Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2

 PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: Atari
  • Release Date: Dec 4, 2003
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 121 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 88 out of 121
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 121
  3. Negative: 11 out of 121
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  1. Watermelon789
    Jul 11, 2011
    6
    If it wasn't by the weird and not right board, maybe it hit the 8 score. It gets to irritating moving little by little every time, is very desperate and gets tired. I applaud the visuals looks nice and gives a fresh feeling to the adventure.
  2. Chris1
    Jun 22, 2015
    7
    In my opinion this game is better then the first one. I know dargonworld is kinda stupid. But it had the boo saga which Budokai 1 didn't had. It also has more Characters and better Gameplay. But the Graphics even for 2004 it looks weird and strange also how i already mentiont the story mode sucks
  3. TysonB.
    Feb 12, 2004
    5
    Better than the first Dragonball z Budokai. I still very happy that this still is the best in the series.
  4. DragonKnightofFinalFantasy
    Nov 28, 2004
    5
    Ugghhh is this Budokai 2 or Budokai 1.6? I say 1.6 because it does have some new stuff most of it is new characters,the new graphics, and the new Dragon Board which is crap it should've stuck with the Story mode give us the Majin Buu saga or somthing. Geez this is a good game if you haven't played Budokai 1 but otherwise just but Budokai 3.
  5. MrSonicFan
    Aug 29, 2013
    6
    While this game is a MASSIVE improvement over it's predecessor, there is really no reason to play this game since we have its sequel, Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3, Which is overall a much better game. there is no reason to come back to this game. At least the original had a story mode that is worth playing through. This game really has nothing special to offer. And that was most likely why itWhile this game is a MASSIVE improvement over it's predecessor, there is really no reason to play this game since we have its sequel, Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3, Which is overall a much better game. there is no reason to come back to this game. At least the original had a story mode that is worth playing through. This game really has nothing special to offer. And that was most likely why it was not in the Budokai HD Collection. It's a perfectly fine game. Just nothing special.… Expand
  6. falsetokaiba
    May 19, 2019
    7
    An overall pretty decent game. I'll break my review down just to look at a few major areas:
    -General Gameplay: Simple but pretty fun. Simplification in activating some special attacks compared to Budokai 1 which makes using some moves easier, so you'll get to use all your favourites from the show. Also new interactive elements in fighting including button combos to power up certain moves    An overall pretty decent game. I'll break my review down just to look at a few major areas:
    -General Gameplay: Simple but pretty fun. Simplification in activating some special attacks compared to Budokai 1 which makes using some moves easier, so you'll get to use all your favourites from the show. Also new interactive elements in fighting including button combos to power up certain moves makes the gameplay more engaging. Overall it's a solid Mortal Kombat-esque fighting game of its time.
    -Graphics/Audio: BIG improvement on the plastic-looking Budokai 1 character models, with cel-shaded graphics making them look way better. The use of Finnish band Stratovarius' music for the soundtrack without consent may have made the gamemakers infamous, but the songs are pretty good :) Also all releases for an anglophone audience feature the voices of the cast from the Funimation dub of the show, which is a great improvement for fans.
    -Story Mode: Probably the best remembered feature of this game, it's quirky and generally divisive. The story mode is set up like a board game where you move your characters around as pieces on the board, collecting power-ups and battling opponents. A disproportianate amount of the story mode focuses on the Buu Saga, and they play it pretty fast and loose with the story from the actual TV show/manga, which is a bit of a disappointment. Some bits aren't especially self-explanatory either, e.g. collection of the Dragon Balls, which I had no idea how to do as a kid playing it. But it's still fairly fun anyway, and has quite a lot of replay value as you'll need to complete it several times to unlock everything- different characters, moves and extras are unlocked by fulfilling specific scenarios and beating certain villains with certain heroes, and some can only be unlocked with wishes with the Dragon Balls.
    -Other Modes: What you'd expect. There's a versus mode where you can battle other players or the computer, likewise on World Tournament mode. Some extras can be unlocked here too. There's also a Capsule Shop like on Budokai 1 where you can buy capsules containing attacks, transformations and items for characters (money can be found in Story Mode or won at the World Tournament.) There's also a tutorial/practice mode, and a hidden mode called Babidi's Spaceship which you can get from Shenron, and which also is needed to unlock some extras.
    -Character Roster: 29 characters which is pretty good. Disappointingly some characters like Android 19, Kid Gohan and Zarbon don't return from Budokai 1, and Cell and Frieza don't have any of their early forms. But on the other hand there's plenty from the Buu Saga, including all of Buu's forms and new fusion characters. A lot of the character moves are admittedly fairly generic, but most have at least some unique or signature moves to keep it a bit more true to the show rather than just another beat-em-up.
    Overall, if you want a game that stays very true to the DBZ story or dislike games where you need to go off-topic to collect extras along the way, this game will probably disappoint you, but in general it's a fun fighting game with plenty for the fans on top.    … Expand
  7. Rubiales
    Apr 17, 2020
    7
    This is the first Dragon Ball game that i played and it was funny and entertaining, with some changes from the anime like Buu absorbing Freezer or Cell.

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 28
  3. Negative: 1 out of 28
  1. GamePro
    60
    Its uninspired controls, lack of character diversity, and the absence of a story mode make this only a marginally entertaining video game.
    Read full review
  2. Next Level Gaming
    89
    Worlds above what the first game was, with the greatly improved graphics (beautiful Cel-Shaded graphics)and game modes.
    Read full review
  3. Play Magazine
    42
    Takes the shallow one-on-one fighting action of its predecessor and repackages it with essentially no noteworthy enhancements to the fighting engine or visuals... Disappointing. [Dec 2003, p.82]
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