We’ve asked the tough questions, but this DBZ title still beats some of the newer ones…sorta. It just happened and the game ended up paying the price. I also feel bad for the title since it didn’t ask to have such a terrible Story Mode. Tenkaichi also came out due to this game so we owe it a lot. It’s a modernized version of this one and naturally it’s been greatly refined. If you like the gameplay here, then you should check out Shin Budokai. Not every game can be the next Sonic right?īudokai is a little on the old side and it shows, but this still did start the legendary franchise off right. The soundtrack is a little more forgettable and I can’t actually recall any tunes at the moment, but I remember them being fairly good. The opening cinematic is also a blast and those always added an extra touch to the DBZ series. The blasts are fun to watch and while more effort could have been put into the stages, they look good. I feel like this started to change as the games got newer, but the retro ones still have this effect. Goku’s voice acting is certainly great as he sounds a lot like Sonic. I really don’t know what they were thinking with this one and it’s a prime example of what I like to call “artificial replay value.” You can find the skills throughout the stages and get them at the shop, but locking a character’s moveset is unprecedented and certainly not in a good way. Imagine playing Goku and being unable to use the Kamehameha.
Mind Blown right? It puts you at quite the disadvantage in Story Mode at times. Your characters actually don’t have their iconic attacks at first. Speaking of which…that’s another unlockable that is rather unnecessary. Tournament Mode should also be decently fun and you’ll earn some money out of it so you can buy some skills. That’s how it’s always been for the genre and it’s why nothing can beat a truly good fighting game. Multiplayer is where you will spend the bulk of your time of course since fighting games like this one are best enjoyed with friends. As it is, it’s definitely one of the worst fighting game ones out there.Īside from that you have other modes like Good ole multiplayer and Tournament Mode. Without the unlockables at every corner I may not be as harsh on the Story Mode. You’ll end up just wishing that it was all over after a while. Even the fact that the story takes a lot of new twists and turns cannot save the final product. It shouldn’t sound that bad in theory, but the fights really add up.
Each turn feels like it takes a long time and you can imagine how sad it is to lose a level after going so far. For a fighter like Frieza or Cell, you may have to win 3-4 times and then do that against some of the minions as well. You start on a Mario Party map and your goal will either be to make it to a location or defeat enemies multiple times. Let’s go back to why Story Mode is no fun. Just about everyone is unlocked through Story Mode or with the Dragon Balls, but the unlocks are not easy or quick. If you do not defeat them the right way in story mode, then you’ll continue to have to play the game without them and that can be a shame since there’s no way you’ll want to play Story Mode again. I’m really curious to see how the character select screen looked at the beginning and I really should have checked when I had the chance. The problem is that a lot of the game is locked out unless you complete tedious grinds.įor example…you start the game without signature characters like Vegeta and Frieza. It’s not as polished as something like Street Fighter, but the fundamentals are there and the controls are easy to grasp. There’s only so much that you can do as your options are a little limited. Budokai, on the other hand, feels a little limited at times. Tenkaichi just revolutionizes 3D gameplay and I never get tired or playing it. I always enjoy those although it’s safe to say that I still prefer Tenkaichi even though I’m going through a 2D fighting crisis right now.
The Budokai series is quite different from Tenkaichi in the sense that it is a 2D brawler. So I ask…does a bad story mode hurt the game enough for me to deduct a star or should it stay high? It’s a shame that more modes can actually be bad for once and it’s a lose-lose situation since I’d be sad if there was none included as well. This is one of those games where you have to ask yourself…is more content always a good thing? I’m going to be honest, I’d like the game a lot more if it didn’t have the story mode that’s present in the game.