Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku
- May 14, 2002 00:00 AM PST
How well does the world-famous anime hold up as an action RPG? More or less all right, but with a few small annoyances.
The first in a series of Dragon Ball Z games, The Legacy of Goku is mostly satisfying but has a few snags that prevent it from being a truly great game.
See You in the Next Dimension
The plot is mostly based on the cartoon with Goku rescuing his son Gohan, training with King Kai, and eventually traveling to the planet Namek to take on evil nemesis Frieza. The game system is standard action RPG fare; Goku defeats enemies to gain experience and carries out tasks to help the people he meets along the way.
You have two types of attack: a simple punch and a set of Ki blasts, including the famed Kamehameha. You must judge which move to use carefully since some enemies are easier to attack from far away. If you need a boost, there are herbs and Senzu beans hidden nearly everywhere.
A Question of Control
Infogrames has done a great job of re-creating the DBZ universe with bright graphics and an intro done entirely in FMV. The music is equally enthralling with a variety of styles used for each location.
However, the gameplay can be frustrating at times. Goku walks very slowly; some kind of run feature would have been nice. Worse, the play balance needs some work. It seems like half of the enemies can�t hurt you while the other half can kill you instantly, which means repeated saving and loading until you get used to the battle system. Although fun while it lasts, this game wouldn�t be half as interesting without the DBZ characters.
