthetics and intense action hid simple fighting mechanics.
Because of that conflict, we may never see a truly cohesive Dragon Ball Z game.ĭragon Ball Z games got their first big exposure here in the West with Dragon Ball Z: Budokai on PS2 and Gamecube. Dragon Ball Z games are at a constant tug-of-war with themselves, divided between the bombastic edge of the anime and the sturdy, precise gameplay of fighting games. But even with such a long stint on the gaming circuit, Dragon Ball Z has yet to come into its own in that medium. Years after the original anime ended broadcast here in North America, DBZ games are still being made. That level of influence is a no-brainer for video game adaptations and Dragon Ball Z is no stranger to them. It stands alongside Pokemon and Gundam as a rare breed of Japanese culture that’s instantly recognizable to anyone in the world. It’s safe to say that Dragon Ball Z is one of the most iconic anime properties in history.