Another year, another Dragon Ball Z game. The anime has been out for years now, and yet Namco Bandai still somehow finds a way to milk profit from fans with continuous releases of fighting games. Nothing wrong with that, but the point of successive games is trying to improve upon the last model. And sadly, Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi fails to do so. Even from an anime standpoint, I can’t see myself fully grasping the way Super Saiyans knock each other around here. Like previous games, the fighting is a jumbled mess that teeters between button-mashing combos that would make Tekken jealous and quick time events that actually make Battlefield 3’s seem somewhat sane. As your fighting character of choice (which could be practically anyone from the DBZ universe), you enter a fight and can take on opponents one of two ways. Either you can go against someone in close range combat and chain together super attacks, or go at it from a distance, flinging fireballs and occasionally charging in to strike up close. Both feature offensive and defensive tactics, but it really comes down to hitting the right button at the right time.
That’s fine and all, as long as there’s some sort of diversity to keep mundane feelings from setting in. And here’s where Ultimate Tenkaichi ultimately fails. You’re pretty much stuck doing the same thing over and over again, first striking up close (on the ground, in the air, underwater, wherever) and then going at a distance, then closing in again and running through the numbers. This never really changes, not even when larger enemies appear. They take your damage, you dodge their attacks, they take more of your damage, etc. If there were a strategy guide for this game, save for character descriptions, it’d probably be five pages long. Part of a good fighting game is developing a strategy that will weaken your opponent, while adding a little flair on top for good measure. And seeing as how Ultimate Tenkaichi is more about style than substance, that feeling never matures, and as a result, the feeling of fighting against a combatant fades, and it just becomes a contest of “who can hit the button the fastest”. It’s tiresome and mundane unless, of course, you’re an anime fan that doesn’t give a damn how Vegeta and Goku duke it out, as long as they do.
That’s a shame, because with each new game, Namco Bandai actually seems to be improving in the visual department. Ultimate Tenkaichi looks like a living, breathing anime, complete with fast-moving characters, dynamic camera views, beautiful environments and stylish menus that look like something you’d find in any given DBZ DVD compilation. It runs at a fairly blazing speed too, even when you’re taking someone out online (whenever you find an opponent, that is). As for the audio, you’re pretty much limited to voice samples from the original cast (same as last year), along with cheesy rock transitions normally reserved for Dynasty Warriors games and repetitive sound effects. Ultimate Tenkaichi does come with a variety of modes, but they pretty much relate to doing the same thing you’re doing in the main Story Mode. That’s the highlight because of scripted events, but most of them aren’t worth looking into because you’re stuck mostly on boring pursuit missions, where you chase, fight, chase, fight, lose your mind, chase, and fight some more. Then chase again. Again, anime fans will devour it alive, but everyone else probably won’t get just what the hell Cell is.
You can also try your luck in Hero mode and tackle a cavalcade of DBZ fighters, but, again, it doesn’t resort to much when the fighting relies more on tap-tap craziness than actual given strategy. Despite the somewhat limited appeal of fighting online, an impressive cast of characters and a visual presentation that’s very anime inspired, Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi fails to rise above previous efforts. It’s the same old thing all over again, with lackluster, crazy fighting without focus and missing diversity in the modes. Here’s a word of advice to Namco. Do you really want to make your DBZ franchise shine? Well, talk to your new buddies over at Capcom and work on a 2D fighter that really brings out their brutal nature, rather than making them jet around like crazy in a wide-open 3D world. The battles can be even more epic, and we wouldn’t have to worry about crappily flying around to get things done. Think about it. Hey, it’s working for Street Fighter x Tekken, isn’t it? Because the last thing we really need is Ultimate Tenkaichi 2.
