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Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury

Score: 95%
ESRB: Everyone
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Webfoot Technologies Inc.
Media: Cartridge/1
Players: 2
Genre: RPG/ Themed


Graphics & Sound:

Once again, the Earth is threatened by an evil force, and it is up to Goku and the rest of the Z-Fighters to stop this evil menace. Dragon Ball Z: Buu’s Fury is the third installment of the Legacy of Goku series, and it covers everything from Cell’s death to the end of the DBZ series.

Buu’s Fury follows the same graphical style as its two predecessors. The world is a tile-based top-down view, and the characters resemble short-chibi versions of themselves. Each location on the World Map (that you can go to) is large and full of interesting scenery.

The music and sound effects of DBZ: Buu’s Fury are fairly standard for the GBA, and don’t come off as good or bad. You get some whooshes and dings as you fight opponents. And though there doesn’t seem to be a wide variety of sound effects -- I don’t ever recall getting annoyed with the repetitiveness of it.


Gameplay:

Dragon Ball Z: Buu’s Fury takes place where Legacy of Goku 2 left off in the DBZ storyline. Cell has been defeated, and Goku finds himself in Otherworld. He and King Kai are off to see the Grand Kai and take part in the Otherworld Martial Arts Tournament. This brief period in the game does a great job of training you (or refreshing you, if you’ve played the previous titles) in how to fight and act in the game.

Throughout the game you will go through every major story point from the television series. You will also go through several missions that (from what I remember) weren’t in the show. This adds a little variety for those people who know the ins and outs of the Dragon Ball world. Though as a nice bonus for those who know the lines by heart, you will find many of them repeated, including my favorite from Vegeta, "When was it that the transformation to the legendary warrior of the saiyan race was reduced to a child’s plaything?"

During the game, you will face many opponents all the way up to Majin Buu, Evil Buu, and Kid Buu. And as you progress, the enemies get tougher and tougher. As in the last games, the more you fight, the more experience you gain, and you eventually level up. This doesn’t just keep you from going into certain areas like the last game. Now each time you level up, you are given points that you can distribute between three different attributes. These attributes are Speed, Strength and Power. On top of that, you can buy or find items throughout the game that will increase various stats.

These additions to the game give it more of an RPG feel than I got from the last two -- and it was a welcomed change that helped me to make the characters more my own. This addition also opens up the multiplayer aspect of Buu’s Fury. Previously, there was no reason to go head-to-head with other players because two Gohons on the same level had the same stats. Now with the ability to alter those attributes -- a battle between two level 50 Trunks will be much more interesting. You can also trade items that you have bought or found between you and a buddy through the multiplayer option.

Another addition (mostly because this part of the story arc requires it) is the use of fusion. Eventually, certain characters will gain the ability to fuse with others (Trunks and Goten, Vegeta and Goku). In order to fuse, you must perform a complex button combination timed just right (just like from the show), then you only have a limited amount of time to work in the new fused character.


Difficulty:

Overall, Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury isn't that difficult. There were a few instances where I had to plow through a lot of tough enemies before I could get to the next save point -- which led to a lot of repeated missions. But in general, Buu's Fury is balanced enough to let you level up your skills enough to keep on plugging away at the game.

Of course, the major bosses (like the Buu's for example) where harder than the rest -- and those took a lot of time to get through.


Game Mechanics:

Besides the addition of more RPG elements of Dragon Ball Z: Buu’s Fury, there aren’t a lot of game mechanics in this game that differ from the past Legacy of Goku games. You control your character with the D-Pad, perform your melee attack with the A-button, and use your energy ability (whether it is a projectile or transforming) with the B-button. You choose the energy ability you want by cycling through your available selections with the Left Shoulder button, and you block with the Right Shoulder button.

The newer RPG elements, like allowing you to equip different items, are accessed through the menu. Once in the menu, you can attach different types of clothing or armor to your characters to increase their stats. There are even some pieces of armor (like the 1 Ton Boots) that will slow you down, although they will yield more experience as you fight with them.

Dragon Ball Z: Buu’s Fury is a must have for any DBZ fan. If you’ve played the first two games -- then this one needs to be added to your collection so that you can play through the entire Dragon Ball Z storyline from start to finish.


-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications
AKA Chris Meyer

Windows Sims 2 Microsoft Xbox Fable

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated