Oh, Dragon Ball Z. It brings a tear to my eye every time I recall your sordid video game past. I remember the old days when the announcement of a new Dragon Ball Z title actually meant something. I remember when using the Kamehameha attack while playing as Goku actually looked and felt cool. I remember how awesome it was to play against my friends on a classic 2D fighting plane. What happened to you Dragon Ball Z?
I am probably in the minority when I say this, but I loved the original Dragon Ball Z: Budokai. It was a great 2D fighter that featured a solid chunk of fighters from the DBZ universe. The fighting mechanics were simple, but they also required a bit of practice if you wished to match your friends' skills consistently. Your basic punch, kick, grab, charged, special, and super attacks were all present, and some combos ended with the ability to fire off a special attack after completing them. Your characters moved on a 2D plane most of the time, although you could sidestep SoulCalibur-style if you wished. The sidestepping was not at all integral to how one would play the game, and I cannot recall ever using it heavily in any of my characters' fighting strategies. Aside from dodging the occasional long ranged special attack, I hardly ever used it. Characters could also take the fight several feet into the sky while hovering. Usually the only way this would happen is if one player threw the other into the above airspace. The attacker could either give chase or just wait until his victim came back down on his own accord.
The combat felt great. It was simple, yet robust. There was no need for the convoluted flight controls as seen in the more recent video game iterations of DBZ. You fought, you unleashed your special attacks at regular intervals, you tried your best to throw your opponent off guard using your practiced combos, and then you finished him off with a Big Bang Attack at the end, courtesy of Super Vegeta. You did not need to worry about how you were going to reach your opponent. You did not need to know the fastest method of reaching him. You were both on the ground most of the time and usually within striking distance. The controls of the recent Dragon Ball Z games are too complicated for their own good. The DBZ video games do not need gigantic fighting venues that are completely barren. I do not want to spend half of the game flying over to my opponent just so that I can punch him in the face. These games need to get back to the fast and furious combat of DBZ: Budokai. Sure, having the ability to fly is neat. But would you not rather stages that have already confined fights to the air? If you over-complicate the controls in a fighting game, most players will be left with a lackluster experience.
The cutscenes in DBZ: Budokai were very well put together and actually told a tale while you played the game from start to finish. Even if you were new to the DBZ universe you knew what was going on due to the cinematic cutscenes. The story modes in today's DBZ titles are just plain horrible. I don't want to read a giant text bubble regarding Goku's training with King Kai. Give me a cutscene, give me a small clip from the anime, give me something! I would much rather see all of the story in video game form than read about it, which is exactly why DBZ: Budokai succeeds in this category. Sure, DBZ: Budokai did not cover every little thing, but it sure as pie covered more than the recent DBZ video games. I am well aware that the story of DBZ has been retold several thousand times, and I fully understand that revisiting the entire story in full detail is a bit indulgent. But when I play a DBZ game, I want the entire experience. I want to relive every epic moment, every encounter, and every event that can be fit into a cutscene.
I await the day when a good development team will take hold the brand of DBZ and restore the name to its former glory. The last few DBZ titles have been completely disappointing, especially while being a die-hard fan of the series in general. I once said that I would purchase anything with the DBZ brand attached to it, but after having played DBZ: Ultimate Tenkaichi, I have revised my stance on the matter.
