By Elias Dounis on November 11th, 2003

Genre: Fighting
Developer: Dimps
Publisher: Atari
# of Players: 1 - 2
Memory: 2 blocks
ERSB: Teen
Released On: October 28, 2003
Supports: N/A
Features: N/A
MSRP: $29.99
Also On: PlayStation 2
Website: http://www.dbzgamer.com/budokai_gc.html

Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z has been one of the world’s most loved animes for nearly two decades and since the days of the Nintendo Entertainment System videogame publishers have attempted to cash in on the franchise’s immense popularity. Last year, Atari (then known as Infogrames) published Dragon Ball Z: Budokai for the PlayStation 2. DBZ fans immediately embraced the title, claiming that “Budokai is the best DBZ game ever!” However, game critics did not hold many words showing praise towards the game. Despite many negative reviews, Budokai sold very well and its success warranted a GameCube port. One year later, featuring a few visual tweaks, the game has now become available for the GameCube…

Presentation
If you were to imagine the Dragon Ball Z anime in 3D -- you’d get Budokai. Featuring the show’s actual voice actors, classic North American intro theme (“Dragon, Dragon, Rock the Dragon!”), and featuring in-game cinematics that flawlessly recreate moments from the show word for word, animation for animation, Budokai is a DBZ fan’s dream come true. With the GameCube port, things have even gotten better. Featuring semi Cell Shaded visuals, Budokai for the GameCube looks even more faithful to the show’s visual presentation than its PS2 predecessor.

These presentation values alone make Budokai a more than worthy purchase for any fan of the series. Everything is well done in general from the game’s cinemas to its quick load times.

Gameplay
Budokai’s gameplay is reminiscent of past Dragon Ball Z games such as Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout and the Super Batouden games that appeared on the PSX and Super Famicom years ago. While featuring 3D visuals, the game actually plays and feels like a 2D fighter. The player isn’t given the free movement to move around the arena in a 360 degree motion, instead only on a 2D plain.

Moving your fighter is executed with either the GameCube’s control stick or D-Pad. Unfortunately, the control stick isn’t as responsive as I would have liked, at least when compared to using the D-pad, which also has its flaws due to the small design. With the D-Pad you can move towards or away from your opponent, and if you perform a double tap in either direction, you’ll execute a speedy dash. If you noticed I didn’t mention kind of a jump action… that’s because it doesn’t exist. There is no jump action in Budokai. The only time you ever get some kind of air is when your opponent sends you flying with an uppercut or some other kind of high impact move. From there, moving towards your opponent elevates or lowers your altitude so that both of you can reach the same altitude to continue fighting.

When it comes down to it, the game can present itself as a button masher since all special attacks and combos are simple to pull off. For instance, a Kamehameha attack is performed by pressing “A, A, A, A, X.” Nearly every one of the 23 characters in the game, such as Vegeta, Piccolo, Trunks, Android 16, etc… have at least one special attack which is performed with that same exact button combination mentioned above. So, there goes the game’s “depth” in terms of character uniqueness. Almost every attack is pulled off with the same exact button combination. Luckily, the smooth animations make each projectile attack look amazingly cool. “Kamehameha!!!”

That which keeps players coming back to Budokai isn’t the game’s “deep” gameplay (because that’s just a lie), it’s the excellent Story Mode included in the game. It takes players through the story of most of the Dragon Ball Z series from the Saiyan Saga up to the Cell Games. Personally, I found myself playing through Story Mode just to see the next in-game cinema, further telling the classic DBZ story. The actual bouts felt more like a bathroom break when going to the movies, something which just takes away from the real experience, which is sitting down and enjoying the show. However, once again, unless you’re a DBZ fan you may find little entertainment in this mode or in the entire game at all. Other gameplay modes included are pretty much standard fare. Practice mode is where you can learn the trade and master your signature moves. Duel is your classic versus mode. In Tournament mode you’ll go through the elimination system in order to become a champion and when you win bouts in Tournament mode you’ll earn some Zennies, the game’s currency. With these Zennies you can purchase items in the Skill Edit mode, in which you can take a fighter such as Goku and customize his attacks and other various features.

Graphics
I mentioned earlier that Budokai is faithful to the show in terms of its visual presentation. From that point of view, Budokai is a great looking game. However, when judging the game on the level of polygon models, textures, geometry, etc… a game critic’s perception will become deluded into seeing a much less than stellar looking title. With that said, the overall look of the game is somewhat dull. While it manages to hold a solid framerate throughout, graphical effects are used sparingly, the game’s character models aren’t too detailed, arenas feel empty with only a few trees and mountains off in the distance, and the use of textures is more abundant in Super Mario 64. With the GameCube port, only a few things have been enhanced. For one, character shadows are no longer circled black dots underneath the fighters’ feet, and two, the semi Cel Shaded look of the GameCube version is just more pleasing to the eye than the PS2 original.

By no means is Budokai a terrible looking game. It just lacks the flash of the games which stand out during this current generation.

Sound
Dimps has done an excellent job of using FUNimation’s entire Dragon Ball Z cast for the Budokai’s voice-overs. Tons of spoken dialogue has been jammed into the game, all of them over exaggerated, exactly the way they’re meant to be. As for the game’s music… it hasn’t exactly received the same treatment as the character voices. A few things are recognizable from classic episodes from the original Japanese show, but not much. Luckily, the fan favorite “Cha La, Head Cha La” is included during the game’s credits, however, minus the vocals.

DBZ fans should be pleased with the audio portion of the game. Although, there are a few DBZ freaks who consider the English dubbed Dragon Ball Z to be a form of blasphemy towards Toriyama’s original work. As for those audiophiles out there, unfortunately Budokai does not utilize the GameCube’s Dolby Pro Logic II utilities.

Final Thoughts
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai is easily the most entertaining Dragon Ball Z game available. The game’s excellent recreation of some of the anime’s best moments more than make up for what it lacks in depth, at least in the eyes of a Dragon Ball Z fan. However, when looking from the perspective of a gamer craving for a good fighter, you’ll definitely be disappointed.

Budokai lacks the depth of 3D fighters such as Soul Calibur II, and even Bloody Roar: Primal Fury. Unless you’re a DBZ fan, I suggest looking somewhere else for you GameCube fighter fix. As for those who spent a significant amount of time with the original PlayStation 2 version of the game… Don’t even bother with the GameCube port. With a sequel already on the horizon, the graphical upgrades included in the GameCube version do not justify another purchase, or even a rental.