Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Underappreciated"

DragonBallZ: Budokai 2 is the sequal to the first DBZ game to come to America and to the PS2, DragonBallZ: Budokai. DBZ Budokai 2 is a great game, but is both a step forward and a step back for the series. To start off, the story of the game starts at the beginning of the Saiyan Saga and ends at the Kid Buu Saga. But instead of using the cool 3D cutscenes from the last game they replaced it with a crappy board game. The board game is set up by having you play as Goku and moving around collecting the Dragonballs and fighting various enemies such Frieza, Cell, and eventually Majin Buu.

As for the gameplay in DragonBallZ: Budokai 2, it is pretty much the same as before but it seems more fast paced than the first game. But now you can power up your attacks to make them stronger. And now instead of having to do a attack combo you can now just press right and circle or left and cirlce to perform special moves. Another cool feature introduced in the game is Fusion. You can now do fusions like Gotenks, and a few what if fusions aswell.

The stages in Budokai 2 are pretty cool and creative. They range from old to new, from the HyperBolic TimeChamber to the Red Ribbon Army's headquarters. The sound/soundtrack is pretty much exactly the same as it was before, all for the exception for a few new tracks added into the story mode.

The graphics in the game look pretty good. The graphics in DBZ B2 are now cell shaded to make the game look and feel like the anime. For the controls, they seem easier than before. The characters ultimate special moves are easier to do than the first Budokai.

OVERALL 8/10: DragonBallZ: Budokai 2 is a pretty good new addition to the Budokai series. The story's ok, but after a while it can get pretty boring. The new gameplay features are great welcomed addition and are fun to do in battle. The graphics are pretty cool and slick. The chell shading is a great new addition to the game. All in all DBZ B2 is a fun fighting game and it's good for long time DBZ fans, but not so good for newcomers, just because the story mode does not explain anything. But the game is still great!