As for the rest of the game, we will start with the graphics. The characters look great, much like they did in the cartoon. Their movements and special attacks flow seamlessly on screen. The drawback here is the plain backgrounds. The environment does not congeal well with the look of the fighters. They are drab, dreary, and only mildly destructible. Although there are hills and small mountains scattered, they really never come into play or affect the combat in any way whatsoever. With that in mind, the fact that there are 30 different arenas is not nearly as big a deal as the amount of characters to choose from.

The sound is sure to put a smile on any fan's face. They use all the voices from the show, and each mode is narrated by a character. The presentation is just fabulous. Often times licensed games forget what brought them to the table, but you will find no such oversights here. With the sizeable sum of dialogue used in the game, it is impressive that they did not choose to go the text rout. It really comes in handy in Dragon History, serving as the perfect refresher course for those who have been out of the loop for awhile.

Lastly, the controls, which are far from perfect, are really the reason this game is not as fun as it could be. It seems that even after three games in this series (two on the Wii), they still have not perfected them. Although with the all out action this game serves up, I am not exactly sure how one would go about doing that. Too often it feels like you are flailing your arms this way and that with no real affect. Trying to pull off a really sweet move in crunch time is unresponsive and will always result in you paying for it. It can be quite annoying waving your arm around like an idiot, as your player simply won't execute the desired move. It does give you the option to use either a classic controller or GameCube controller though.

As an overall package, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is the perfect ensemble for all those die hard fans out there. With tons of options and modes, there is just so much for the player to do. Online play furthers the longevity of the title. Unfortunately, from my point of view the quality does not match the quantity. The controls annoyed me too much, and for a game that relies on fast paced action, that just will not do. I definitely recommend it for all those who love and miss the show, as for everyone else it's certainly worth a look.

By Tom Kelly
CCC Freelance Writer

Features: