DBFZ (Dragon Ball Fighterz), is a game that I always wished for, and thank Shenron that that wish actually came true. Today, we shall hurricane kick our way straight into the action and unleash our inner Saiyans--cuz I gotta say, this game is one of my all-time favorites.
A RECIPE FOR GREATNESS
Personally, the 3D Dragon Ball games were never my favorite. Yeah, the Budokai series was awesome but to me I just wanted a good ole 2D Dragon Ball fighter. Burst Limit was cool but it failed to captivate me. Then, Arc System Works came along. Teaming up with Bandai, Arc Sys were hired to develop the next big Dragon Ball fighting game.
Now, when I had initially heard this, I already knew it was gonna be awesome. I mean--it's Arc System for crying out loud. They're a company that pours their hearts and souls into their fighting games. But you see, there was one detail that was pretty interesting to me and that was the fact that the game would a versus game; a 3v3 fighting game (much like the Marvel Vs. Capcom series). I loved MvC but I didn't play it much nor did I really like the whole 3v3. I just liked watching it. For some reason I absolutely love it in DBFZ.
With veteran fighting-game developers Arc System Works, and publisher Bandai Namco, the highly popular and explosively awesome series of Dragon Ball Z would finally receive a game worthy of its legendary legacy.
ENTER THE ARC SYSTEM STYLE!
DBFZ is a 2.5D fighting game. Much like the Guilty Gear Xrd series, the character models are done in 3D yet the plane of playing the game is in 2D. But you see, here's the real kicker: the game looks nothing like Guilty Gear or really any other game. It looks exactly how it should: like good ole Dragon Ball. Arc System have really paid much attention to the style and character of Dragon Ball, and the fact that they were able to translate it over so beautifully with their 2.5D style is truly amazing. I mean, the game is just so beautiful to look at.
You can feel the punches being thrown forward. You can almost feel the amount of destruction and chaos that happens on-screen. There's so much detail woven into the game, and it all comes together wonderfully. Not to mention, the fact that certain character-specific cutscenes and special event scenes are hidden in the game and are waiting to be unraveled is beyond awesome. It really recreates those iconic and nostalgic moments that many of us witnessed as we watched Dragon Ball growing up. Kinda brings tears to my eyes.
The stages are vibrant, the colors pop and are full of life. Not only are the characters expressive and ooze with cool but so do the environments. You've got lush green islands with waving palm-trees, and epic, chaotic fiery volcano pits, to even being able to battle on an asteroid in the damn galaxy. Of course you also have the easily recognizable stages: West City, the World Tournament, and the Cell Games Arena. Seriously, it's all there.
The combos are flashy, the specials explosive, the supers insane. This game has combat that is fast, brutal, and everything a Super Saiyan could hope for.
Style and Design Rating: 9.5/10
THE STORY BEHIND THE BRUTALITY:
Now, Dragon Ball FighterZ has an original story mode made that does not follow the manga nor the anime of the source material. Basically, clones have begun appearing and you have to unravel the mystery behind it all by pounding their faces with your red-hot super punches. You devise a team, move across a plane point-by-point, and pick up other fan-favorite characters along the way. There are three separate story modes to play. Now, the story itself isn't particularly great in any way but at least they don't retell the whole sagas of DBZ that most games do. The best part about the story modes are the interactions with the characters that are all made especially for the game. The animations are great and Arc System delivers us a fun "what-if-this-happened" sort of experience.
The parts that suck about the story modes are how grindy and long-winded it takes to complete them when the aspect of moving across a board from point A to point B becomes a mindless slug-fest of fights, just to beat down some lackeys to then reach the boss and rinse and repeat. The cutscenes and animations are great but the execution of the gameplay could've been done better--at least in a way that would spice up the repetitiveness.
Overall, I actually enjoyed playing through the story modes but they definitely left much to be desired.
Story Modes Rating: 6.5/10
AN ONLINE ARENA OF CHAOS:
Okay, I know the title of this section might sound a tad misleading, but bear with me, please. The online part of Dragon Ball FighterZ acts as the games central hub/main menu. Yes, you can press a button and it will bring up an actual menu to game's systems and modes, so don't worry. I find it awesome how you can spend your hard-earned zeni on many avatars and stickers and roam around spouting stamps as a mini, chibi Goku or Vegeta...or even Cell. Imagine that! The online is fantastic in that regard, but when it comes to the netcode and lobby connectivity and such--yikes, it can be a mess (hence the title of this category). I mean, one moment you're beating down your opponent or even a friend and the next--boom--suddenly, a network error throws you out. Sometimes, I'll join a lobby and within seconds I receive a network error message and have to choose a lobby again. It actually happens way too frequently and Bandai or Arc Sys or whoever need to fix this entirely.
Other than the occasional network error or 7-10 frame delay, the online aspect of DBFZ is actually extremely fun; especially when played with friends.
Online Experience Rating: 7.5/10
THE POSITIVES:
- Amazing Graphics
- Stellar 2/3D models and environments
- Runs at 60 Fps (even on consoles)
- Feels like you're playing the anime
- Explosive and destructible stages
- Beautifully chaotic special moves and supers
- Dramatic Intro and Scenes
- Fun arcade modes
- Extremely faithful to the source material, even to the point of all characters moves being taken straight from the manga/anime
- Masterful attention to detail
- Rockin', electrifying soundtrack that feels like it belongs in the world of Dragon Ball
- Great cast of characters (most fan-favorites are here)
- Beginner-friendly and great for people who don't care to master the game competitively
- 3v3 team battles, ring matches, party battles, party matches, 2v2, 1v1, online lobby characters, stamps, titles
- Online match replay functionality: you can view and save your own matches as well as watching high-level/popular matches
THE NEGATIVES:
- Online netcode needs to be fixed as well as the frequent network errors
- Story modes are a bit lacking
- Lack of some extra game-modes; Arc System should add an offline tournament mode where you can level up your fighter, collect gear, and fight strong opponents or something of the like (kinda like M.O.M. mode in Guilty Gear)
If you love Dragon Ball Z and you love fighting games--then hooboy, are you in for such a great time. Arc System Works manages to deliver a DBZ fighting game that pays justice to the source and unites not only hardcore players and casuals alike, but also many fighting game players from games you'd never expect to cross fate in a showdown of the strongest Super Saiyans. Thank you, Arc System Works and Bandai Namco.
Game Rating: 9/10
