Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 - hands-on

When plans to put Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 on the Wii were first announced, imaginations went wild. Would players be able to hold Wii remotes in each hand to beat down space-karate enthusiasts with their actual fists? Could they throw fireballs with the same motions the characters use?

Now that we've actually played the game on a Wii, we know Tenkaichi 2 isn't quite as mind-blowing as we first imagined - but it's still pretty cool. Like in the PS2 edition, you'll fly around a huge, open arena and slam your opponent around with lightning-fast martial-arts moves and gigantic fireballs. That's really about it, but it's surprisingly fun, and the Wii controls add an interesting dimension to the gameplay.

Actually using said controls was confusing at first, but after a half-hour or so, they started to feel natural. Tenkaichi 2 uses just one Wii remote with a Nunchuk attachment; you'll use the Nunchuk's thumbstick to move around the arenas, and shaking the attachment downward makes you dash. Holding down its secondary trigger and yanking it upward launches you into the sky, while blocking is done by aiming the Wii remote straight up. Attacking is nowhere near as complicated, though - just mash the remote's one big face button to punch, or its trigger to throw fireballs.

Things don't get really cool until you charge up your "ki" and bust out a special attack. To pull off a mile-long Kamehameha fireball (or any similar move), you'll hold down both triggers, pull the controllers toward your body and then thrust them outward, like you're actually hurling a mammoth blast of searing flame.