DBZ is pretty huge and it is easily one of the greatest  franchises out there.  The anime was revolutionary, the manga was excellent, and the movies were intense. Despite those successes, DBZ is especially known to have incredible fighting games. I dare say that the games surpass the anime in epicness. This game got a lot of hype as the next Budokai Tenkaichi or Raging Blast. That’s a lot of hype to have on it’s back, but if anyone can do it…it is DBZ.

Well, I will start out with the biggest factor that was hyped for this game. 4 player fighting action! The battle scenes can get really chaotic and that’s in a good way. You have 4 fighters on each side which makes for a fun environment. Now, its time to get into the negative side of this. The game put so much emphasis into this that it destroyed the game’s chances of reaching Raging Blast or Budokai Tenkaichi level. The best part of DBZ is playing with friends and really testing your limits. Unfortunately, Battle of Z only has two real modes. Story Mode and Online Battle Mode. That is the crushing negative which keeps on coming. Not having any extra modes like Survival, Local Vs Mode, and Time Attack Mode is basically unheard of. Unfortunately, local multiplayer is starting to get rare as more and more games head to the world of online gaming. I love playing online, but its no excuse eliminate the local aspect.

One consequence of this is the fact that the game doesn’t have much in the way of replay value. Once you beat the game, that’s basically it! The online battle system is a little like Brawl’s. There’s not as much stakes or depth as in War For Cybertron or Tron. It’s fun, but not something that you’ll be playing a whole lot. You’re essentially done with the game at that point and it’s time to go and play the old ones. Hmmmm…

As far as the graphics are concerned, the game is decent. They had to limit them to an extent because of how much action is on the screen. I’d say that it’s harsh to compare them to PS2 games because the graphics are still good. It may not be the best PS3 game in this area, but it’s definitely good enough to be considered solid. The energy attacks can definitely be fun to see from afar as it strikes an opponent.

The soundtrack is a little on the repetitious side. There aren’t a large variety of tunes, but the ones that we do get are pretty good. The themes are typically suitable for this game and you’ll hear them unless a lot of action is currently happening on the field.

The actual gameplay can be a little hit or miss. There are a lot less combos and attacks in this one than the usual installments. Each character really has one finishing string of attacks, but you can change it up by using a power attack or an energy blast. The fighting can get a little repetitive as you’ll find yourself using the same combo a few hundred times through the course of the game. That’s the miss part that may deter many.

I’m pretty fine with it because I’m a repetitious player. I’m the type of guy that will use the same combos in advanced games like Tekken and Marvel Vs Capcom. Once I find a combo that I like, I make sure to keep on using it. I may have to disguise it by starting off with other combos and chain attacks, but I’ll make sure to get back to it. I mainly stuck to playing as Goku and Sage Mode Goku. Sage Mode Goku has a really good power attack that I would spam over and over again. I did a lot of KOing in wifi battles.

Ultimate attacks aren’t really a factor as you’ll never be able to use it in a real fight. It takes about 3-5 minutes to charge up the attack and you’re completely vulnerable to attack. The Ultimate technique instantly destroys all enemies on the field and the battle is over, but it’s not worth it. The move is riskier than Exodia and the chances aren’t very good for your success. Only a handful of characters have an Ultimate Attack anyway so you may not come across it. (Aside from a mandatory Story Mode battle)

Beyond that, you’ll typically have enough energy to throw in a Kamehameha or two. So, the battles are pretty fun. The gameplay may not be the greatest out there, but it’s still DBZ and that’s enough to make anyone want to play. We’ve got a good amount of characters to use and they can also be customized. Increased attack, defense, etc.

PS3 trophies can’t really be a negative since they’re optional, but I can’t say that I’m a fan of some of them. A few trophies require that online strangers agree to help you as you form a specific group. Without boosting, it’s very hard to get this. You can ask them through the microphone and hope for success…but you still have to win the round. Those kind of trophies should not be in the game! Still, this doesn’t affect the overall score.

The story mode now covers the complete DBZ saga while also including many of the movies. This includes the new Battle of Gods film that came out recently. It’s a pretty difficult mission since you have to defeat those two fighters after defeating a few movie villains and Hirudegarn. Unfortunately, story mode covers a lot…and yet it doesn’t do it very clearly. You will know what is happening from the manga, anime, and other video games, but you may get lost from this one. You’ll understand the basic plot, but they skip a whole lot and include scenes that don’t really make sense. You just know that the villains are evil and that they will do anything to realize their ambitions.

A positive for the game can be the fact that it can get pretty difficult towards the end. Unless you’ve customized well, you’ll find that defeating the Bills level is nearly impossible. Tough DBZ games can be nearly impossible traditionally, but this battle style helps to make that a reality through team deaths.

Ally deaths is a feature that I skimmed over so I’ll go into it now. Instead of dying when your health bar fades, you just have a number of lives like a Mario game. How many lives your team gets depends on who your partners are. For example, Broly may have one retry while Krillin would get three. To make up for this, Krillin is a lot weaker than Broly, but it’s effectively 4 fighters against two. In this case, Krillin may be the way to go. So, during a battle you’ll want to protect your allies as you fight. There will be a timer that will give you a few seconds to save your partner before your team loses a life.

I may not have listed a lot of positives, but the game still gets a solid 8/10. You may wonder why the game would get such a high rating. Well, in part it’s because of the franchise. The fact that the game is about DBZ and that we get to relive the storylines is always fun. The gameplay may not be 5 star material, but it’s pretty great. When looking at it without comparisons; I can definitely say that it’s a good way to play. The game may have its holes, but it doesn’t take away from the good aspects of it. If I’d never played the other DBZ games, then who knows…maybe this could have gotten a 9. It’s one of those hypotheticals that is interesting to think about.

Overall, DBZ definitely experimented with the formula a lot in this game. Like Ultimate Tenkaichi, this game would be a disappointment if one thought of it as the next BT game. The new style of gameplay and lack of replay value were not good ideas. Story Mode was watered down and I’m not a huge fan of the online gameplay. I do like the idea of a 4 player battle royale, but without a console like the Gamecube where we had 4 slots right off the bat, it’s tough to really make use of this feature. Still, the first game is usually the trial version so I’m sure that a sequel would work out many of these issues. This is still DBZ and I recommend it if you like a good action game. Maybe not at the standard retail price. Wait until the price goes down and then snap it up! You won’t regret getting the next big DBZ title! I don’t have the platinum for it yet, but I got most of the trophies and in a way, that helps to fix the lack or replay value.

Overall 8/10

Star Wars is a pretty big franchise and just about everyone has heard of it. As a result, we’ve gotten many video games for just about every console. Most of them are action games, but this one decided to take a sharp turn and ended up being about racing. It’s a bold move and it’s time to see if it worked out!

The game has a plot, which involves a racer’s….revenge! The title suddenly becomes clear eh? Sebulba never forgave Anakin for humiliating him in their original race so he has decided to race him once again! I’ll admit that the thought of racing someone like Sebulba may scare many gamers, but I wasn’t one of them! In fact, many of you may not have a chance to feel that fear because you’ll have no idea that there is a plot unless you looked it up. The game has an opening and ending cutscene, but that’s it as far as the in game story goes.

The two main modes are tournament mode and free play. Free play is always fun and tournament mode is basically a must have for any racing game. There are around 15 races in tournament mode and it will definitely test your abilities as a racer and as a Jedi! In all seriousness, the tournament mode was pretty fun. A little short, but the final levels are decently challenging. You should be able to clear them all within 5 tries per race and maybe with fewer. One thing that makes the races easier is the upgrades that you earn. Once you’ve maxed out your speed and power, you’re pretty much set to go. You won’t be able to max out everything in one playthrough, but you’ll be at around 80%. A few more stages would be enough to finish things off once and for all.

This game has a decent amount of replay value through unlocking characters and maxing them out. It takes a little over a playthrough to max out one character and you can try doing that for the 20+ racers. I decided not to do this…..but it’s a fun way to pass the time. Unlocking characters can be difficult as you have to break the records on each stage. There are three records per stage so that’s a lot of record smashing on the menu! You’ll likely get some of them broken during the normal playthrough, but the car smashing is usually something that you will need to aim for.

It barely even needs to be said that free play will give you a lot of replay value as well. Call someone up and then race them on the dangerous tracks! This may have been before the age of wifi, but you’ll probably find some people who still enjoy the game. It’s easy to pick up and the learning curve isn’t too high. It’s classic racing fun at its finest in perfect retro style!

That being said, the game can’t really compete with the big racing titles like Need for Speed and Mario Kart. (I would mention how it stacks up against M&M Racing, but I haven’t gotten around to playing that one yet!) The problem is that you can move at incredible speeds, but it just isn’t as engaging as the other racing titles. The stages are big, but they don’t feel very inspired. You may find yourself trapped a few times as you scramble for the goal.

The soundtrack is not bad, but it can be a little repetitious. You won’t be singing the tunes as you head back to sleep, but you won’t be cringing either. The animation is decent. It may not be the next Kingdom Hearts, but the graphics could be worse. They remind me of the N64 days since the characters are a little blocky, but you don’t typically see them anyway. The cars is what we’re after and they definitely perform well.

Overall, this is a decent Star Wars game. It may not be an exaggeration to say that it is their weakest home console release, but I need to check out the other racing title they came out with first! After that, I can make a better comparison. After all, can you really compare the thrills and chills of fighting with a light saber to floating in a car? I didn’t think so! The graphics and soundtrack are good enough to satisfy me and there is enough replay value to validate the purchase. I think that the game could have benefited from more of a story, but we can’t have it all right? I recommend this game to serious racing fans and lightly to Star Wars fans. That being said, you may just want to wait for the legendary Mario Kart 8 to grace us with its arrival.

Overall 6/10