Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 [GC]

Dragon Ball Z is a phenomenon. The franchise has swept both Japan and America during the course of the last several years and publisher Atari has capitalized on that truth. In 2003, it released the second installment of the popular fighting series Dragon Ball Z Budokai for PlayStation 2 and in late 2004 GameCube owners received an improved port of the title.

Like its predecessor, the GameCube version of Budokai 2 is at its core a 3D fighter set to the backdrop of the DBZ universe. But the game actually delivers a surprisingly deep, albeit sometimes flawed, set of additional options that are sure to entice fans of the series the world over.

Once again developed by the programmers at Dimps, Budokai 2 is in many ways the ideal sequel. Not only does it incorporate many of the same elements that powered the original, but it's also made plenty of necessary upgrades as well. And though Budokai 2 is still faced with some hurdles to overcome before it can truly become the complete fighting game it's supposed to be, we're pleased to report that at least an effort is being made to make it so.

The Facts

• Fight as your favorite Dragon Ball Z character
• Flex and blast through eye-popping battles in single player "Dragon Mode"
• Lethal DBZ heroes and villains, including Buu in three forms
• Highly detailed cel-shaded graphics
• Destroy your enemies and watch the levels actually crumble in your wake
• Even more explosive "Ki" energy attacks
• Secret stages
• Exclusive skill capsules
• New and battle-damaged uniforms
• Advanced difficulty levels

Features Dimps has made commendable strides this year in terms of increasing the number of features over the original Budokai while maintaining ones that it deemed most important. On the whole, most of the options from last year have made it back into this installment: with Versus (Dueling), World Tournament, Training, and Practice Mode serving as more than enough to please casual players looking for a quick fix. Skill Edit is back as well, and for the unfamiliar, allows users to customize each fighter exactly to their liking; so while one player may enjoy using the default version of Goku, his brother may prefer taking all his inherent skills away and replacing them with abilities like the Viral Heart Disease (which slowly saps health away from an opponent) or double Kamehamehas (which combine two Kamehamehas for more powerful strikes). This mode is a must for more experienced and hardcore players.

One of our biggest complaints last year was the poorly realized Story Mode that had players partaking in activities that didn't really fit the design too well. Holding Raditz for his blast of Piccolo Ki Energy was just one of the many all-too-short mini-games that were scattered between each fighting session and it ended up becoming more of an annoyance than anything else. To remedy this, Dimps has replaced the standard Story setting with the all-new Dragon World Mode. Best described as a board game retelling of the Majin Buu Saga, Dragon World can actually be pretty fun. Not only does it provide a turn by turn Risk-like strategy to using and fortifying your fighters in each environment, it also opens up a ton of opportunities for branching storylines, additional skill capsules, hidden characters, extra stages, and bonus Zenie currency (though it should be noted that the best way to find Zenie is still the World Tournament mode).

Another new feature is Babidi's Spaceship. Obtained through a method best left to the gamer, Babidi's Spaceship presents players with four additional challenge modes that test their skills in several different areas. Time Attack, Survival, and offensive capabilities are the skills required most here, and a continued success in this option is the only way that players will ever be able to unlock the multiple forms of Buu and his henchman Dabura.

Speaking of Dabura and Buu, they're just a few of the many new fighters in Budokai 2 and two of the 34 characters in total. Android 16, Android 17, Android 18, Captain Ginryu, Cell, Dabura, Dr. Gero, Frieza, Gohan, Goku, Goten, Great Saiyaman, Hercule, Kid Buu, Kid Trunks, Krillin, Majin Buu, Nappa, Piccolo, Raditz, Recoome, Super Buu, Supreme Kai, Teen Gohan, Tien, Trunks, Vegeta, Videl, Yamcha are all the characters ready for action this time around, with five special battlers (Vegeto, Gokule, Tiencha, Gotenks, and Kibitokai) available once you've acquired the proper capsules. Gamers who enjoyed last year's roster should definitely enjoy this one even more.