It may not be Super Saiyan 3 yet, but it's close. Be sure to pick this one up ONLY if you are a DBZ fan.

User Rating: 8 | Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 X360
Raging Blast 2 is the newest fighter in a long line of ups and downs for the series. Since Budokai 3 and Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Dragonball fans have been waiting for a suitable successor to the series to appear on modern consoles. Namco Bandai's newest itteration has come closer to hitting the mark than the previous two next-gen titles but still might leave you wanting more.

The Good: Fast paced fighting with plenty of visual excitement and cinematic presentation. Watching two veterans in a fight can be quite impressive, and there is no shortage of fireworks in this game which sports a number of graphical improvements over it's predecessors. Also, more than a handful of fan favorite characters have returned since RB1 that pay homage to more than several DBZ films including some never before featured in any Dragonball game. With nearly 100 characters(including variations) there are just enough to keep fans of the series happy. The fighting system itself has been moderately tweaked and with the inclusion on the new "Raging" mode that allows for experienced players to string together advanced combo's never before possible by extending the number of attack sequences possible. The new Galaxy mode offers a large amount of battles, both in the form of series related and what-if missions along with a number of bonus missions that will unlock moves, pictures, and museum enteries for each character.

The Bad: There is little to no reason for people who aren't fans of the series to even bother with this one. Without knowledge of the characters, the lack of a story like presentation will leave people unfamilar with the series completely unable to appreciate the battles or the fighting system at all. Furthermore, even a few fans might be sore at the lack of any GT characters or those who are still waiting for the return of the amazing presentation style of last-gen games like BT3. If you have played through RB1, battles can also feel somewhat monotonous in Galaxy mode. Also, some "missions" can be frustrating at times and leave you unable to do little more than spam attacks in an effort to win a match where you might be horribly outclassed by your opponent and given only one hit of life. The camera can sometimes lose focus of your opponent which can create some odd situations but this is nothing that a good burst dash won't quickly rectify.

My Verdict: Raging Blast 2 will provide players with hours of fun and exciting battles but only those who are fans of the Dragonball series and understand the stories behind the chracters need apply. There is A LOT of fan service here and it almost demands this knowledge in order to fully be appreciated. While there are still some wishes that Shenron has yet to grant, all in all this is a solid Dragonball fighting experience. So for those who always remember to keep a sensu bean handy, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?