Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit

On Xbox 360, also PS3
Balls of fun.
I first encountered the action packed Dragon Ball Z series in the long forgotten days of 1990, hidden in the back of a friend’s Chinese newspaper, freshly imported by his parents. I couldn’t read the strip, yet I could read the action, and this speaks volumes the series. Never a manga or anime to concentrate too much on plot or narrative, Dragon Ball Z is mainly about super-powered humans, aliens and cyborgs having a scrap.
Translating this action to a videogame was always an inevitability and has been going on since the days of the NES. Burst Limit is the latest in this long line of scrappers and by far the best looking yet as it debuts on next-gen (now-gen?) machines.
Seen in Hi-Definition, the game is a feast for the eyes, mixing razor-sharp 2D animation with a 3D twist. The cartoon always looked great with Akira Toriyama’s character art coming to life, the 360 makes it look even better.
Gameplay doesn’t stray too far from the template of recent years with the action on firmly 2.5D territory, although after the recent waggle implemented Wii iteration it feels decidedly straightlaced. That’s no bad thing though because the Wii’s quirky motion controls meant there was a steep learning curve. Burst Limit on the other hand is a lot simpler and easier to grasp, to its benefit or detriment, depending on tastes and age.
Rather than opting for complex Virtua Fighter style special moves, most of Burst Limit’s attacks can be utilised with a simple button press combined with a direction or charge over time. Comprised of quick attack, strong attack and chi attack, it's easy to mix up combos between simple punches to huge fireballs. While basic, this does allow for players to concentrate on the hectic anime action and mastering the important dodge attacks and teleportation moves which ultimately decide the fate of the battle.
Unfortunately they've removed the ability to fly freely, making it more traditional than the series deserves but depite that and the rhythm stopping ease of cut-scene-tastic super attacks, it still remains a blast to play.
There’s also an extensive story mode (required to unlock many of the characters for multiplayer) but those unfamiliar with the world conquering DBZ may find it all a bit confusing because Burst Limit is fan service at its greatest. The core gameplay however is still enjoyable as a flashy beat-em-up and absolutely stunning to look at too, with the added bonus of online play allowing you to go Super Saiyan against anyone in the world.
7.5/10