GBAtemp Recommends #107: Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Welcome to the 107th issue of the GBAtemp Recommends Revival Project! This project is a revival of our once-weekly feature where we share our favorite games and applications with you. The titles we recommend may be "old school" games, a piece of Homebrew, a ROM hack, sleeper hits, an application, etc, but one thing's for certain, we think they are fantastic and deserve your attention!
Today, we’re going to be looking at a game based off of one of the most well-known anime franchises to exist. Get ready to unleash a Kamehameha and take on the world’s strongest fighters in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is, quite obviously, the third entry to developer Spike’s 3D Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi fighting game series. It takes the foundation laid by its rocky, unrefined prequels, and uses that to create a solid fighter, with a very complex combat system.
The story mode is also incredibly comprehensive, covering every major arc of the DBZ anime, as well as going through most of the original Dragon Ball fights, all of GT, and every movie that had been released at that point. If that’s not enough for even the most hardcore of fans, there is also an entire “what if?” scenario to play through too.
Having a game that goes through all of the DBZ story would be remiss if it didn’t allow you to play as all your favorite characters. Tenkaichi 3 more that delivers on that front by having a total of 161 different fighters in its roster. Although each of them controls similarly, and some of them are different timeline versions of the same character (There are 5 Gokus, 4 Vegetas, and 5 Gohans) they all have unique special attacks, combos, and transformations between themselves.
This brings me to the gameplay. In Tenkaichi 3, each fight takes place in a large environment with semi-invisible barriers, should you reach the limits of the arena. Each stage is destructible, from destroying simple rock formations and houses, to completely annihilating the area and turning it into a volcanic ruin that you fight atop. Duels can either be between 1v1, or up to teams of up to 5v5. Combat is fast-paced and wild, with every character getting a very extensive combo/skill list in the pause menu. You have your regular punch combos, but you can also throw in more powerful attacks between each hit, as there is a different finisher move for each stage of a basic combo that you can string together for a ridiculously high amount of hits that will leave your opponent reeling. If you want to unleash special attacks, you can charge your “ki” meter to use energy beams like the iconic Kamehameha. There is also a teleport dodge, which lets you get out of dangerous situations, assuming you time it right and have a decent amount of ki charged up. This, of course, is just the very basics of combat, and if you’re willing to invest some time into learning the game, you’ll be rewarded with a very fun and in-depth fighting system.
For those playing on the Nintendo Wii, you either use the standard Gamecube/Classic controller, or you can use the Wiimote+Nunchuk. If you choose the Wiimote option, you can use the motion controls to mimic the special attack poses from the show. It works surprisingly well, and is a nice addition, especially for those who like to take advantage of the Wii’s capabilities.
Even though this game released on the PS2 and Wii, the graphics still hold up, with their cell-shaded and cartoony stylized look helping prevent the game from appearing dated, even 9 years later. The one thing that does hold this game back, is that even via emulation, the framerate is hard-locked to 30FPS due to physics. It’s a bit difficult to adjust to, if you’re used to to playing fighting games at a smooth 60fps, but it’s certainly not a deal-breaker.
For those who like to choose between voice casts, both English and Japanese dub options are available in the main menu. The soundtrack is catchy, composed by Toshiyuki Kishi, and is great for getting you pumped up to play a round.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is a fun game, and is well worth a try, especially for those that enjoy fighting games, or Dragon Ball in general.
Genre: Fighting
Release Year: 2007
Developer: Spike
Published By: Namco Bandai
Released For: Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2
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