Dragonball Z: Burst Limit

Dragonball Z is basically a Japanese anime, complete with crazy fighting scenes, spiky haired characters and weird super power. For those that know it this game will undoubtably be another hit. For everyone else, is it just another game on a shelf

DBZ: BL is easy to play, which is great for DBZ fans that have never held a controller in their lives, and the fight sequences have enough gauges and bars to keep even the most experienced players happy. But a lack of variation in the characters and arenas, along with the baffling 'Drama Piece' system (which triggers cut scenes in the middle of fights completely randomly), holds back the non-fan's enjoyment somewhat.

Anyone can pick up and play Burst Limit because every character has the same moves, all using the standard buttons. There's a block button, two attack buttons and a projectile attack. This is enough for all player levels to get through the game's single-player offering when played on the easier difficulty settings (there are six). The characters, of which there are over 20, move at different speeds and look a bit different, but once you've got the grasp of the controls you can use any with ease. All that's required is timing to get some combos right.

The confusing single player mode is remorseless towards new players. No effort is made to explain the story so far to new players. So it's a case of "tough luck" if you don't understand why character X hates character Y, giving the fights even less context.

The game's graphics are impressive. The cell-shaded look fits perfectly with Dragonball Z's manga style. The characters are large and detailed, with decent facial expressions and attack animations. Burst Limit works like a 2D fighter, which is somewhat of a disappointment given the immense size of the arenas, which are a collection of largely uninspired backgrounds that never really impress.

But the biggest problem with Burst Limit is the 'Drama Piece' system. Before each battle you pick up to three status-changing 'things' that trigger cut scenes from the TV series. These might give you a boost to your speed or power, as well as send in other fighters for a spell of help. They look great and do help add something to the combat, but the fact they apaprently trigger at random and cutt in at a seconds notice and cannot be skipped just ruins the battles. A nice idea, badly done.

You can't help but feel that Burst Limit is an opportunity lost. The game will undoubtedly keep fans happy for a while with all the characters ever used in the series and an online feature. But there is just too little here, both in terms of variety and accessibility to warrant a purchase for anyone who wouldn't already be buying it.

If you are after an anime game with the same bright colors but a better fighting mode and far better story, try Naruto.