Dragonball Z remains one of the most popular anime and manga series of all time, spawning new games on a consistent basis. The list of games that have been released is a long one, with a mix of classics and stinkers. The newest addition to that list, Dragonball Z: Battle of Z, attempts to add a new twist to an old formula.

Dragonball Z: Battle of Z continues the tradition set by the series’ previous installments; it’s a fighting-based game focused on the battles depicted in Dragonball Z lore. All of the epic encounters  ~ from the Saiyan Saga all the way through to the Majin Buu Saga ~ are playable and supply the spine of the game’s story mode. While this may be nothing new to a DBZ game, it’s the approach the fighting in the game takes, the additional playing modes and the new playable characters that help make it unique.

The main emphasis of Battle of Z is team battle. Teams of four are left to you to assemble throughout story mode, whether it’s the game itself backing you up or your buddies sitting next to you. Every character is categorized in one of four different battle types, including Ki Blast type and Support type. Each battle type articulates each individual character’s strongpoint, allowing the gamer to strategize and put together a well-rounded team that will win. This approach can be both fun and frustrating. Putting together your own dream team of Z-fighters is an opportunity not usually given, but sometimes when the AI is on your side, one of your teammates will steal your thunder and deliver the finishing blow before you, making you feel more like a spectator than an active fighter.

To further encourage teamwork, there is an energy bar at the top of the screen. After every successful offensive maneuver you and your teammates make, the energy bar increases. Once the bar is full, you are able to really lay down the law DBZ-style and deliver an ultimate attack.

Much of this cohesiveness also finds its way onto the various online co-op modes, such as Dragonball Grab, which pits two teams of four against each other in a race to be the first to collect the seven dispersed Dragon Balls. But for those who would rather go it alone, there is the Battle Royale mode, in which every man fights for himself in an up-to-eight-player melee.

While Dragonball Z: Battle of Z may seem like just another addition to the ever-growing library of DBZ games, it makes an effort to separate itself from the others. All of the characters that you have come to love from the series are playable, as well as, for the first time ever, Goku in his Super Saiyan God form from the recently released movie in Japan, Dragonball Z: Battle of Gods. Battle of Z may be frustrating and unfocused at times, but as DBZ fans know, chaos always runs rampant in the world of Goku and his friends.

For more, visit bandainamcogames.com/game/dragon-ball-z-battle-of-z.html

By Jason Savio