Dragon Power (Dragon Ball)

Yep, you guessed right. This game was originally Dragon Ball for the NES/Famicom in Japan. When Bandai brought it over to the US in 1986, Dragon Ball hadn't really made a name for itself yet. So the company opted to make a few changes to help "Americanize" the product. Of course the original Akira Toriyama cover art was dropped for some funky looking painting of a Bruce-Lee wannabe. Goku's hair was unspiked and the old man was changed into some hermit with a long beard. Also the subplot involving Bulma's panties was switched for Bulma's lunch (those who've played the game will realize what I'm talking about).

Now onto the game. The only people who'll probably find any interest in this title are Dragonball fans. The game itself is okay, the controls are in place, and it is playable. But it lacks any real challenge or intuitive level design to keep you going for very long. The only thing that helps drive it is the plot which follows the orignal Dragonball series pretty well. Not to mention the numberous appearances of the Dragonball cast and some of the boss encounters. Other than that you just end up wishing there was more meat to the game. Though there is a 2nd Quest that takes you to outer space, but you just end up doing the same thing over again. Funny, I thought Goku & Bulma had alot more fun and exciting adventures when they searched for the seven Dragonballs in the actual series. Maybe if more time was spent on it in development this title could have been a real contender. But as is, I can only recommend this to the true fans out there.

Overall 6.0