Dragonball Z Budokai 2
Dragonball Z Budokai 2's Review (IGN)
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
Dragonball Z Budokai 2's Review (IGN)
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.
Gameplay
We were very critical of Dragon Ball Z Budokai's fighting system, and truthfully it's still very much the same game. Limited to four distinct move types, players are given one button each for punching, kicking, blocking, and Ki Energy, which can then be strung together for various results. The whole thing is setup in a similar fashion to Dead or Alive or Virtua Fighter with dumbed-down mechanics for a much more casual audience. Most of the combinations themselves are canned -- resulting in common auto-hits with basic repeating patterns that ultimately total in dissimilar versions of the same move (Goku has three Kamehamehas, for example, as does Gohan and his ilk) and there is rarely any variety in the types of throws your characters can perform (usually one each).
Another returning problem from the first game is that characters still can't duck or jump and can only fly into the air once they've launched an opponent. Navigation of the 3D plane can take a little getting used to as well, as sidestepping require you to tap the block and up/down directional button at the same time (which makes little sense as up and down don't do anything on their own anyway). The result is a somewhat jerky 360-degree movement that, while useful, is nowhere near as fluid as most other fighting games.
Despite our grievances with the original, though, Dimps has managed to fix quite a few aspects of the engine to make it infinitely more playable. The most noticeable change, for example, is that players can now perform certain special moves with shortcut commands making them more likely to be used in desperate situations.
Additionally, the timing of several maneuvers has been altered from character to character so that it doesn't feel as though you're playing with the same guy in a different outfit -- a problem the first game ran into quite frequently. Other welcome fixes, such as the elimination of ridiculous mini-games and a faster overall speed makes both CPU and humanized battles a lot more frenetic.
What helps the game along more than anything, however, is that characters are a lot more balanced than they were before. In Budokai 1, there was little benefit to mastering the more complicated strings of attack because nailing your opponent with a few correctly-placed shots were just as effective as a 10-string combo; but that's not the case anymore. Combinations and special moves do noticeably more damage here than a few ill-timed mini-shots and opponents can even avoid climaxes of more powerful super moves by successfully performing a specific button combination before the point of impact. Simply put, Budokai 2 is more interactive than its predecessor and in a game where fighting is the primary focus, that's the most important thing going.
Of course, there are a number of other additions that make it a better experience as well. Like the inclusion of "fusion characters," which bring the powers of two personalities into a single entity (it's a neat little way to handle the whole hidden character thing), and the smarter artificial intelligence to make it more challenging. Better skill edit slot management, fewer ring outs, and the open approach to unlocking secrets goes a long way too, but we still can't help but imagine how much better it would be had there been heftier changes to the basic fighting system.
Nintendo fans should be pleased to know that DBZ 2 Budokai features additional difficulty levels, sure to extend the replay value of the game, new tournament rules and new skill capsules.
Graphics
By far the game's biggest improvement, the visuals in Budokai 2 have seen dramatic improvements over the first game. No longer plagued with simplistic color palettes or poorly constructed character models, Dragon Ball Z 2 packs a much bigger graphical punch than before. The GameCube version looks even better than its PS2 predecessor thanks to improved lighting and shadow effects. The cel-shaded look of the game really comes to life on Nintendo's console.
But that doesn't mean that DBZ doesn't have its fair share of special effects. Whether it's the Kamehameha or the Saturday Crush, each and every light-based attack resembles its cartoon counterpart closer than we've yet seen. Subtle blurring effects and accurate facial expressions further enhance the illusion of fighting in an actual DBZ episode as well, and the backgrounds are far more detailed than the environments found in the original (the blizzard stage rocks). Throw in a couple of interactive level elements and Akira Toriyama's famous character designs and you've got yourself a pretty slick experience on the whole.
Although the PS2 version of Budokai 2 was hampered by a sometimes-sluggish framerate during major combo sequences, this is not a problem in the GameCube port. Troublesome, though, is the fact that certain special moves and ring outs produce identical cut scenes every time out; giving it a somewhat canned feeling after several hours of play. It's also disappointing to learn that widescreen and progressive scan support has been overlooked as well; though we can only assume that the day those features are implemented into a DBZ game is the day that the high-end has truly gone mainstream.
The GameCube build of DBZ Budokai 2 features additional visual enhancements over its PS2 brethren. For instance, some levels feature new skylight renditions. Meanwhile, many of the characters now feature all-new outfits that weren't included in the PS2 build. Nice extras, but nothing to write home about.
Sound
Just as Budokai 1 featured all the same voice actors from the American dub of the television show, so too does Budokai 2. Luckily the inclusion of the added characters and Dragon World mode means that there is higher number of samples and phrases to listen to as well; though there's definitely a hefty mount of speech that's been ported over directly from the last game (then again, what fighting sequel doesn't do this anyway?).
Unfortunately Atari still hasn't supplied Budokai 2 with an option to listen to the original show's Japanese voice cast, so the purists out there may be disappointed. Either way, the delivery of each character's lines (especially from personalities like Goten and Raditz) can make for some rather hilarious entertainment -- regardless of whether it's on purpose or not, and seems to flow a lot better than the original did.
Musically, however, Budokai 2 is rather impressive. As not only is there a greater variety in the number of melodies played during stages and storyline bits, they're just plain better to listen to. Some of the slower-paced songs in particular, approach the same level of quality as a number of recent RPGs and the faster-paced rock music is far less grating than it was before. The only real hitch is the lack of support for high-end equipment users (no Dolby Pro Logic II). But to say that Budokai 2 is the first game to forget this would definitely be a misstatement.
Closing Comments
For diehard fans of the first title, Dragon Ball Z Budokai 2 is sure to please. It's familiar enough to appeal to casual players and packed with enough of the extra stuff to delight its more dedicated followers all at the same time. And did I mention the more balanced more balanced damage system, increased character roster, and better production values?
Unfortunately for those of us who enjoy deeper, more traditional fighting games, Budokai 2 still leaves plenty to be desired. With the addition of jumping or ducking abilities, an improved movement system, or the ability to fly independently outside of the launch attack, DBZ could definitely have potential to break through its already enormous demographic and become something even bigger
Current Optimal Settings
General
Basic Settings
Check:- Enable Dual Core
- Enable Idle Skipping
Uncheck:- Enable Cheats
- Use FPS For Limiting
Framelimit: Off
Advanced Settings
Check:- HLE the IPL
Uncheck:- Lock threads to cores
- DSPLLE on thread
CPU Emulator Engine
JIT recompiler
Dolphin Direct3D9 Plug-in
Direct3D
Check:- Safe Texture Cache (Safe)
Uncheck:- V-sync
- Widescreen
- Enable CPU > EFB Access
Aspect ratio: Auto
Full Screen Resolution: 640x480
Anti-Alias mode: None
Enhancements
Texture filtering
Uncheck:- Everything
EFB Hacks
Check:- EFB scaled copy
Uncheck:- Force bi/trilinear
- Enable 16x anisotropy filtering
- Enable hires texture loading
Advanced
Settings
Uncheck:- Everything
Then Check:- Enable EFB Copy to Texture
Dolphin DSP-HLE Plug-in
Sound Settings
Uncheck:- Enable HLE Audio
- Enable DTK Music
- Enable Audio Throttle
Audio Backbend: DSound
Volume: 1%
Known Issues/Problems
- Screen Flickering
- Can't watch the introduction video
- Random slow downs
My Emulation Review (r5419)
The game runs pretty well. 100% speed for my laptop even with my weak video card. All of the plugins work. You may want to limit the FPS on this game because it doesn't need a high end CPU to emulate. This a fun game and can be enjoyed by many people at once without to much of a FPS or VPS drop or loss in speed.
Screenshots/Videos
- Enable Dual Core
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU: Intel® Pentium® Dual T3200 @ 2.00GHz
RAM: 3GB
Graphics Card: Mobile Intel® 4 Series Express Chipset Family
Audio: Realtek High Definition Audio
DVD/CD Drive: HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-T50N
CPU: Intel® Pentium® Dual T3200 @ 2.00GHz
RAM: 3GB
Graphics Card: Mobile Intel® 4 Series Express Chipset Family
Audio: Realtek High Definition Audio
DVD/CD Drive: HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-T50N