I love DBZ. I grew up with it like a lot of people. And I've played a ton of Dragon Ball games too. So the announcement of this game excited me, as I think Dragon Ball's story could lend itself well in video game form. In fact, this was already done excellent in Monoliths DS RPG. However, this would be bigger, more ambitious, cover all the arcs. Does it succeed at telling the original story well in vidoeo game form? Not really?
The issue is, throughout the game, it felt like the game was constantly rushing from plot point to plot point, missing a lot of the detail and character of the anime. For example, in the Nappa fight, in the anime, Gohan is meant to be afraid/ reluctant to fight the Saibamen and Nappa. This is good characterisation because it makes his bravery later on in the show hit better. But here, it's just not even hinted at? You just fight the Saibamen and thats it. Or how in the Cell Saga it shows Trunks fight Perfect Cell and show the disadvantages of just buffing up your power at the cost of speed. But this is skipped... Heck, it doesnt even show the Final Flash (one of the best scenes for Vegeta). Its too focused on moving the plot forward, that it misses crucial moments and characterisation compared to the anime. It's just not a viable replacement for watching the show personally. The storytelling is disappointing. But sometimes, there are moments of brilliance, a lot of the key moments are animated amazingly. So at least it has that.
Gameplay wise, it's good but very basic. It feels way too button mashy at times, and enemies spam super armor constantly which can get old. It's still fun though. I dont have much to say about the gameplay, it's just a fun beat em up. It rarely felt like an RPG to me besides the Frieza DLC which I had to grind loads for because I was a 100 levels under levelled lol.
Honestly, I'd give this game a lower score if it wasn't for the Trunks DLC. That in my opinion leans into the storytelling way better and adds crucial detail to Trunk's character.
I'd recommend playing this game because it is fun, but dont play this for the story. Watch the anime for that.
The issue is, throughout the game, it felt like the game was constantly rushing from plot point to plot point, missing a lot of the detail and character of the anime. For example, in the Nappa fight, in the anime, Gohan is meant to be afraid/ reluctant to fight the Saibamen and Nappa. This is good characterisation because it makes his bravery later on in the show hit better. But here, it's just not even hinted at? You just fight the Saibamen and thats it. Or how in the Cell Saga it shows Trunks fight Perfect Cell and show the disadvantages of just buffing up your power at the cost of speed. But this is skipped... Heck, it doesnt even show the Final Flash (one of the best scenes for Vegeta). Its too focused on moving the plot forward, that it misses crucial moments and characterisation compared to the anime. It's just not a viable replacement for watching the show personally. The storytelling is disappointing. But sometimes, there are moments of brilliance, a lot of the key moments are animated amazingly. So at least it has that.
Gameplay wise, it's good but very basic. It feels way too button mashy at times, and enemies spam super armor constantly which can get old. It's still fun though. I dont have much to say about the gameplay, it's just a fun beat em up. It rarely felt like an RPG to me besides the Frieza DLC which I had to grind loads for because I was a 100 levels under levelled lol.
Honestly, I'd give this game a lower score if it wasn't for the Trunks DLC. That in my opinion leans into the storytelling way better and adds crucial detail to Trunk's character.
I'd recommend playing this game because it is fun, but dont play this for the story. Watch the anime for that.