"A long line of abysmal fighting and adventure games leaves this poor title with quite a legacy to live up to. Will this title live up to over a decade and a half of appalling games? You might be surprised with this one."
Dragonball Z: Supersonic Warriors kind of caught me off guard. I personally enjoy some of the Dragonball Z anime. Naturally, I have tried a good deal of entries in the long line of Japan-only fighting and adventure games. There are tons of DBZ titles and they span many consoles. The one thing ALL of them have in common is they are all somewhere between crummy and loathsome. What makes Dragonball Z: Supersonic Warriors so interesting is that it has none of the common flaws of the previous titles.
Although Dragonball Z: SSW is a fighting game, it isn’t quite your typical 1-on-1 2-D fighter. The game engine focuses on flight-oriented battles, and actually captures a lot of what goes on in the anime. Fast flight, multiple characters jumping in and out of battle, energy beam attacks, it’s all here. In fact, each character has 3 versions, which match their fighting style from completely different points in the TV series (for example, after choosing Vegeta you can choose from regular Vegeta, Super Saiyan Vegeta, and Majin Vegeta). One thing that can grow tiring in some fighting games, especially past DBZ titles, is when you unlock new characters, old ones become too weak to bother using anymore. This isn’t a problem in SSW. Banpresto intentionally left out things that would hinder older characters from remaining useful. Not counting like-type characters, like the previous example, there is a total of 15 characters. Based on strength, you can only choose certain characters. If you choose a particularly powerful character you won’t get to choose a second one. Limiting the types of characters you get really adds a lot to the strategy. Do you choose 3 weaker characters, or maybe you can endure an onslaught better with one extremely powerful character. You have to experiment to figure it out.
One of the details that set this title so far ahead of previous ones is that even the “little” attacks match what you have seen in the show. In previous games you would see some nutty random kicks and punches that didn’t really look natural. Here EVERY punch, kick, and special move was used in the show at least once. For any fans of DBZ, this will definitely make SSW feel much more authentic. The controls are surprisingly fluid, and the learning curve is a lot lower than most fighting games. B and A buttons are weak and strong attacks respectively. If you press either buttons while holding the R button, it will have a similar effect, but rather than punches or kicks, it will send out energy blasts. The R button alone will let you charge energy for said attacks. In addition to the basic moves, all characters have huge beam attacks, and if you have a partner, you can tag them in. Sometimes when you really get down to it, this game feels like a button masher. Normally, I would not be too thrilled, but Supersonic Warriors is intentionally easier than more complicated fighting games. It’s made to appeal to people who might not normally play a fighting game, and due to a pretty easy learning curve it accomplishes this goal quite well. Dragonball Z: Supersonic Warriors both looks and plays well, and flows enough to keep most gamers happy.
Graphics: 8 out of 10
The excellent use of mode 7 graphics, and character detail rocks. |
Gameplay: 8 out of 10
Very fast, very fun, and surprisingly manages to stay true to the anime. |
Audio: 7 out of 10
The music is a little generic, although enjoyable. Vocal battle cries and grunts may not seem like a big deal at first, but having the American voice actors from the show is a nice touch. |
Replay Value: 7 out of 10
A good deal of unlockables and different gameplay modes will keep you coming back. When your done with all that, the two player mode may keep you playing even longer. |
Final Rating: 8 out of 10
Shock of shocks, wonder of wonders! It’s a very well-made Dragonball Z game. I didn’t see it coming. This is one awesome game for anyone who likes Dragonball Z or would like a unique fighting game. |
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