Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z

It's just too bad the developers didn't offer even the smallest figleaf of a storyline; to anyone who isn't already desperate for the near-ultimate DBZ experience that the game offers, all of this must look like an ungodly confusing mess.

At its core it's a bizarre but ultimately satisfying game.

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is a somewhat interesting brawler which fails with some of its neatest ideas and delivers a moderate amount of fun until it becomes too much frustrating.

Dragon Ball Z Battle of Z is a game made only for die hard fans of the series looking for online multiplayer fights. Keep in mind that the very short missions make the game extremely well suited for PS Vita.

While the whole experience is a bit heavy on the “throw more fighters into the pit," the overall game isn’t too bad.

Those not familiar with Dragonball Z will find the story invisible, but those with a soft spot for the classic series, and a few mates with which to team up and reminisce will find something far more creative and exciting than most recent games based on the franchise.

Battle of Z may not be revolutionary, but it does offer something a little different and rather fun for the DBZ fans out there.

If you can’t resist taking the fight to others, I recommend playing Score Battle, which places characters’ power levels into tiers and makes matches a much more balanced affair.

For the Dragon Ball fans only. Others won’t understand the theatrical exaggeration or will get bored by the convention and its limitations. [03/2014, p.74]

Battle of Z may be boring, but at least it looks incredible.

A follow-up to the Dragon Ball beat them up world that will engage only those fanatical fans of the series. Otherwise, it's a dreary and straight-lined hack and slash action game that will never be more than that, even with its option to play as villains, which is attractive only at first sight.

Poor mechanics and a not so deep battle system make Battle of Z a failed attempt to recover the magic in the Dragon Ball videogame series.

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z's combat system isn't as deep as the one from the previous Dragon Ball games. The lack of combos and variety is a huge issue for these kind of games, but the new class system is an interesting idea. If you love Dragon Ball you should look for the previous titles based on the popular Toriyama's masterpiece.

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is a game like Dragon Ball: Zenkai Battle Royale. If you are a fan of DBZ and you love to play multiplayer modes, you'll like it, but casual gamers won't play for so long. Battle of Z features over 70 characters, as well as team battles against giant characters.

If you're considering playing Battle of Z, it's probably because you're already a DBZ fan. If you also have some friends to team up with, Battle of Z can be pretty fun despite some flaws, but otherwise, I'm not sure it offers enough compelling new content that other DBZ titles haven't already provided before.

Some good ideas are not enough to revive Dragon Ball Z. The combat system is far too simplistic and the mechanics show a lot of problems that make this game mediocre.

Hardcore DBZ fans are going to love it regardless while casual fans and gamers are going to give it a big pass. Personally, while I did have some fun, the lack of offline play, the long wait times for online play, the dated graphics and repetitive game play have put me squarely in the latter.

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z proposes an interesting idea reflected in 4 vs 4 combat. However, it is poorly executed and without the minimum attention in the balance of its game mechanics and characters. Besides, it has several camera issues, the lock-on function is not very accurate and there are few combo options, which ends up offering one of the less attractive games based on the legendary Akira Toriyama's animation.

If Artdink wanted to offer something really new with Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, it wasn't exactly a success. Co-op fighting is something new in the saga, quite interesting... but it lacks that quality that Budokai Tenkaichi had.

With repetitive combat, an item system that doesn’t accommodate the player’s intelligence, A.I. that can be as dumb as a bag of hammers, and small design decisions that feel like they exist to make bullet-points on the back of a box, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is a mechanically tame game that expects little from the player, and respects them just as much.

A sloppy amalgamation of underdeveloped combat mechanics that emphasizes collaborative multiplayer elements, but barely comprehends what makes a quality cooperative fighting game experience.

Playing as your favorite Saiyan is always a little fun, but it wears off quickly. You can play through several storylines from the show, but they are little more than a string of fights. All-in-all, pretty boring.

A bunch of good ideas not well implemented leaves us with a game that is a step backwards in the series, and that won't offer what Dragon Ball fans deserve.

Dragon Ball Z deserves more than this. [Apr 2014, p.78]

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is the worst game in the Dragon Ball Z franchise in a while. Too simplistic graphical style, no local multiplayer and transforming and charging your powers isn’t even mentioned. A disgrace to the great anime series.

What ultimately sinks Battle of Z isn't the little fan nitpicks, it's just ill-conceived design as a whole. It's certainly not the worst DBZ game ever released, but if there's ever been a statement that's damning with faint praise, that would be it.

The fans should stay away from this game, unless they are prepared for a massive disappointment.

A bland entry to an already bloated array of games, Battle of Z fails to scratch that Dragon Ball itch that its predecessors managed to hit. [Apr 2014, p.68]

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z’s team-based mechanic is what ruins nearly every bit of it.

Repetitive missions and a lifeless fighting engine are sure to disappoint both newcomers and fans expecting to relive some of the action the series is known for.