Having been a fan of Inuyasha and Rurouni Kenshin, anime has always been an interest that needed more of my devoted time. With the fanfare of Dragon Ball Z at a sizzling high in comparison to other animes, DBZ has always been an enigma that I never ventured to due to its focus on action over adventure. Now, with Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit arriving on the Xbox 360, it was finally time to start digging deep into this wonderful franchise to see what all the excitement was about.
Being the first Dragon Ball Z fighter on the Xbox 360 and eighth overall released by Atari, Burst Limit is a great addition to the fighting genre. Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit features an incredibly fresh and robust combat system that will entertain fighting fans that are eager to break away from the slower-paced games that revolve around grappling. On top of that, Burst Limit will serve as a reminder to the fans why they fell in love with DBZ due to its intense gameplay.
What Burst Limit does so well is keep the action fast-paced and implement drama pieces into the combat to maintain interest. The drama pieces will stop the combat for a few seconds for plot points while also providing bonuses to the character that entered into the sequence. Perhaps the biggest downside to the drama pieces is that there isn’t an option to skip the ones in mid-battle. While the drama pieces do break up the combat in particular situations where a competitor is about to unleash an attack, they ultimately add a certain flare that makes Burst Limit different from its competitors.
Although the drama pieces are an important piece to the combat, they aren’t the only attraction to the game. The gameplay is nonstop action and will even impress those who know nothing about the DBZ universe. The difficulty isn’t at an all-time high as anyone can pick up the controller and feel at ease with adjusting to the controls. Pulling off Goku’s Kamehameha is a cinch as players will only have to press the B Button along with the left thumbstick toward the enemy to execute the maneuver. If players want to make the attack stronger, all they have to do is hold the button down longer.
The combat system revolves around building up your Ki throughout the fight. The Ki in turn can be used to transform your character to the next level, go Super Saiyan, use Aura Spark attacks, or land a variety of other attacks. On top of all this, the game incorporates the usual blocking and grappling, but they aren’t as beneficial as the Vanishing Attacks that allow the player to teleport behind their enemy to gain the upper hand. There’s lot of maneuvers to learn and techniques to master, so be prepared to invest time in getting to know each character.
For those who want to dig deeper to learn more about the storyline, Z Chronicles will be the mode they’ll want to spend their time with. Spanning over three different sagas, players will learn a vast amount of information on Goku and several other characters from DBZ. Having finished all three of the sagas, the most entertaining ended up being the Frieza Saga which revolves around a maniacal galactic overlord hell-bent on destroying every planet that opposes him. The drama pieces and the fights included in this saga are amusing while the other two are either too short (Saiyan Saga) or drag on with not much storytelling behind the fights (Cell Saga). Overall though, the storyline focuses on Goku and his evolution to a Super Saiyan.
If you’re a player who favors multiplayer, Burst Limit features an online mode and a versus mode to play through. The online mode is a mixed bag that starts off brilliantly and ends sourly. The negativity towards the online mode comes in the form of players constantly using Goku and spamming his super attacks. Though, this can be easily countered by becoming a more experienced DBZ player and learning how to defend against such attacks, the matter of fact is that it’s irritating to fight the same character online countless times. Outside of the repetition of facing off against opponents using Goku, players will encounter lag from time to time. The versus mode on the other hand is your typical one vs. one mode for friends to face off against one another.
Outside of that, there are additional modes including a tutorial mode and training modes. The tutorial mode is standard with the ability to practice techniques and your favorite moves. The training modes included are Survival Mode, Time Attack, and Battle Point mode, all of which help add some diversity. The Survival Mode sends players through a gauntlet of enemies to dispose of; Time Attack is based on how fast you can vanquish your enemies; and lastly, Battle Point Mode centers on what maneuvers you land throughout a fight and scores them. All of these modes help provide replay value, even though they are on the short side in terms of length.
The graphical output of Burst Limit is exquisite for players looking for something resembling the anime. Fans of the series will feel right at home when they watch Goku and Vegetta square off on the screen with how intense the battles come off through the gameplay. Burst Limit also has excellent voice-acting and sound effects helping make the game an authentic DBZ experience. The only complaint a fan might have is the small character list attributing only 21 combatants to play with. In previous iterations, there were over at least 50, but many of those competitors that were left out of Burst Limit would have been duplicates so it may have been for the better.
Reminiscent of the anime, Burst Limit is an intriguing game for fans and newcomers alike. The fighting and graphics are outstanding in terms of looking like a genuine DBZ episode. The added drama pieces bring something new to the table for the fighting genre since the spark story elements behind the action. The game isn’t overly difficult, but players will find six difficulty levels to test their skills.
Being the first Dragon Ball Z game on the Xbox 360, Burst Limit is a fine addition to the thin fighting genre on the console. If you have never played a DBZ game, then it’s recommended that you venture forth and rent Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit to see what you have been missing. For the fans of the series, you should already own the game. If you don’t, then what are you waiting for? Go buy Burst Limit right away to help your craving of transforming into a Super Saiyan.
