Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z features a large cast of characters and missions inspired by the entire animated series. Fans will take part in countless battles to save Earth including the Freiza, Cell and Buu Sagas as well as Broly storylines based on popular films and even the first appearance of Goku's Super Saiyan God form in video games. The missions are laid out from the beginning of the Dragon Ball Z series and includes battles against hordes of smaller minions and some of the most iconic fights in the rest of the series. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z does a good job with the game's narrative, but leaves much to be desired in terms of exciting gameplay.
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z features button mashing action that makes the new title far too easy and repetitive for most players to fully enjoy. The control scheme allows characters to fly, use a couple of special attacks and fire bursts of energy, but the primary button used in battle will always be the triangle button on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita or the Y button on Xbox 360. This button is the only one dedicated to melee attacks and is the primary source of dealing damage. Gameplay quickly becomes stale once players realize they will be mashing a single button through the 10-hour campaign, while online battles are a crapshoot that involves no skill and typically comes down to who has the stronger fighter.
Teamwork is a key component to the gameplay in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z. While mashing buttons will be what gets players through the majority of battles in the game, it's important to carefully construct a team of fighters that work well together. There are four different types of fighters in the game that includes the close combat, Fighting type, long distance Ki Blast fighters, Support characters and Interference runners. Additionally, some characters can team up and unleash devastating attacks on enemies that deal massive damage and look pretty awesome too. Allies that fall in battle can typically be revived as well if a friendly player is nearby and reacts quickly enough.
The game includes a cast of over 40 characters including fan favorites such as Goku, Gohan, Vegeta and Trunks, while there are more uncommon characters such as Broly, Beerus and Kid Buu. Character customization is allowed in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z that allows players to set the colors of their characters outfits. The default colors are always allowed, while players can also fully alter three other settings that are automatically saved to the game. Characters can also be strengthened by acquiring and equipping cards that give a variety of boosts including additional attack power, health or energy recharge.
There are 60 missions in total in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, and many of these missions can be played in online multiplayer. Some of the battles are massive and allow up to eight players to join in the battle. These missions offer some of the most entertaining aspects of the game, though they can be the most chaotic with so many players mashing buttons on the screen at the same time. Some of the special cooperative missions include fighting against Vegeta in his giant ape form or battling against all forms of Buu at once. Battles of this scale have rarely be attempted in any Dragon Ball Z video game before, and they are definitely something special to participate in.
Other online modes are included with the game for some versus multiplayer. These battles are also four versus four and come with many different variants. Normal Battle pits four fighters against another four with the first team to make the other run out of respawns named the winner. Score Battle features similar 4 vs. 4 matchups with the purpose being to rack up the most ring outs to win the match. Dragon Ball Grab forces the two teams to battle to control the seven Dragon Balls scattered around the stage. Battle Royale is the only online mode with no cooperative play, and all eight players will be attempting to rack up the ring outs in order to win. Online play with friends is fun, but any gamer looking for a competitive fighter will surely be disappointed with the lack of any real strategy involved with fights in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z.
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is far from a perfect Dragon Ball Z game, but it does offer some of the coolest encounters and dream tag team matches that can't be seen in any other release for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game looks fantastic but suffers from other flaws that keep the action from being as fluid and enjoyable as a real episode of the series. If developer Artdink had another shot at creating a Dragon Ball Z video game, they could very well make the greatest the franchise has ever seen, because there are plenty of great ideas contained within Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, but many never fully realize their potential. As it stands, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is an average game that diehard fans of the Dragon Ball Z series will enjoy, but few other gamers will give it a second glance.
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is now available from all major retailers for $59.99 and can be purchased for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PlayStation Vita. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is rated T by the ESRB for Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief, Mild Language & Mild Suggestive Themes. For more information on the game, check out the official Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z website
Game Features:
- Online Multiplayer 2-8
- Massive Roster from Entire Dragon Ball Z Series
- Single Player, Co-op and Battle Modes
- DLC Support
- Trophy/Achievement Support
Game Information:
Developer: Artdink Corporation
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platforms: PlayStation 3 (reviewed), Xbox 360 & PlayStation Vita
Release Date: January 28, 2014
