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