Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 - hands-on

Part of what makes Tenkaichi 2 so addictive is just how much it looks like the anime - the colorful art style translates perfectly to polygons, and the fights play out just like interactive versions of the TV show's season-spanning brawls. The illusion is helped along by the addition of "Banishing" attacks, which enable you to smash your opponent with a charged-up kick and send him sailing into the distance. Then - if your timing is right - you can quickly teleport behind him and bash him in the other direction.

As is true for most DBZ games, the dozens of characters play differently but control more or less the same, so there's no real learning curve when switching to a new character. That doesn't mean that all of the combatants are equally matched, of course - try pitting a rock-tossing, jetpack-wearing weakling like Hercule against the colossal yellow demon Janemba, and you're in for an embarrassment.

Also, each character has a dozen or so unique (or at least unusual) attacks to learn, as well as different combos to unleash during close-quarters moments. But in spite of all the options available to us, we found we were able to easily defeat all comers by repeatedly using the same basic moves, even on the hardest difficulty settings. Hopefully, that'll be reworked before the game's Nov. 21 release, but otherwise Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 already looks to be an awesome romp regardless of whether you can even tolerate the insane series it's based on.

CATEGORIES
Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.
Latest in Fighting
"I didn’t have a single ally": Tekken 4's negative reception put series boss Katsuhiro Harada under so much stress that he left Namco for a year
Tekken 8
Tekken lead Katsuhiro Harada says he's spent decades "mentally preparing" for AI to overtake humans, but it's not happening: "If AI had really advanced, we wouldn't be pouring 10, 20, 30 billion Yen into making games"
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros. creator says instead of making more "Americanized works," Japanese devs should "seek the uniqueness and fun of Japanese games"
Minecraft characters Alex and Steve riding in mine carts in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, being chased by Bowser Jr..
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate villain Minecraft Steve is the star of the "best Smash clip of all time," as genius player makes a literal Trojan Horse to destroy an unsuspecting opponent
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS key art.
Masahiro Sakurai says Super Smash Bros "might have died out" if not for late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata: "There's no doubt that he influenced me in many ways"
Mortal Kombat 2 3DO
After 32 years, Mortal Kombat 2 has finally been ported to the one hyper-expensive '90s console that could actually do it justice
Latest in Features
Naoe kills a target with a black and white filter over the camera highlighting the red of blood spray in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with an On The Radar orange frame
Assassin's Creed Shadows "has a little bit of Tarantino flavor", but its real secret ingredient is intrigue: "It's almost like you're watching an episode of Shogun"
Helldivers 2 Borderline Justice Warbond helldiver using hoverpack to shoot down with hunting rifle
Talking points from the Game Developers Conference 2025 and how they could impact the future of gaming
Flexispot E7 Plus with plant, monitor, soundbar, and controller on top next to white wall lighting.
Gaming desks vs regular desks: which surface should you buy?
Google Pixel 9a smartphones on a beige background
One Google Pixel 9a feature could make it a better gaming phone than most budget mainstream models
Yasuke and Naoe ready to fight on the Assassin's Creed Shadows On The Radar thumbnail
On The Radar: Assassin's Creed Shadows coverage hub
Captain Planet #1
Captain Planet is back after 33 years with a "sexy" makeover and a message that's as important as ever: "Reality has gotten a lot less subtle"