Budokai 3 is believe it or not, the sequel to Dragonball Z: Budokai 1 & 2. Both of these games were good, but mainly only appealed to Dragonball fans and after a while the games became quite boring and not worth playing. So, when PALGN learnt that Budokai 3 was in development, we had our apprehensions. Sure, the game touted new characters, new environments and even a new single player game, but would that be enough for it to distinguish itself in a crowded field of fighters?
The Dragonball series has somewhat of a following, just like Pokemon and the same people buy Dragonball titled games all the time, Atari have really tried to break this mould and it looks like they will succeed with Budokai 3, It is really hard to explain, but Budokai 3 isn’t just a good Dragonball game, it is a good fighting game.
So what’s new to the game this time to make it stand apart from the other Dragonball games and other fighting games out there? This time the Dragon Universe has been included in the game. Entering the Dragon Universe will make the gamer become on of the characters from the Dragonball series. This is somewhat of a mini RPG game, gamers fight through battles as they fly over the world and winning a battle will gain the gamer experience points, which can be used to improve health and other aspects of the character.
There is also a quick play Dueling mode which just pits two players against each other and should really be renamed Arcade and a World Tournament mode which consists of three, four or five round battles against some of the best Dragonball fighters. Out of these three modes, the Dragon Universe really stands itself apart as the best mode in the game. There is also another mode in the game which is arguably the best one in the game called Dragon Arena, but we have covered the aspects of this mode down the page.
This is the level up screen, where gamers can increase their stats.
The character roster has also been significantly upgraded, including characters from both the Dragonball Z and Dragonball GT series. From the outset, the characters available for selection in all modes include Goku, Kid Gohan, Krillin, Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, Raditz and Nappa. However, there are also plenty of other characters which feature in the game which are unlocked at different points of the game. We don’t want to give it away, but there are some really great (and surprising inclusions) in the character list.
The game play in Budokai 3 is probably what has been upgraded the most. The game is fast, really fast, moves are executed really quickly and at times certain button combinations need to be pressed to defend a move or to initiate a move. This often feels sometimes like Budokai 3 is including mini games into the fighting which works surprisingly well, and isn’t as annoying as the idea might suggest. We were really surprised how diverse the move list is and some attacks require multiple steps to be successful. The controls allow your character to do basically anything ranging from grappling, teleporting, dodging and side stepping. Basically any move that has been done by a character in the Dragonball universe can be mimicked here.
As mentioned in our introduction, the biggest downfall of the previous two Budokai titles was the lifespan, their just wasn’t enough to keep the gamer entertained. Thankfully, this is no longer an issue. One of the best modes in the game is included as an unlockable for when gamers do well in the Dragon universe mode.
This unlockable mode is called Dragon Arena and allows the gamer to continue to level up their character in one-on-one battles against both computer generated characters and online fans. Yes, we didn’t make a typo there, Dragon Arena allows you to assign a password to your character, by giving the password out anyone can put this password into the game and battle your character. This isn’t quite an online mode but it is a great inclusion and one we were only aware of once we referred to the instruction manual in the game.
Dragon Universe, one of the best modes in the game, and certainly the most expansive.
Once again we don’t want to give away to many secrets in the game but the developer has ensured that there an abundance of things to discover in the game. Even those with a Budokai 2 save on their memory card will receive some unlockables when they turn on the game. These unlockables include extra difficulty levels, unlockable stages, characters and outfits. This game will last even the most hardcore Dragonball fan a long time, which is great news.
The graphics in Budokai 3 are cell-shaded. This helps make the game look very similar to its cartoon counterpart and gives the game a crisp look. The world in Dragon Universe is a little bland but the game manages to run at a very fast frame-rate and still look great at the same time, without any noticeable slowdown, which is good work on behalf of the developer.
The characters have all been voiced well and the sound is generic but annoyingly addictive, the sound doesn’t exactly stand out, but it doesn’t do anything terribly wrong either.
Budokai 3 is a good fighting game and a great Dragonball game that is an essential purchase for both fighting game enthusiasts and Dragonball fans, if you like both, then you are in for one hell of a treat. We are glad that Budokai 3 has received a proper update as we would have been very disappointed had this not happened. Dragonball Z: Budokai 3 is one of the must play games of 2004 and a must buy for fans of the previous incarnations.
If you would like to win a copy of this game, check out our Dragonball Z: Budokai 3 Competition!
Never mind that last post because it has finally came! 
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