Dragon Ball Z: Sagas
- March 24, 2005 17:41 PM PST
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Dragon Ball Z: Sagas invites players to experience the series' early epic battles for themselves.
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In the Beginning...
Dragon Ball Z: Sagas therefore wisely limits itself to a couple of cherished early story arcs; but even those are so filled with wild events that the brief cut-scenes they're shoe-horned into between levels can't help but feel painfully rushed. If you're new to the DBZ universe, this dizzying pace isn't the best way to get acquainted with it.
You needn't know the story to get a handle on the familiar mechanics of Sagas' gameplay, though: beat up low-level goons until you hit a boss, occasionally upgrade your fighter with the coins and powerups that litter each stage, and repeat until golden-brown. The formula exists for a reason: it works. Unfortunately, it's also been done better elsewhere.
You can play by yourself, or with a friend, but any such match-ups will have to remain offline. There's no online support at all on any of the three platforms Sagas ships for. This is most disappointing in the Xbox version, where Live! support would've been especially welcome.
Up, Up, and--Oh, Wait.
Some of the design decisions in Sagas are just baffling. For instance, you can fly, but only a few feet off the ground. Want to fly up? Sorry, buddy. You'll need to find higher ground to jump off, and then fly back for that floating power up.
The most nagging problem, though, is the lack of any control over the camera. All too often, a powerful enemy will wind up off-screen, emitting few audio cues to aid you. The lock-on targeting system helps, but immersion suffers, as much of the appeal of pounding your enemy comes from seeing the damage you inflict. The sound effects in general are a bit thin, but the taunts, and strenuous groans as you charge up ki, are amusing.
The environments are, for the most part, a bit too minimalistic to meet their potential, but the destructible objects--rocks, alien domes, even tall buildings--break apart with vigor, and the scenery changes often enough to avoid monotony. The visual presentation as a whole is crisp and vibrant. An emphasis on solid colors rather than textures on the characters enhances the sense that you're controlling an anime hero and makes the cool cel-shaded effects look that much more appealing, but does leave them a bit bland on their own.
If you're not already a DBZ fan, there are better games out there, with storylines that won't make your head spin. On the other hand, if you're a diehard, you'll relish playing through your favorite early battles in the epic story. Sagas is a competent first entry to the action genre, just not exemplary.
