Dragon Ball Z: Legacy of Goku 2 Review

Goku vs. (Insert Generic Villain Here)

The good and bad news about this game is that it does an admirable job of following the Dragon Ball Z storyline. It picks up at the beginning of the show's Trunks / Androids story arc and continues through the end of the Cell saga. That will make purists' day. Unfortunately for the rest of us, the game presents a slightly watered-down version of a plotline that quite frankly wasn't all that compelling to begin with. Basically the Earth is in danger, and it is up to Goku, his son Gohan, and the motley crew of warriors they hang around with to defeat the villains and save all of mankind. There's a few twists and turns here and there that I won't spoil for those who've never seen the corresponding episodes, but Shakespeare this ain't.

Time to Power Up!

Plot is all well and good, but Dragon Ball Z is an action cartoon, and fans will undoubtedly want action in their action / RPG. So how does Legacy of Goku II do in the gameplay department? Surprisingly, not bad. Fighting enemies is actually fairly compelling. Basically, each of the five main characters you can play as -- Gohan, Trunks, Vegeta, Piccolo and Goku, not counting unlockable combatants -- can attack using either melee attacks or energy blasts. And yes, fanboys, you can go Super Saiyan. Kicks and punches are controlled with the A button, while beams and the like are fired off with B. Collision detection can be a little wonky at times, but on the whole, this game does a more than competent job of recreating the fast-paced fun one would expect a game set in this animated universe to offer.

An Impressive Display

Graphically, this offering again is suitably impressive. The game is colorful, with a visual style reminiscent of past SNES era classics. It doesn't completely capture the series' style, nor does it come close to matching the impressive cell-shaded characters found in the Budokai games, but it is effective considering the game's platform and genre. The sound effects and music, on the other hand, were quite forgettable. They weren't horrible or anything like that, but they really didn't add anything to the overall experience.

One Shallow Experience

However, hardcore RPG fans might be disappointed by the lack of character customization. Goku and his fellow fighters each level up by defeating foes and wild animals, but there are only five total statistics per character. They are hit points (health), energy points (required for B-button attacks), strength, power, and endurance, and each of them grow automatically upon level-up. You can find hidden capsules to boost individual power, but ultimately the system is quite limited. The emphasis is clearly on the action here, not the role-playing.

A Legacy Worth Looking Into

Dragon Ball Z: Legacy of Goku II isn't a fantastic game, but it is a fun diversion. Fans of the animated series will eat this up, as it gives them a chance to play as all of their favorite characters and battle some of the show's most hated villains. Everyone else will find a fairly shallow but nonetheless enjoyable action / RPG hybrid that will be entertaining that is a little on the short side. It could have been better, but there certainly have been worse entries in the genre as well. Even if you can't stand DBZ in general, rent this one if you can, or consider picking it up if it's under $10. It's a decent little snack that should keep you entertained between meatier role-playing offerings.