Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (Dragonball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (Wii))

Member Name: randomreviews

Product:	Dragonball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (Wii)
Date:	20/08/09 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, interactive fighting game.

Disadvantages: Horrible online play.

Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi III

After Budokai 3 was released I was hoping Atari would have released a new game that improved off of it, however it seems like they only release fighters in a triology and so Budokai Tenkaichi hit the shelves. I was very disappointed with the first two. Basic controls with heavy reliance on the same button was boring and redundant. It basically turned into a fighting game for DBZ fans and people who sucked at fighters in my opinion. But then the series moved onto Wii. Budokai Tenkaichi 3 seems to reverse that opinion with its incredibly interactive experience provided with the Wiimote.

[Graphics]
The graphics are well polished. Character models look identical to their anime counterparts and the cell shading provide for a very bright and modern day look. I miss the anime openings sequences though as this game went for a CGI one which was a little disappointed since it seemed sluggish. Scenes are totally destructible - buildings, trees, mountains, etc. You can even battle underwater.

[Story]
In this game, Dragon History mode will take you through the entire series, including GT battles, Dragon Ball adventures, and a What If Saga. The storyline is extremely brief and not very accurate to the anime series, luckily there's a character reference section that gives you bios on the characters and more accurate details as to their role in the series.

The story unfolds through the battles. Characters speak to each other and after certain points you can start new events in the battle. For instance, in the battle against Nappa, you play as Tien and Chiaotzu. After a certain point, you can switch to Chaiotzu, and if you switch again, it'll activate the scene where Chaiotzu destroys himself in an failed attempt to defeat Nappa. You can also opt to not activate those events and try your best to continue fighting the enemy however usually when you do activate the scene change you get an advantage - like being able to become a super saiyan for instance.

[Controls]
You have the option to use the Wii Classic Controller, Wiimote, or Gamecube controller to battle in this game. I think the simplest controls are with the classic controller while the more enjoyable experience comes with the Wiimote. A lot of the moves and combos are pretty much the same most attacks focus around the same button, so timing and direction also helps in determining the damage and combos. If you want to use Goku's Spirit Bomb attack for instance, you would charge up by holding down a direction button then hold your hands up and bring them down quickly, just as Goku when he gathers energy and throws the energy blast in the anime, and your character on the screen will execute the move.

You have more options in battle. While there are still moves that you pretty much execute then watch a whole cutscene while not having to press a button while your opponent takes a chunk of damage, you can also do a lot of things that previously seemed only available during those cutscene attacks - like fading around after a series of hits to deliver more damage.

[Characters]
The Tenkaichi series boasts about their huge arsenal of characters to choose from but what players may not know is that in most cases, they're just counting the same character except in different stages. Goku for instance has an early, mid, and end form which them opens up into the option of selecting him at any level of super saiyan, a fusion, or as a super saiyan fusion, and of course his SSJ4 form. So right there that's like 10 Goku's. Its the same with countless other characters - their transformed forms are counted as a character in these games (even though you can transform into them in the battles). Each has different moves, combos, and special attacks though. They even left out some characters too! But I guess they're saving that for future games just to add something like "choose from over 200 characters!" to the back of the box.

The inaccuracies of the story also play into the characters themselves. While Atari is giving you early Goku for instance to battle Raditz, Goku is capable of using the Kaioken attack and Spirit Bomb technique, which if you've seen the anime series, are techniques he acquires after being killed in the battle with Raditz and training with King Kai.

[Other Features]
Some other cool features the game has are a battle simulator with RPG elements where you train then battle to level up your character, a mission event where you battle teams of characters by themes and get graded based on how well you did in the battle, various tournaments with random difficulties, a training mode to learn and practice all the moves with all 3 controller types, the ability to purchase and customize characters with equipment that boost their stats so they perform better in battle, and of course a versus mode so you can play against your friends or family at home. You can also collect dragon balls in story mode or sometimes in tournaments if you find them hidden inside buildings or other large destroyable structures in the arena. Summon the dragon allows you to unlock new characters, equipment, stages, and get money to further customize characters.

[Online Multiplayer]
One of the major disappointments of this game is the horrendous lag players experience if they attempt to engage in WiFi battles. Online matches really made this game appealing to me, however the lag cripples you. Sometimes the screen just freezes up, sometimes your buttons don't respond. You could be fighting someone and thinking he's really bad at the game, but the only reason you're winning is because he's got heavy lag and can't play.. so you're pretty much just beating up a defenseless character. The best way to avoid this is to either find friends nearby who have the game and exchange friend codes with them - by nearby I mean in the same state or neighboring states. Don't dare attempt to battle someone across the country or internationally. Apparently Atari and Nintendo were playing to blame game with each other but in the end players discovered that Atari was at fault for the severe lag and they don't appear to have any intention of fixing it.

[Price]
I purchase the game for $18 at GameStop a few weeks ago. When it comes to DBZ games, I would always recommend you hold off for a few months before buying it. Every year a new DBZ game is released at an insane price. And then by the year's end, that same game drops by like $40 in value.

[In conclusion..]
If you're a true Dragon Ball Z fan, you'll be addicted to this game and look past its flaws just to get your DBZ fix. Wiimote controls will get you off the couch and moving a little, even breaking a sweat from time to time so you can burn off some calories and maybe even lose weight. Despite the new anime remake called Dragon Ball Kai in Japan, it doesn't appear as if any new fighting games will be out for Wii, but there are several new games on the way. So unless you have PS3 or XBOX 360, this is a must have for Wii owners who love DBZ.

Summary: If you're a DBZ fan with Wii, don't let the WiFi element be the driving force behind you buying it.