Score
Gameplay:	7
Graphics:	8
Sound:	6
FunFactor:	7
PlasmaFactor:	7
Overall:	7

Dragonball Z: Burst Limit Review
June 30, 2008 by Jereme Puik

Ah, Dragonball Z, how the series has brought me such joy as a young 13 and 14 yr old boy. Expanding with ever changing voice actors, something I’m pretty sure I’m still mad about along with a lot of other fans back in that day. The games themselves have always had their bright spots. I clearly remember the golden days of the original PlayStation with Dragonball GT: Final Bout and playing as Super Saiyan 4 Goku tearing apart the competition. Over the years, however, the series has had many releases that landed between unfulfilling and fulfilling. One bright spot for the series was Dragonball Z: Budokai for the PlayStation 2, which greatly expanded upon the experience. Now, the first DBZ title for the next generation of consoles has arrived: Dragonball Z: Burst Limit.

Power Levels Over 9,000!

By all accounts, Dragonball Z: Burst Limit is fan service. It is a shame that Dimps didn’t take the opportunity to stretch out the storyline and give you a chance to get into the series and learn about who these characters are and where they came from.  Making a debut on new-generation consoles provides the opportunity to start a new beginning… but here, it seems like all Dimps is doing is catering to the already existent fanbase for the Dragonball Z series. Newcomers to the game will inevitably find themselves confused if they had not seen a previous Dragonball game before.

You obviously won’t start off with everything unlocked for you right away and that’s where Z Chronicles comes in. Z Chronicles recaps the major fighting events from the series and pits you against character after character from each Saga, but only takes you up until the Cell Saga, unfortunately. You’ll unlock more characters, fighting arenas, and other items you can use in multiplayer battles.

The core gameplay of Burst Limit consists of using face buttons strategically to defeat your opponents, as is the purpose of every fighting game out there, but in Dragonball Z style here. The control scheme devised by Dimps gives gamers a chance to easily pick up and be successful at fast attacks, blocking, and dodging or performing Ki powers. While your basic attacks are good enough to get you by, there are advanced moves to get you to dig deeper into the game. Teleporting is just one of these that will get you behind your opponent and gives you a free shot if you take it. Everything requires timing here, and if you’re able to kick your opponent in the air you might be able to pull off some combinations that’ll bring them high into the air.

In this stage of the fight, there is no possible way for you to back down to the ground unfortunately unless you are able to pull off another combination of attacks. You just have to make sure you keep track of your health. Planning your Ki energy is also a good idea as well if you plan on using it for your ultimate and special moves like your Kamehameha for instance. There is a practice mode available for new gamers so that you won’t be continually beat down by the veterans of the game. One thing that might’ve been a nice little characteristic is character damage. In previous Dragonball games, it’s always appeared in some shape or form and made the fighting that much more exciting.

There is one point of the game that does make the each fight interesting and that is called the Drama Pieces. In Z Chronicles you’ll automatically have to deal with them as there is no way to turn them off. In versus mode, however, you can choose to turn them off or have 3 Drama Pieces to aid you.  You’ll probably not see this during online fights, since it makes the battles a little too long for time sake. These Drama Pieces affect the battle in same way whether it’s boosting your health a little or offering a little blow to the opponent shrinking their health to help you out. Although, the Drama Pieces aren’t exactly cheap, it does hinder on the flow of gameplay during the fight, and slows things down.

As you unlock the characters and arenas from Z Chronicles there isn’t much variety outside of those fighting arenas. Other then their obvious Ki difference and appearance, there isn’t much variety in the characters in terms of attacks that you get to choose from. Each character has their own advantages depending on size and such, but there isn’t much going for them.

Getting into the online matches, you have your standard quick match and custom matches to choose from and unfortunately there isn’t a tournament mode which would’ve been nice. Through the few matches I’ve played, I didn’t notice much lag other then the loading times between rounds in each match. If you’re just jumping from Z Chronicles into the online fight, then you might want to hit the practice rink as just a ring of caution. People certainly don’t play around there, and you’ll likely get a beatdown handed to you in your first match. Carefully plan your moves and you should be fine.

Graphics

Burst Limit offers a nice shine with its presentation and recreates the series’ looks with a keen eye to detail for the rabid fanbase. Character models look just right although there could’ve been a little more work done around the rough edges just to make them a little close to their television and video counterparts. As I mentioned earlier, character damage is a big thing with fighting games these days, and it would’ve been nice if Burst Limit was a part of that group. Environments are nicely detailed although aren’t as destructible as we might’ve seen in pervious games. There isn’t much else to look at outside of the arenas you’re fighting in, and the overall menu presentation is readable, as text isn’t a problem.

Sound

Voice acting is a big thing with Dragonball Z games, and getting the characters just right is as important as ever. Thankfully the people they got for this title seemed to have paid off here as there wasn’t too much of a difference that I noticed from being a fan myself of the series. Characters are all voiced well, although they seem a little stiff on the emotional side and it unfortunately fails at giving you the chance to get attached to these characters. Voices just seem a little flat and too scripted overall. Fans will enjoy the soundtrack provided in the game with all the major themes you’ll hear within.

Plasma Factor

Dragonball Z: Burst Limit is not a bad start to the series on the next-gen consoles, but it certainly could have had a little more detail. The fighting mechanics seem a bit too basic up front, though if you want everyone to get in on the fun, then it’s suitable for what it does. The Z Chronicles storyline is pretty much the only thing keeping the game going. You’ll unlock everything you need to play with in the multiplayer and just about everything else as well. There are the standard achievements here, so experienced gamers won’t feel too left out of the crowd, and can charge straight for those.

Conclusion

I wouldn’t put down Burst Limit if it wasn’t for the fact that it was a shallow title for a next-gen debut, as it could’ve offered us so much from the series. This was a big missed opportunity that I feel they were just using as a cash cow to bring in something for themselves. I only hope that with development probably already beginning on the inevitable sequel that we will see a much more fleshed out title and a little more attention to detail. While, I wouldn’t say they completely butchered the storyline, it is one area that could greatly be improved upon and hopefully with the addition of the final plotline from the series and maybe something a little extra.