This site needs some Wii Reviews!!! So enjoy probably the best review I've ever written...
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Anime fighters, it's a genre that makes some fans giddy with excitement while generally exciting only a collective sigh from the rest of the gaming world. Certainly, the genre has it's ups and downs, and is the vast majority of the games finish with the overused tagline "play it if your a fan of the series." Dragonball Z marks probably the biggest anime to ever hit America, if not the world, so it's appeal is a bit broader than most. It's games however have never been what most would call up to par with the best of fighting games, barring
maybe some of the newest ones. However,
DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2 has a chance to break the mold, being the first to bring the fighting genre into a completely new control scheme offered up by the innovations of the Wii.
First, let's talk fan service. This game is chock full of it in mind-blowing ways. Over
120 characters makes for the biggest roster of selectable characters ever to hit a console fighter. Albeit, if we discredit the game the number of characters that are merely other forms of a particular character (read: Vegeta has like 10 forms), the number sits closer to 70 or 80. Still, any way you look at it, having almost every possible character from the series in the game is a definite, extremely welcome plus. The game spans the entire Dragonball universe, not just Z, but also the original series as well as GT. The 13 movies are also represented here, both in characters and in one player sagas.
And with 3 series and 13 movies to play through, don't expect to be blazing through the game's single-player mode in a day. Adventure mode alone probably has a couple dozen hours in it, and you'll likely get another couple dozen from the challenge and tournament modes. This game almost rivals titles like
Twilight Princess for game length, and considering it's got enormous replay value with it's multiplayer mode, which is the true meat of the package, don't worry about this one getting shelved after just a few hours play.
While the game isn't going to win any awards for graphics, and is in all reality a last-gen game, it still sports a wonderful cel-shaded look that makes it probably the best looking game of it's style. The Wii version doesn't support 16:9, but 480p is available for those lucky enough to have a HDTV and some Wii component cables. The sound compliments the game perfectly, with every effect and voice seemingly directly ripped from the anime, and lots of original voiceover work from the original character's voice actors. Environments are very destroyable and the fighters and their costumes will reflect damage throughout the battle. Some nice effects keep the game's fairly constant feeling of fighting at a high-speed pace going. The best of the super attacks make for amazing and sometimes downright badass scenes. I do have to give a "meh" to the game for a couple issues, such as a world-destroying blast being completely stopped by a 2-foot high cliff the opponent is hiding behind, vanishing without any effects or splash damage.
The mechanics of fighting are relatively simple on the surface. You've essentially got two buttons for fighting, both being melee if your already going hand-to-hand with your opponent, with one being ranged if your at a distance. Different variations and combinations of A and B during melee combat result in a few different types of attacks, which essentially break down into a rock, paper, scissors match. Reaction time, or button mashing for some, thus plays a big role in melee combat. However, arguably one of
Tenkaichi 2's greatest achievements is rewarding players who put a little more skill into the game than your average button-masher, through use of the Wiimote.
Players use the Wiimote and nunchuk for a couple different things. First, dashes are done with a shake of the nunchuk. This is extremely awkward at first, but actually feels much nicer and even faster than using a button if you can adjust to it. Another use many players actually are completely unaware of is the ability to pull off a powerful melee attack with the Wiimote. While charging this attack, weaker attacks will not stop your character, and it's a great way to get an aggressive opponent off you. Instead of waiting what can for some characters be quite a long time to power up the attack, you can simply start to power up and then immediately punch forward with the Wiimote to execute a fully charged hit. A devastating tactic against button mashers.
But of course, supers are what everyone is really interested in. The game's hype and ads boast how your able to perform super moves like the characters in the show. This is quite a far cry from what your really doing in all reality. There are 6 different motions to perform any given super move, and 4 are pretty much the same, just involving different directions. The commands generally involve just a flick of your wrist, although at times it can be a bit more difficult than it sounds.
So is this an easier way to play than using standard controllers? Hell no. But really, that's the point, in a genre and a series that usually has fights break down into button-mashing wars, the new control scheme actually adds a lot of depth to the game and brings forth something new: skill. Freaking out and hitting buttons and waving the controls to save yourself from death is probably just going to make you dead quicker, and likely give your friends a good laugh at your flailing. You've gotta have some focus, note where your cursor is at all times, and quickly but
skillfully execute the proper motion to pull off the big attack at the right moment. It's a much more satisfying feeling to pull out a big finish victory using the Wii controls than a simple button press. If your a purist though, or just suck, you CAN pick up a Gamecube or Classic controller and play too. But as a penalty for being the loser without motion controls, the game features NO explanation of the non-Wiimote control schemes, so you'll have to play it touch-and-go or check around the internet for instructions.
Compared to it's PS2 predecessor,
Tenkaichi 2 is a steller upgrade. Faster, longer, and more refined, with more features, moves, and characters fighting in larger arenas. The game is simple enough anybody can pick it up and start having fun with it, but you've got one huge learning curve to unlock some of the more advanced moves using the Wii controls.
Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is most certainly a well polished game that probably ranks as one of the best if not the best US-released anime fighters ever, and certainly the best Dragonball game to date. It's unfortunate I can't give
Tenkaichi 2 a Buy It, because it's really a solid fighter. However, anybody who's uninterested in the Dragonball universe isn't going to get their money's worth out of this game most likely. I recommend anybody who enjoys a nice button-mashing fighter to definitely
Rent It, and to fans of the series this is a MUST-have title, without question. A Buy It for the DBZ fans, everyone else give this ki blast of a game a good rent. Let's hope some other anime games take notes from this one...