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Dragon Ball Z - Taiketsu (GBA)
by Siibillam-Law
Dragonball Z: Taiketsu is the third title for the gameboy advance featuring the cast of Dragonball Z. However, unlike the previous 2 -the Legacy of Goku games which were RPGs - this one is a fighting game, in similar vein to Street Fighter or Tekken. However, like the previous two titles, Taiketsu suffered badly in that it was on the ... GBA.
The primary problem with the game was that they tried to make something that had been so successful on the Playstation 2, Budokai, and replicate it for the Gameboy Advance - a platform which has just considerably less power and functions. Because it could only display the fight in 2D side-scrolling fashion, like in the original Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter games and that it only had four buttons (A, B, L and R) instead of the Playstation's 8, it meant that the game had considerably limited gameplay.
You can play as one of 15 characters, which is pretty cool, including some pretty good "new" ones which weren't really known in the US-dub anime at the time (like Broly), but frankly in the end it doesn't really matter which character you pick because they all had the exact same attacks. The only difference between each character, at the end of the day, was their size, which contributed to how far they could kick and punch, and how easily they could dodge attacks, and their special attacks which are probably the highlight of the game.
Each character has three hidden special attacks which are impossible to figure out unless you have a walkthrough nearby. While you could button mash and hope for the best, and they do sometimes follow similar patterns, it's hard to remember them all. Even with the walkthrough I found them difficult to execute. The game, also, has quite an interesting "air battle" system, which you can customise a bit. You fight in the air, and in one mode you have to button mash to win and in the other you have to execute a series of button presses as the screen tells you to. I thought that was quite a good addition.
While Taiketsu was a good effort in making a Dragonball Z fighting game for the GBA, it failed quite badly, resulting in tiring repetitive gameplay which gets boring after a few minutes.
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Dragonball Z Legacy Of Goku 3 (GBA)
by randomreviews
Buu's Fury is the conclusion to the Legacy of Goku series for GBA which finishes off the Z series with the Buu Saga. You start out as Goku in the other world with King Kai preparing for the big tournament up there then control Gohan in the Saiyaman Saga - so it doesn't really skip on any action from the anime series. Players will find ... several new, more interactive features however in terms of difficulty, you won't experience much of a challenge in this game. I mean, you'd actually have to put effort into trying to lose. I doubt that's going to deter you from enjoying it though if you're a DBZ fanatic like myself.
Buu's Fury introduces more RPG elements, now giving you access to either finding items like a boots, martial arts gi's and other items and equipping them to your character for added effects - boosted stats or to earn more experience for instance. By defeating opponents, you can sometimes find items or just shop around in stores in various cities for items. Enemies often times drop zenie, the currency in the game, which you can accumulate to purchase equipment or curative items. In terms of curative items you have much more at your disposal in this game. The previous games were very limited with how many items you had and how much of each you had but in Buu's Fury you can stash away tons of items that restore HP or Ki - another reason why the game is incredible easy, but then again, the characters get so powerful in a short time that items are almost unnecessary.
Enemies give so much experience that your character easily levels up quickly. You earn 3 stat points per level which you must manually allocate to the 3 stats available. HP and Energy raise on their own and you control strength, power and endurance.
New creative skills have been added. For instance, in the beginning of the game as Goku, during the tutorial phase, you're given the opportunity to use instant transmission to obtain an item that is impossible to reach normally. By using the technique, you freely decide where you'd like to transport the character to and it can also be used in battle to strike several opponents.
The Buu Saga introduced fusions - so while you'll be able to control characters like Goten, Trunks, Vegeta, Goku, & Gohan, you can also fuse Goten and Trunks for instance to make Gotenks or Goku & Vegeta to create Vegito or Gogeta. Fusion can be performed by executing a series of commands/buttons - if you do it correctly, the fusion is a success.
You can freely roam about like in Legacy of Goku II and they even threw in a block function - although it wasn't needed in the previous games so this just seems like a useless feature now. They even throw in Broly and Janemba as part of the storyline but only advance the game by a few minutes at best.
If you're a DBZ fan, you'll love this game. I've been playing DBZ games for years now and while its pretty much the same thing being recycled over and over with fancier graphics or something, I'm still into it - however the lack of challenge might turn off older players. Also in total you'll probably play for 12 hours or so if you want to complete everything. Later on the game was re-released as a 2 in 1 with Dragon Ball GT Transformation, a GBA game about the GT series but I don't really consider it a bargain since Transformation was a pitiful game. Buu's Fury is going for a little under $10 now, so if you still enjoy GBA games or have a DS or DS Lite, it might be a fun game to pass the time while you wait for the next new DBZ game that's inevitable!
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Dragon Ball Z - The Legacy of Goku II (GBA)
by randomreviews
After the disaster of a game that was Legacy of Goku, it seems like Atari decided they'd actually put effort into the sequel and believe me, Legacy of Goku II is lightyears beyond its predecessor in every aspect. If you're a DBZ fan, this game will definitely satisfy you.
Legacy of Goku II continues where the first game left ... off, after the defeat of Freeza at the hands of super saiyan Goku. The main focus of the game is the Cell Saga so you'll be battling the evil androids but there are also other enemies like Cooler who you can find in side quests. In the first game, you had maybe 3 total hours of gameplay, in this, you'll probably be busy for around 20 hours or so.
You're actually allowed to play as different characters in this game and specific characters are needed in certain missions as well. So rather than just being Goku, you can also choose from Piccolo, Trunks, Vegeta, Gohan and Hercule. Everyone's got their own unique skills which gives you more incentive to play as them. Stages and enemies are much more diverse in this game as well. It takes much better advantage of GBA's capabilities - more vibrant colors, better character sprites, expansive, detailed environments, better sound and familiar music from the TV series, and so on. There are many destinations to roam about and you can go anywhere freely as you can now fly around the world map. There's even the ability to check other characters data for a brief bio on them or their stats if they're an enemy.
In terms of the battle system, its still action-RPG but revamped. The stats are more reasonable now and as you level up your growth is random for each stat. This can be a flaw because your characters can develop very poorly and struggle in the stages - but fortunately there are save points available throughout the game so you can easily save, level up, and if you're not satisfied with the stat growth, simply reset and try again. Each character has the basic physical attack but also numerous ki attack options and a stronger physical strike to choose from as well. You can transform into a super saiyan, however it drains you of ki energy if you remain in that form but it significantly boosts your stats like the damage you deal and how fast your character moves. You're able to carry much more items in this game and the inventory is well categorized and easy to sort through.
The story follows very closely with the anime series unlike the first game which was loaded with inaccuracies. There are also plenty of side-quests to give you more to do as well such as collecting the dragon balls, rare items, and more.
Considering its now worth just a couple of dollars, if you're a DBZ fan, I think its definitely something you should consider playing because you'll enjoy it. This game just has so much more character interaction, freedom and is much more solid than the first game although I think its one negative is that it can be a bit too easy at times.
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