Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 [PS2]

In DBZ lore, there are seven legendary Dragon Balls. On PS2, this marks the seventh Dragon Ball Z game released. Coincidence or conspiracy? Regardless, it's also one of the better in the franchise's spotty track record of fighting and action titles -- rewarding fans for their devotion while making things a little more accessible to outsiders.

The first Tenkaichi tried to fix what wasn't broken about Budokai 3, taking gameplay to the skies and further complicating what was already a deep system. Less than four months ago, Super Dragon Ball Z returned things to more traditional fighting roots. Confused yet? Wait until you get a load of this game.

It's amazing how much of the crazy fighting action of the anime is included. Not only are there massive beam attacks, teleportations, and characters being tossed into environmental objects; Tenkaichi 2 goes even further with countermeasures for all of the above -- not to mention transformations and tag battles. As one can imagine, the learning curve is quite steep, and the lengthy tutorial is mandatory for anyone not wanting to get decimated.

With a good deal of practice, your chops will be honed to the point where you really feel a connection to the onscreen character. Control is faithful, and most of the movements make sense -- though it's still odd to have such a small array of normal moves and only one regular attack button. Of course, when you're popping an opponent into the air, then teleporting after him to toss him through a mountainside, the first little jab punches you threw seem pretty insignificant. There's a reason the Budokai series rarely draws comparisons to Tekken or Virtua Fighter; it'd be like comparing WWE to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Tenkaichi 2 appears to have a lot of legs, with an all-encompassing take on the franchise and more characters than even the biggest DBZ fan could name. That appearance is slightly deceiving. The box lists 120 playable fighters, though the starting list is smaller by almost 100. Characters trickle in through game progression -- which is a good system but would've been better served with a larger initial cast. Also, most play quite similarly, so it feels like a Street Fighter sequel with 40 different Ryu and Ken variations.

While each mode has been designed to be worth a play, the lengthy story mode starts a little slow. You're forced to trudge through the same tales you've already completed in other games (not to mention shows and graphic novels), which could bore the core demographic the game is catering to. It's also tied to specific characters. Even still, it's one of the most robust story mode in all of fighting games.

The game's graphics look a lot like the animated show, in that character models are extremely detailed and feature some sweet cel shading. Explosions and mid-battle damage are also nice, though the fighters can sometimes come off as a little stiff -- especially with the minimum of animation during speech. As for audio, Tenkaichi 2 tosses in voiceovers almost everywhere it can, which will please DBZ fans.

It'll be a long road for you to become the king of Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkachi 2's hill -- even longer than the game's title. Obviously, those who love Toriyama's greatest work will be more inclined to stick with it, and will reap great joy from the game. Less Dragon-Ballsy gamers may get frustrated, but are encouraged to stick it out as well, until they get the hang of this deep -- albeit slightly convoluted -- fighting feast.