Budokai Tenkaichi: Awesome Game, Believe (Most of ) The Hype
NEXT TIME INCLUDE THESE:
Piccolo-Daimao
Some form of Pilaf
old outfits/costumes for Yamcha, Kuririn, Tenshinhan, etc
Garlic Jr
Turles
Wheelo/Henchmen
Drum/Tanbarin
Yajirobe
Lunch
Chi-Chi
Gyu-Mao
Slug-Sama
"Bio" Burori
7 "Evil" Shenlongs
Androids 13-15
Mech. Man No. 8
Gt. Saiyaman 2
Pocus (Puipui in the anime)
Yakon
Piccolo Jr./Buu Fusion
HOW THE GAME MEASURES UP:
Gameplay: When I first picked up the controller, I thought this game was a little tough. The "punch" and "kick" buttons from Budokai 1-3 have been replaced with an "attack" button (square), which takes away some of the originality and freedom from your combos, but not in a disturbing or upsetting way. The kiai function (triangle button) is a lifesaver in some of the battles, learn how to master is early on if you want to get through the game. Circle is your basic dodge moves, and x is block. I won't go into all of the details, but they add together for a pleasing combination.You can also do buku-jutsu with the 'r1' button, charge your chi with 'l2' and and sense chi with 'l1'. This new control/battle scheme is very tough at first, but after doing Pic's tutorial mode and doing the first couple of Saiyan Saga missions, the game's controls are as smooth as butter. 4 main modes to play this time around are: Z-Battle Gate (story mode, but with a LOT of battles and alternate scenarios), Super Battle 100 (a big 'tree' of fighters similar to the Dragon Arena in Budokai 3), Duel (1-on-1 duels with you versus AI or a friend), and World Tournament (which is now completely useless since there's no more Z-Store). Expect to spend a good 10-11 hours completing Z-Battle Gate to get all 57-odd characters, and unlocking Potara. (A note on Potara: they have replaced the Capsule System of old, and they have to be 'won', not bought. Each character's ATTRIBUTES can be customized with Potara (i.e. Attack, Defense, Chi, Sp. Moves,etc.) but not attacks themselves, eliminating the problem of filling up all of your space just to get Goku to SSJ4,Gotenks Fusions, etc. )Even if you don't want to use the Potara to customize, you'll need to 'fuse' some of them to unlock secret characters (more powerful iterations of characters, and all of the movie/GT characters).
2nd most likely to win away your social life is Super Battle 100, an increasingly difficult round-by-round "Tournament" hosted by Mr. Satan. Duel is fun just to waste time, and Tournament will net you other tournament difficulties and the Cell GameTournament. All of these are upgraded with the new battle system, and have really gotten better(no more cheap Ringouts!!).
Graphics: Simply put, best graphics of any DBZ Game yet. The cel-look has been perfected to look almost exactly like the anime version. Some of the environments have that "pixelated" look up close (i.e. trees, grass), but this IS PS2, not Xbox or PC, so that level of detail isn't necessary. In general, though, the environments are well done (look at the 'tiles' in the Cell Game ring or Heaven's Tower and you'll see what I mean!!).
Sound:Sound has never been a problem for this franchise. All (and I mean ALL) of the voices for the warriors are included in their American AND Japanese versions (the game DID come out in Japan first. . .)and the music is spot on. It would've been nice to hear a NEW soundtrack (this is the same stuff you've been hearing since Budokai 2!), or if they'd just USE THE SOUNDTRACK FROM THE ANIME IN AMERICA OR JAPAN!! No real complaints aside from any you may have had before in the sound department.
Value: For $50.00 this is an expensive game. In a 5 day rental, you can easily snag 90% of the characters. If you're not a DBZ fanatic, rent and return. If you love DBZ, its worth a lot (as its easily the best game the franchis has produced yet).
ALL IN ALL:
This is an awesome game for any DBZ fan. Non-DBZ fans will probably not understand the dynamics of flying and 'grappling' as well as students of the anime and manga do, but they can still enjoy this game if they have the patience to learn how to play it.THIS IS NOT A "CLASSIC" FIGHTING GAME. Its more of a free-roaming battle game now, with some fighting dynamics. There ARE NO COMBOS. There ARE NO 3-PAGE LONG MOVE LISTS FOR EVERY CHARACTER. Everyone has moves that best represent their character, usually the more popular moves. (Don't fear: 'transforming' by pressing 4 buttons at once is removed, you select your 'form' before you battle, a great idea that should've been implemented from the start.Each form gets a new move set, too!! (Majin Vejita's is the best!!) ) Rental for those who just want a 'taste', definate buy for DBZ fans who want a faithful representation of Toriyama's brainchild at any given time.