Review by Tham Chern Yih
Dragon Ball z was released November last year shortly after the Playstation version . Bandai has improved the Saturn version getting rid of the Playstation’s 3-D background and ultimate power moves . The saturn version is essentially the same as the Super Famicon versions where the characters are saperated by a window when far apart and the ultimate power moves ( kamehameha etc. ) cannot be dodged by simply moving up or down ( as in the playstation version) . There are a total of 27 fighters . However, you only need to beat ten people to win the game .
Graphics 7/10 Great use of colours and detailed scenery . Characters are drawn very similar to the anime . But by today’s standards, not up to the quality of Night Warriors or King of Fighters ’95 .
Sound 9/10 One of the best soundtracks yet with music from past Dragonball games . Character’s voices are loud and clear and the sound effects are explosive .
Gameplay 6/10 Just like any other Dragonball game, this game has very little depth . Though there are a lot of moves there are no combos and some characters are just too weak . The deletion of the ability to challenge each other’s ultimate power move ( pressing a button fast enough to overpower the enemies fireball ) was a bad move . However, Bandai has improved the meteo attacks making them more powerful and eye-cathcing, unlike the Playstation version . The meteo attacks do more damadge in the air .
Replay value 7/10 Even with numerous flaws, the game is quite fun especially if you’re a Dragonball fan . An added bonus are the numerous endings, a tournament mode and a Satan mode where you use Satan and win your bets by cheating ! If you’re a Dragonball fan, you should give this a try . If you’re a beat-em-up fan, don’t wast you’re time .
Tip : If you beat the game without using any continues, you will be able to access three stages only available in the tournament and Satan mode . However, this cannot be saved .