System: PSP
Dev: Dimps
Pub: Atari
Release: March 20, 2007
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: Teen
All the power of Goku without the Hunger Pains
by Matthew Walker
For many years now, Dragonball, as a whole, has captured the imaginative need for brutality in our minds. It seems that every year we are granted with a new sampling into the world of DBZ. Granted, the shows have been over for a while now, and the movies have regrettably stop coming out, but that does not change the fact that we love Dragonball.
Most will always say that Dragonball Z was the best, due to the intense fighting sequences, albeit some went on forever and ever, most notably the Frieza fights. Well, Atari and Dimps agree with the fans. Which is certainly why, year after year, we receive another offering of chaotic anime fighters with some of the best fighting moves this side of Tekken.
In fact, it should come as no surprise that after the first installment on the PSP a little over a year ago, we now have a brand new anime fighting game to carry around with us. However, the main question should be: why should we waste our time on yet another Dragonball Z fighter? Simply put, because you know you want it.
Dragonball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road, aside from being a mouthful to say, offers a different take on the Dragonball mythos. The story follows what might have happen if Majin Buu was awoken in the Future Trunks Timeline. The end result might actually surprise you. Of course, according to that storyline, most of the other Z fighters had perished and only Gohan and Trunks were left to defend the Earth. Then that would mean that none of the other Z fighters were there, and then the androids would still be there, and 18 would not be on the sides of angels. Of course, I could go on as to why certain things should not be available in the game, but the main idea behind this story is that this is a "what if" scenario, so everyone remove any context of continuity from your mind since this is Another Road.
The gameplay is the same tried and true formula of the previous installment. Meaning that, just like before, you can dive right into the battles on this installment, whether you are an experienced DBZ fighter fan or new to the world of Dragonball. The beauty of the game is that the button mashers will have no problem advancing in the game. Still, on the other side of the coin, the ones that are looking for a challenge to the game, you're in luck. You can spend time on mastering the different combos for devastating moves. In addition to hours of mastering the combos, we will also be able to transform our character during battle, very much in the same vein as Tenkaichi 2.
The modes resemble all of the standard modes of gameplay. Of course, Another Road will be the storyline of the game. In arcade, you will be able to hone your skills before taking on rivals in the DBZ universe. The networking returns this time with the same wireless player versus player, which is kind of disheartening considering they could have advanced on this aspect, even if just a little. Finally, there is the Z Challenge mode. Here you can test your metal in three different match types. Survival has you fighting as many enemies as you can before being defeated. Time attack has you defeating you enemies as fast as you can and challenge. The most interesting of the three has you squaring off like normal, except you must achieve a certain goal in order to defeat the challenge.
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