Stuff

    Subscribe to our newsletter

    What's Hot
    petrol prices

    Mid-month CEF indicators suggest South Africa’s September petrol price headed to saner levels

    August 15, 2022
    Xiaomi

    Xiaomi hopes to challenge Tesla by releasing a fully self-driving EV

    August 15, 2022
    BMW LG Apple Hogwarts

    Light Start: Fuel cell BMWs, iPhone ads, LG’s 20in OLEDs, and Hogwarts Legacy’s delay

    August 15, 2022
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube SoundCloud
    Trending
    • Mid-month CEF indicators suggest South Africa’s September petrol price headed to saner levels
    • Xiaomi hopes to challenge Tesla by releasing a fully self-driving EV
    • Light Start: Fuel cell BMWs, iPhone ads, LG’s 20in OLEDs, and Hogwarts Legacy’s delay
    • Behold, the Taycan-compatible TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 Porsche Edition
    • WhatsApp to bring customised avatars to the platform. Eventually. For metaverse reasons
    • Polaris Dawn, the very first commercial spacewalk, could take place this December
    • YouTube planning to launch an online streaming marketplace – report
    • Nvidia wants to make AI avatars smarter and simpler to create
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    StuffStuff
    • News
      • App News
      • Business News
      • Camera News
      • Gaming News
      • Headphone News
      • Industry News
      • Internet News
      • Laptops News
      • Motoring News
      • Other Tech News
      • Phone News
      • Tablet News
      • Technology News
      • TV News
      • Wearables News
    • Reviews
      • Camera Reviews
      • Car Reviews
      • Featured Reviews
      • Game Reviews
      • Headphone Reviews
      • Laptop Reviews
      • Other Tech Reviews
      • Phone Reviews
      • Tablet Reviews
      • Wearables Reviews
    • Columns
    • Stuff Guides
    • Podcasts & Videos
      • Videos
      • Stuffed
      • Stuffing Around
      • Tech Byte
      • T2S2
    • Win
    • Subscribe
      • Print
      • Digital
        • Google Play
        • iTunes
        • Download
        • Zinio
    • Stuff Shop
      • Shop Now
      • My Account
      • Downloads
    • Contact Us
      • Get In Touch
      • Advertise
    0 Shopping Cart
    Stuff
    Home » Reviews » Game Reviews » Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z (Xbox 360) – Assemble your team
    Game Reviews

    Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z (Xbox 360) – Assemble your team

    Brett VenterBy Brett VenterFebruary 9, 2014Updated:October 22, 2021No Comments4 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Battle of Z 2Time for a short history lesson. In 1984 a gentleman by the name of Akira Toriyama created a manga series about a little boy with a tail. This manga went on to be made into a TV show and, later, formed the inspiration for a whole new series about the same little boy – now all grown up. If the title of this review didn’t clue you in, that 1989 TV series was known as Dragon Ball Z. Now, if you already knew all of this, then Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z might be the game for you. If you don’t have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Saiyan race, Nameks and power levels however, then Battle of Z will probably be an irritating and somewhat laborious experience.

    Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is a departure from the usual games in the series. Past titles have been defined by their combat system and a variety of game modes that have veered from massively complicated to just somewhat involved. Battle of Z is closer to its most previous ancestor, Ultimate Tenkaichi, in terms of gameplay but it has been simplified even further to account for the changes that have been made to the available game modes.

    Battle of Z 6This may take some explaining. Battle of Z features a single player mode that contains a basic reproduction of the original anime series. There is a similar combat tree that permits players to take on the same bouts from the perspective of the villains of the series and then there is the Another Age bouts that is a mixture of new scenarios and events from the full-length Dragon Ball Z motion pictures.

    By itself, this isn’t new. The biggest change is that there are four players on-screen at once in the single player mode. One is the player, the other three are supporting character that will engage with enemies, assist players and revive them. Each of the 67-plus characters available in Battle of Z has been given a class that defines how they will play. Everyone’s favourite Saiyan Goku is a melee fighter, suited for constant assault. Saiyan prince Vegeta is a Ki-class, better used as a ranged fighter. Goku’s son Gohan is a support class, though later incarnations (i.e. Super Saiyan) see a Melee appended to that. Krillin is an interruption class fighter, who is best used to distract enemies.

    Battle of Z 4The point of all of this is that the single player mode is just a training ground, either for the online co-op or the Battle mode which will see up to eight players taking each other on in teams of four a side. In theory, this is the best thing to hit a Dragon Ball Z game in the entire history of the series. In practise, it doesn’t work out so well. The concessions made to create a workable online arena battle for the game in terms of controls means that combat is limited to two buttons (plus combinations that are sometimes tricky to use – in a bad way), player transformations have been left by the wayside and players are unable to charge their own specials effectively.

    The problem with Battle of Z isn’t that changes have been made. The problem is that not enough changes have been made. In attempting to stay true to the series, which the developers have managed by stripping out all but the most rudimentary of narrative in the single-player (you need to be a huge fan to appreciate how they’ve altered the same fights that have been replayed a million times), they’ve lost the broader appeal that Battle of Z might have otherwise had.

    Battle of Z 3Players will also get to a point where combat, even with the simple but effective character levelling system in place, just becomes too much of a chore for them to continue. Attempting to take down an enemy starts to feel like work rather than fun and there’s the added hassle of online games. It’s one thing if you’ve got a circle of like-minded friends to team up with against a Saiyan Great Ape or one of the other brutes that populate the landscape, it’s another to venture online without any backup and the idea that this is supposed to be fun somehow. You will be disappointed.

    That said, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is still a game for the fans and there are probably enough of them out there for this title to do well. The new concepts explored by the game have some real potential but they have not been executed as well as they should have been. Hopefully that will change because, for a serious Dragon Ball Z fan, the chaos and carnage that Battle of Z presents can be extremely fun in the right circumstances.

    Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z featured Goku online review Xbox 360
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
    Brett Venter

    Related Posts

    Acer Veriton Z

    Acer Veriton Z All-in-one PC review – Keeping it formal

    7.2 August 12, 2022
    Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Main

    Samsung Galaxy A53 5G review – Is it time to join the A-team?

    7.6 August 8, 2022

    Razer Kaira Pro review – These don’t play around when they’re playing around. Nor does the price

    8.0 August 4, 2022

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    In The Mag
    Stuff August-September 2022 Latest Issue

    In This Issue – The Women in Tech (August-September 2022) Issue

    By Brett VenterAugust 1, 20220

    August is a pretty special month. It’s the host of International Women’s Day and is…

    2021 Wish List
    wish list Stuff Wish List 2021

    Stuff Wish List: for the tech impaired

    By Duncan PikeDecember 22, 20210

    Are you from the time before being glued to a smartphone was considered normal? Here’s…

    Wishlist DIY Stuff tech

    Stuff Wish List: for the DIY Diehard

    December 21, 2021
    Wish List Gearhead

    Stuff Wish List: For the petrol-soaked gearhead

    December 20, 2021
    outsiders

    Stuff Wish List: for the Outsiders

    December 17, 2021

    Latest Video

    Sonos

    SONOS Roam SL unboxing by Toby Shapshak

    Mini Cooper

    The Mini Cooper SE Electric with Toby Shapshak

    MSI Crosshair 15 Rainbox Six Extraction Edition unboxing

    MSI Crosshair 15 Rainbox Six Extraction Edition unboxing

    Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Unboxing

    Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra unboxing with Toby Shapshak

    Contact

    South Africa's Consumer Tech News Hub

    General: stuff@stuff.co.za
    Subscriptions: stuff@onthedot.co.za or 087 353 1291
    Editorial: 072 735 2614
    Sales: 083 375 2418

    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube SoundCloud

    Subscribe to Updates

    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy & POPI
    • My account
    © 2022 Stuff Group. Designed by Chronon.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.