Dragon Ball Z - Taiketsu (GBA) (Dragon Ball Z - Taiketsu (GBA))

Member Name: thole09

Product:	Dragon Ball Z - Taiketsu (GBA)
Date:	06/05/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Images accurate to series

Disadvantages: Simple gameplay

"Dragon Ball Z - Taiketsu" is a video game released for the Gameboy Advance console in 2004 by Atari. It is of the fighting genre and features popular "Dragon Ball Z" characters. In the United States, the game received a rating of "T" by the ESRB panel which deemed it suitable for teenage years and above due to its violent content.

The gameplay of this title reflects at typical release to the fighting genre. The players select from assorted Dragon Ball Z characters, including heroes and villains, and do battle with aims of draining the opposing enemy's life metre. Each character shares the same base set of punches and kicks which can become slightly repetitive but is salvaged by the fact that each character will have one unique special attack. The game also features a "Sky battle" mode during a fight which creates a "hyper speed" environment where the sole intention is to bash buttons repeatedly to do the most amount of damage in the short duration which the mode lasts. The difficulty in, in general, very easy. The computer opponents do not often react to a player's onslaught and serve as almost training dummies for more advanced fighting titles. It is possible that this game was meant to be played in a more child friendly marketplace due to the lack of any perceived difficulty.

The graphics are presented from a side perspective which focuses on the centre of the fight in progress. The detailing of the characters is good and each sport their typical attire as seen on the animated television series. The background environments are also good and are based on locations seen in the aforementioned series. On the other hand, the soundtrack is of a very generic standard and does not resemble anything previously heard in the series. Included are a series of basic bass booms to represent physical contact which are accompanied by short and repetitive musical scores during the fight.

Overall, I would not recommend Taiketsu to prospective buyers. As a fighting title there is no challenge to be had in gameplay and it is not likely that this would be seen as appealing to a single player. The game does include a multiplayer mode via game link cable which could possibly improve appeal, but it is likely that this would only be true to fans of the animated television series.

Summary: Thumbs down