Page 1 of 1

Another year, another Dragon Ball Z game. It’s become a routine now: Atari releasing one more fighting entry into perhaps its most popular franchise. For the longest time, this meant the annual production of a lame title that was only recognized because of its name. However, back in late 2005 the initial Budokai Tenkaichi came out, and for the first time showed some degree of quality for a DBZ game. A year later, the sequel showed even more promise for the series, especially the PS2 version (the Wii iteration suffered from various remote-exclusive issues). So, is the third time a charm for Goku and his pals?

Well…kind of. This is definitely the best DBZ game to date, but it’s not without its surprises or disappointments. Something that should be noticed very quickly by anyone who has played previous Tenkaichi titles is that 3 doesn’t do much different -- at all. The actual combat is virtually unaltered, and the game modes are nothing very fresh. Graphically it’s about the same as 2, only with some slightly brighter colors and more destructible environments, which could use more detail.

Whether this is a good or bad thing is completely up to the individual player. Fans of the franchise will be more than pleased by the game, especially due to the even larger roster of fights (over 150 characters), while newcomers will have to make a decision regarding the gameplay. On one hand, it’s incredibly frantic and action-packed, with all kinds of outrageous attacks and superhuman speed which allows the combatants to fly all around the huge arenas. To some extent, it’s similar to the Smash Bros. series in that it’s not about pulling off combos and special moves, but instead maneuvering around the battlefield correctly while finding the opportune moment to catch your opponent off-guard.

Of course, Tenkaichi 3 is still largely a 2 or 3 button fighter, so don’t expect much depth in combat. It’s not even remotely technical, and as a result can feel very basic at times. This means that it’s easy to pick up and learn, but unlike other hits in the genre like Tekken or Dead or Alive, there’s not a whole lot to master. It’s definitely not the game for fighting enthusiasts, that’s for sure.

What is different this time around is the way you control the action, and this is decidedly a change for the better. Wii controls make far more sense now, mostly due to the removal of the targeting reticule as was found in 2. You’ll only be waggling during special attacks, and luckily they work pretty well. There’s no denying that some are a little goofy, and that it’ll take time to get acquainted with them, but for the most part they’re good. If you still can’t stand them, though, there’s always the Gamecube and Classic Controller to fall back on, which both function just fine.

A true addition that’s rather neat is the replay option. After every fight you can choose to save the video if you so please, and watch it whenever you want afterwards. The limit that you can record is a moderate seven, but given the game’s over-the-top brawls it nonetheless turns out to be a worthwhile feature.

Sadly the only other big addition, that being the online play, is an utter disaster. That’s right, the one attribute that really could have done something special for Tenkaichi 3 has completely bombed. For some reason unbeknownst to all, the lag is one of the worst ever seen in gaming; we’re talking even worse than Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness with the expansion pack. When you try to pull off any move, even something as simple as a single punch, the game will only register it about 10% of the time, and it’ll only show up twenty seconds later should it even be read. Whether or not Atari will decide to fix it is up in the air, but for now it’s literally broken. It’s a darn shame, too, because there’s no excuse for it other than laziness. It’s true that Wii doesn’t have the best online gaming out there, and it’s true that fighters are a little tricky to pull off with online play, but if Strikers and Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 can run perfectly, than Tenkaichi 3 should have been able to as well.