PSP - DragonBall Z Shin Budokai

Format
PSP
Publisher
Atari
Developer
Dimps
Country of origin
Japan
Genre
1 on 1 Fighter

First Look at DragonBall Z Shin Budokai

By David Rasmussen
7th May 06

When it comes to Anime themed video games it seems we’ve been disappointed far more times than we’ve been pleased in terms of the results given to us.
While we’ve had a few good solid games like DragonBall Z : Budokai 3, the (dot)hack Quadrilogy… uh… Samurai Champloo : Sidetracked is supposed to be good from what I heard, and then there’s the RPG Naruto game which is supposed to be hot in comparison to the medicore fighter Naruto game, and then there‘s the first RPG slice of Gundam (MS Unit) which I heard has solid gameplay for the Gundam franchises first outing into the RPG genre… and then there’s… there’s… you know what, we get more duds than good games it seems when it comes to Anime related games. Damn.

But recently I have been approached by the people behind this game in order to do a review, which I am always up to doing… except for the fact that it means I have to bite the bullet and invest in a PSP.
So starting this week I expand my horizons by reviewing PSP games, with this first week’s batch of outlooks being first look at some of the games I plan to review, with first looks at DragonBall Z Shin Budokai and Me and My Katamari.

One of the most maligned game franchises by critics (earning the hatred of it’s fanbase against all who speak ill of the series’ games despite the fact most of them deserve such scorn… yes, Adam Sessler, I‘m looking at you) is the DragonBall Z franchise. However, mind you, it’s mostly deserved since for every Budokai 3 or the recent game (name I forgot) which I heard is halfway decent there’s a Saga, or Budokai 1 or 2, or Dragonball GT Transformation for the GBA!
So now DragonBall Z is rolling out onto the PSP, in one DragonBall Z : Shin Budokai, and hopes rises to the occasion that Shin Budokai brings back all that is good about the game (from Budokai 3) while throwing out all that is wrong. So let’s all hope (and pray) this proves to be the next Budokai 3 and NOT the next Saga as I take a first look at DragonBall Z : Shin Budokai for the PSP.
By the way, I own a Nintendo DS and they put out a DBZ on the DS… so why didn’t I get asked to review DragonBall Z : Supersonic Warriors 2 for the DS!?!

Atari takes a fresh new gamble as they roll out the Dragonballs and make their wish for the next Budokai 3 with their first stab at PSP gaming with the latest DBZ game, DragonBall Z : Shin Budokai for the PSP.
Yes, first off this is another fighter just so you know. Yeah, I guess one day we‘d like to see a different flavor of DragonBall Z like RPG style DBZ (which, if done right, would be cool) but I digress, this is so not the time to talk about the merits of different genres for DBZ games, we‘re talking the new flavor of DBZ.
Clocking in at 18 playable characters (which seems to me to be a decent count for a portable version), Shin Budokai follows in the “lovable” past of the franchise (counter attacks, high speed bouts, and seven gaming modes to go through, etc)… just as long as it IS the “lovable” part of the past, and not the part that made gamers and reviewers cringe at the thought of it all… please, be good.

The first thing on our plate of reviewing is the single player mode.
Shin Budokai’s story mode (known as the Dragon Road) is the first sign of departure from the also ran format of previous DBZ games by having an all new story (as opposed to recycling the long story plot from the DBZ TV Series over and over again), which is a good sign in my opinion. Shin Budokai is based on the upcoming DBZ : Fusion Reborn movie, and while I am not certain what the movie is about I am sure it’ll be a welcome change of pace from fighting the same battles recycled in previous DBZ games over and over.

Dragon Road mode mixes a series of bouts intermixed with tales of sparring, world domination and the usual DragonBalls thing (you know, collect all seven and get a wish or two from a large dragon thing). I am not certain what “tales of sparring” is, but I hope it’s nothing weird. One downer, though, is the return of the static screen cutscenes with talking blurbs. Then again this is a PSP game so I guess that should have been expected, so forget I said there was anything bad about that.

Dragon Road mode splits the game between a number of chapters, set between a batch of fights per chapter and a piece of the overall story to go over. If there is anything that is a true bummer about this mode it’s that (unlike DBZ : Budokai 3) you can’t pick your flavor of fighter for this mode to see the story in different lights. Instead the storymode of Dragon Road will have you playing as specific fighters for each chapter, which means you’ll need to learn the specific quirks of each fighter as you play each of them, since each and everyone of them has his or her own specific list of moves to master, and fighting styles to adjust to, providing you a solid list of 30 or so techniques per character to master going from the up close and personal short rangers to the long range “I like you better the farther you are from me.” moves.
Oh, and yes, this also seemingly limit’s the playability of the Dragon Road mode since it sounds like the storymode will play out the same over and over again.
Oh, yes, speaking of moves this means the great King of Hawaii (aka King Kamehameha the Great) is represented in this version as you once again bellow out the words “KA….ME….HA… ME… HA!!” as the move that has yet to anger Native Hawaiian activists is included in this game.

As for the characters you’ll be… uh… “compelled” to control in the order given to you during this mode? So far I know of only 1/3rd of the available characters in the game which are going to be available in this mode. Characters I know of so far is Gohan, Gohan again (as a teenager), Goku (duh), Gotenks(?), Android #18 (that’s the sexy hot female one right?), and Piccolo. There may be more, but these are the only ones I found out about to date. How many more there are in Dragon Road mode, and who those characters are, is something I guess you’ll learn when the game actually releases.

Next mode, after Dragon Road, is Arcade mode. I‘m guessing that this is a fast quick dirty way to get your game on when you want a quick brawl while on the bus or crosstown train. Here is where you’ll have full access to the playable characters, and take your out of your element road rage out against AI opponents run by the computer. It’s quick, it’s fast, and barebones, I.e. you’ll have nothing fancy to look forward in this mode, but then again who needs fancy schmancy. As long as the Arcade mode provides solid gameplay I think it will surpass any desire for “bells and whistles” in this mode. Heck, it should be all good to go for the immediate pleasure of beating someone else into the ground without risking jail time for your desire to have a beatdown while on the crosstown.

Next up is Z Trial, the third mode available on this game, which is sort of like Arcade but provides you abit of challenge with restrictions and/or rule modifications you have to struggle against in each battle.
For instance you could go with Survival mode, where you’ll have to participate in a bunch of “immunity” challenges, talk smack about your opponents, and eat bugs… oh, wait, that’s “Survivor”. My bad.
Survival mode sticks you with one health bar, and a bunch of fights you have to see through on that one health bar. Objective : survival… easy, eh?
Time is of the essence? Try Time Attack where you’ll have to complete a “course” (a specific chain of fights) under a specific time limit imposed against you. Quickly, now, quickly!

Finding out that you are forgetting your special attacks? Can’t get your Kamehameha going or keep forgetting how to Spirit Bomb your rival? Keep kicking when you should be punching or blocking when you should be throwing? The next mode, Training, is there to make sure you don’t forget your… well… training by having a place to practice your 30+ moves each and every character has to unleash which is good since you’ll need a place to safely work out your fighting techniques. That and it’ll give you a chance to learn a character’s quirks before having to go the trial by fire by learning the moves on the fly during Dragon Road or Arcade modes. Mucho helpful in comparison to certain franchises that expect you to either have been a player from Game 1, or your stuck doing everything by trial and error (yes, makers of Mobile Suit Gundam beat-em-up games, that IS a reference to you… stop it!)

Profile Card mode, however, might be a true surprise to DBZ gaming (even to those of you who played the DBZ Trading Card Game GBA game) because it allows you to create your own personalized DBZ trading cards. This won’t, of course, add any special powers or abilities ala Battles of Prince of Persia or Metal Gear Acid, but it will bring DBZ fans together and provide a welcome collectible aspect to the PSP game that’ll have DBZ fans making friends as they swap trading cards between each other. Also this is a brand new gimmick that should look fine… though it is mostly an “excuse” to get you to rack up points to go shopping in the game’s shop in order to get full useage of this mode (remember shopping from Budokai 3?)

In the DBZ shop you can buy stamps, backgrounds, icons, character art and more to help you make the perfect trading card. Good if you like the new addition of trading card mode, bad if you were hoping the shop would contain character upgrade capsules to attach to your characters to improve their stats (ala DBZ : Budokai 3). However once you start buying this stuff you’ll realize that there is a promised unlimited potential in customization of your trading cards through these purchasable options. You can resize stamps, recolor backgrounds and whatever else you can possibly think of.

Oh, and these are also informational since they’ll hold battle data, and can make for something to bond DBZ players together as they can swap cards wirelessly or siphon the cards of others for storage in your own personal gallery.

Here’s another piece of good news, by the way, the game plays just like the original Budokai… except that might NOT be good since the original Budokai series features TWO analog sticks to control the characters, and this game is missing an analog stick.
Other than the missing analog stick the rest should play out as the original.
X, O, square and triangle works your ordinary punches and kicks like the console, while the one lone nubbie stick handles a majority of the moves (because you only have the one nubbie to control your character). As for the shoulder buttons? They’ll control your ki meter (energy) for your distance attacks like “KA-- ME-- HA -- ME… duh” and “SPIRIT BUUUMMMMMM…“ (ok, nuff of me overreacting).
Good news (or bad news) is that the camera will slide in tight for the action, even when a powerful attack launches you (or your rival) up up and away into the air. I don’t know if the camera will stay just far enough away to keep you from losing your opponent’s movements, mind you, but if the camera pulls too close you might end up fighting a off camera opponent which is not good (especially since that could mean the difference between victory and defeat).

And just so you know, I also have some news on the game’s European release for you to look over.
Promising WiFi multiplayer (which I guess means online gameplay), the newest DBZ game should be worth considering if you are a DBZ fan (but not completely moved by all the DBZ game releases to date).
One new character identity, “prize fighter Pikkon”, is mentioned in the European release, but (unlucky me) I wasn’t exposed to enough DBZ to know who or what Pikkon is, sorry.
One thing mentioned is the “Saiyan Overdrive” fighting system, which makes it’s return in a stronger more “amped” version in this outing. This ability, which allows you to transform to more powerful forms during matches, I seem to remember -- I think. Can’t remember if I played that in Budokai 3 though, sorry.
Another promised thing is at least one new stage from Fusion Reborn… just one? I thought the whole game was based on Fusion Reborn so why is there only one stage from it? That might be an added stage not in the US Version of the game, which is my thought. Otherwise the game is the same package as the US Version, only released in April 2006... Though word from the game’s PR people is that it hasn’t come out yet so I don’t know, I’m guessing we might be looking at a June 2006 release for the European version.

As for myself? I have not seen the game yet, but I do like what images I’ve seen to date.
Characters look nice on the PSP, and I’m sure the animation will flow smoothly (though again I’ll have to see the game before I can say more). Effect stills look good from special moves to environments and aura burns, but again proof will be in the final review.
When I get ahold of this game (and, yes, for once I’ll actually put some effort into getting a PSP for awhile to do some reviews) I’ll tell you the full skinny on it. Stay tuned.

-- David Rasmussen 7th May 06

PSP DragonBall Z Shin Budokai Images