Dragonball-Z Legends

Thanks goodness it's not an incarnation of Dragonball Z Ultimate Battle 22, or we'd really be in trouble. Instead DBZ Legends is a different outtake on the series. Oh sure it's still a fighting game, but the gameplay mechanics have broken away from the Street Fighter wannabe controls. This time your character can zoom and zip all over the screen, and battles can feature upto 5 combatants at once. Characters' health bars can only be depleted with special finishing moves called Ki-moves, which are triggered by pummeling your opponent(s) thus building up your meter. However this can draw battles well into over 5 minutes long. Which wouldn't be so bad if your characters actually had a pool of moves to use instead of punch and kick. For most battles you just need to keep on your opponent and not let up with your attack button, though you might occasionally have to draw-in energy to keep from getting tired. The enemy cast is easily beatable and the gameplay ultimately forgettable. The only thing that really keeps you going is the short, but sweet cut-scenes (sorry they're not animated) and the fact that there's a ton of characters to see. Especially the guys who haven't made their US debuts such as Cell and Kurirun. The only people who'll probably find any charm in this title are DBZ fans such as myself. As a game it's not bad, but it ain't good either. With alot more tweaking of the controls, better in-game animation, additional moves, and balancing - this series could really be a contender in the market.

Overall 5.4