Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (Wii) Review

So, it seems that it is the time of year again when another instalment in the Dragon Ball fighting series is released. As the second title in the series to be released on the Wii, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 has some very nice concepts penned down that have the potential to entice gamers that arent even fans of the anime or manga series. The addition of an online mode and reworked Wii controls were enough to make me think for just a moment that the game could turn out to be more than a rehash of previous titles with a few new obscure characters added in for good measure. Unfortunately that doesnt turn out to be the case.

While Tenkaichi 3 has some nice tweaks to the fighting engine and some decent new content, gamers who have invested in the previous instalment will be shocked when they realise that a lot of the best aspects from the second game has been abolished. If there is one thing a yearly franchise should not fail to do then it should be to improve with every instalment. Keep the features that work and scrap the ones that dont. With that said however, looking from a non-critical point of view its essentially still the same high speed fighting game with 160 or so Dragon Ball characters and thats more than likely enough for most people. For those who arent quite as easily impressed, read on to find out what youll love and hate about the game.

As with the majority of titles in the series, the game features a mode dedicated to following the story of Dragon Ball by splitting the game up into several different sagas. While Tenkaichi 2 allowed the player to roam about the world map and take part in an immense number of battles as the player saw fit, the experience is much more of a cinematic one this time around, with considerably less content as a result of more of a focus on the main battles from the series. Only two characters will ever be on screen at once; the one you control and the enemy, however other characters have dialogue from off-screen, a feature which feels rather strange. To advance through the various stages of the story, the player normally has to deal enough damage to the enemy before pressing a button that will advance the story to the next stage, which may involve a new character coming in to fight or the enemy undergoing a transformation. While it seems nice at first to see the dragon ball story told so concisely, (kind of strange too) it wasnt too long before the experience was all over and done with. Despite what the linear approach did for presentation, the content most certainly suffered as the story mode was over and done with quickly enough, even with several bonus sagas to play through. The other modes have remained largely the same though, with your tournament, versus and challenge modes all making an unsurprising return.

Gameplay-wise, the controls have received a make-over for the game, with some new motion-style additions that are supposed to make things more interesting. For me personally, this proved to be both one of the best and worst parts of the game. To give the bad news first, motion controls have been implemented into standard attack combos. Sure it doesnt sound like the end of the world, but it seriously interferes with the high speed flow of the game. For example, to perform a charge smash at the end of a rush combo the player has to move the controller to the direction they wish to strike from while pressing and holding A, then activate the attack by swinging the Wii-remote back. In theory it sounds great and it would be if it always worked, however the timing of the button press and remote swing is somewhat specific, meaning that an alternative result to what is intended often occurs where your character will simply stand there looking rather silly while the CPU pays you back threefold for your previous attack with a well aimed death beam to the face. In this circumstance, motion controls simply dont fit into the style of the game, especially since Tenkaichi is one of the faster fighters on the market.

In contrast, the motion controls that are mapped to performing special techniques have all been improved and given much more unique actions than in the previous title. Pulling off that Kamehameha wave or destructo disc feels a lot more realistic and some attacks can also be powered up by performing motions prompted in screen, the latter of which is a damn sight more interesting than activating a special attack only to sit there and watch your character beat the bejesus out of the enemy with little or no input from the player at all. To round everything off some new methods of dodging have been added to help balance the gameplay, and with the right timing the player can unleash some pretty devastating counters. In the end though I found myself retreating to the gamecube or classic controller as the means to play the game since the motion controls are simply too sluggish to keep up with the gameplay. Even when playing with the traditional controller, its obvious that Tenkaichi 3 is a button masher through and through, so players looking for a more serious fighting experience should look elsewhere.

Visually, the game has been spruced up by a small margin. Some of the energy attacks and effects like the super saiyan glow have had some nice new touches added to them and the cel-shaded visuals are still very appealing, even if they look very similar to the previous game. The production values are simply some of the best and the translation from anime to game is seamless. Audio is also an excellent part of the presentation, with full support of both the English and Japanese voice cast being sure to please fans.

Essentially, Tenkaichi 3 is very much a game for the fans. The characters and world of Dragon Ball have been recreated exceptionally well and the game does capture the feel of the anime series quite adequately. However, as far as gameplay goes, the Wii-specific controls are really only good for shits and giggles and hidden behind the popular franchise is really just another run of the mill button masher. While there is no doubt that fans will be impressed by this nostalgic and well-presented romp, Tenkaichi 3 just doesnt deliver the depth to be classed as anything more than a fans wet dream in the form of a game disc. A loss of content from the previous title really doesnt help much either. Unless youre one of those strange people who havent picked up a freeloader and a copy of Brawl yet or a diehard fan then Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi 3 isnt likely to float your boat.