The Hook: This is a Dragonball RPG that does quite a bit to stand out, both in a genre that has suffered from its own stagnation and in a series of video games that has more than oversaturated the market. DBZ: Attack of the Saiyans re-defines what a Dragonball game can be if enough time, effort, and care is taken.
The Touch: This game is a stylus free affair, so don't worry about your hands cramping as you play. Controls are for the most part standard JRPG fare with a slight nod to Nintendo's 'Mario and Luigi' series. You control up to three characters in battle at any given time. When your team is attacked, you have an opportunity to tap a button corresponding to whatever character is in danger to 'active guard' and lower their damage. It's a small but effective mechanic that keeps you paying attention to the battles.
The Feel: Ever notice how DBZ games often present the most disjointed stories imaginable? This game was made for fans of the story. All the minutia not included in the fighting titles is included. Small segues of the manga / television series that would make for terrible distractions in a game focused solely on combat make for great fodder in a JRPG. Additional segments and story lines have been added in, but fit well with the canon portions of the story. There are no 'why the hell did they do that!?' moments.
As it is a JRPG, dungeons are your natural habitat. The games designers wisely crafted the dungeons to be on average no more than three or four areas large. This gives the game a fast pace rarely seen in a turn based RPG.
Unfortunately, the game is also a little too easy because of that very choice. I was 13 hours into the game, having no trouble at all, before I realized I hadn't leveled up a single characters attacks or specials. That's not a good sign for anyone looking for a challenge.
The Sounds: What? Are you going to hook this up to your Bose 5.1 optic surround mega noise system? It's a DS game and the sound is adequate. The music is mostly forgettable. Interestingly, the characters in-combat dialog is all in Japanese.
The Look:
Beautiful. The artwork is detailed and (in combat) every character has numerous animations. The energy effects and quick movements of the sprites do well to convey the same over the top combat the series is famous for. The over head exploration artwork is less impressive but doesn't detract from the game at all.
The Result:
I bought my copy new for $19.99 and am quite happy with it for that price.
I had a lot of fun with this game. I'm not a huge fan of RPG's but the artwork and reaction-aspect of the gameplay drew me in and kept me hooked for the 20 hours it took me to finish. The attention the game pays to training and equipping your characters is enough to satisfy any statistic-loving RPG nut.
As a Dragonball fan, I especially appreciated how the games plot focused on the most ensemble heavy portion of the television show instead of being a 'Goku-Centric' affair as DBZ games have a habit of becoming. Obviously this one appeals mostly to the fans but if you're not that familiar with DBZ, you can feel safe picking this one up.
(Screenshots were stolen from the interwebs)
