Dragon Ball Z: Budokai series
Cover art for the first Budokai game for the PlayStation 2
Developer(s)	Dimps
Publisher(s)	NA / AU Atari EU / JP Bandai
Series	Dragon Ball
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable Nintendo GameCube
Release date(s)	2002-2008 Budokai PlayStation 2 NA December 03, 2002 EU November 2, 2002 JP February 13, 2003 GameCube NA October 28, 2003 EU November 14, 2003 JP November 28, 2003 Budokai 2 PlayStation 2 NA December 4, 2003 EU November 14, 2003 AUS November 23, 2003 JP February 5, 2004 GameCube NA December 15, 2004 EU March 18, 2005 AUS April 8, 2005 Budokai 3 NA November 16, 2004 EU November 19, 2004 AUS November 26, 2004 JP February 10, 2005 Shin Budokai NA March 7, 2006 EU May 25, 2006 JP April 20, 2006 Shin Budokai: Another Road NA March 20, 2007 EU June 22, 2007 AUS June 29, 2007 JP June 07, 2007 Infinte World NA December 04, 2008 EU December 05, 2008 JP December 04, 2008
Genre(s)	Fighting
Mode(s)	Single-player Multiplayer
Rating(s)	CERO: A ESRB: T OFLC: PG-13 PEGI: 12+

The Dragon Ball Z: Budokai games are a series of fighting games based on the Dragon Ball media franchise.

[edit] Gameplay

The gameplay of the Budokai series is similar to most 3D fighting games. Two characters fight in a three-dimensional environment until the health meter of one character is depleted, and the opposing player wins. The player is able to initiate a variety of special moves in order to defeat his or her opponent.

[edit] History

[edit] Budokai

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, released as Dragon Ball Z (ドラゴンボールZ, Doragon Bōru Zetto^?) in Japan, is a fighting game released for the PlayStation 2 on December 3, 2002 in North America and for the Nintendo GameCube in North America on October 28, 2003. The game was released in Japan by Bandai on the PlayStation 2 on February 13, 2003, and on the Nintendo GameCube on November 28, 2003. It was developed by Dimps and published by Atari. A cel-shading effect was added to the graphics in the GameCube version.

[edit] Budokai 2

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2, released as Dragon Ball Z 2 (ドラゴンボールZ2, Doragon Bōru Zetto Tsū^?) in Japan, is a fighting game based upon the popular anime series, Dragon Ball Z. Budokai 2 is a sequel to Dragon Ball Z: Budokai and was developed by Dimps and published by Atari for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in North America on December 4, 2003, and on the Nintendo GameCube on December 15, 2004. The game was published in Japan by Bandai, and released for the PlayStation 2 on February 5, 2004. The Japanese version of the game added several new costumes, as well as a new stage in the game's story mode. Some of the added costumes were added to the North American release of the GameCube version.

[edit] Budokai 3

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3, released as Dragon Ball Z 3 (ドラゴンボールZ3, Doragon Bōru Zetto Surī^?) in Japan, is a video game based on the popular anime series Dragon Ball Z and was developed by Dimps and published by Atari for the PlayStation 2. It was released on November 16, 2004 in North America in both a standard and Limited Edition release, the latter of which included a DVD featuring a behind the scenes looks at the game's development. The game released in Japan by Bandai on February 10, 2005. Like Budokai 2 before it, the Japanese version of Budokai 3 added several costumes not present in the North American version. The North American Greatest Hits version of Budokai 3 adds these costumes, as well as the option to switch the audio to Japanese.

[edit] Shin Budokai

Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai (ドラゴンボールZ 真武道会, Doragon Bōru Zetto Shin Budôkai^?, Dragon Ball Z: True Tournament) is a fighting video game part of the Dragon Ball Z franchise, developed by Dimps and released in North America on March 7, 2006. The game's story mode is based on the events of the movie Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn. The choices the player makes in the story determine how the story evolves.

Another mode is the Arcade mode, a single player mode that lets you brawl against the CPU in order to fight and gain the Dragon Balls. Next is the Z trial mode, which consists of two different types of play: survival, where you fight against CPU-controlled opponents for as long as you can, and time attack, where you see how fast you can make it through a predetermined set of opponents.

Finally, there’s the Profile Card mode in which the players will have their in-game character profile cards that lists their name and power level. The player can design their own card and customize them with the items from the game's item store.

[edit] Shin Budokai: Another Road

Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road (known simply as Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2 (ドラゴンボールZ 真武道会2, Doragon Bōru Zetto Shin Budôkai Tzū^?, Dragon Ball Z: True Tournament 2) in Japan and Europe) is the sequel to Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai. The game features a brand new story that tells the tale of Majin Buu being released in Future Trunks' timeline.

[edit] Infinite World

Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World is the fourth installment to the Budokai PS2 series. The game was released on December 4, 2008 in Japan, November 4, 2008 in North America and December 5, 2008 in Europe.

[edit] Playable characters

This section requires expansion.

Character	1	2	3	Shin	Another Road	Infinite World
Goku	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Kid Gohan	Y	N	Y	N	N	Y
Teen Gohan	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Great Saiyaman	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Vegeta	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Trunks	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Piccolo	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Krillin	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Tien	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Yamcha	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Android 16	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Android 17	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Android 18	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Android 19	Y	N	N	N	N	N
Frieza	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Dodoria	Y	N	N	N	N	N
Zarbon	Y	N	N	N	N	N
Captain Ginyu	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Recoome	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Cell	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Hercule	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Nappa	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Raditz	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Goten	N	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Gohan	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Kid Trunks	N	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Videl	N	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Supreme Kai	N	Y	Y	N	N	N
Dr. Gero	N	Y	Y	N	N	Y
Dabura	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y
Majin Buu	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y
Super Buu	N	Y	Y	N	Y	Y
Kid Buu	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Saibamen	N	N	Y	N	N	Y
Cell Jr.	N	N	Y	N	N	N
Bardock	N	N	Y	N	Y	Y
Cooler	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y
Broly	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y
Syn Shenron	N	N	Y	N	N	Y
Uub	N	N	Y	N	N	N
Kid Goku	N	N	Y	N	N	N
Janemba	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y
Pikkon	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y
Future Gohan	N	N	N	N	Y	N
Gotenks	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Gogeta	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y
Vegito	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Pan	N	N	N	N	N	Y
Baby Vegeta	N	N	N	N	N	Y
Super 17	N	N	N	N	N	Y
Goku (GT)	N	N	N	N	N	Y
Vegeta (GT)	N	N	N	N	N	Y

[edit] Reception

Critics gave the first Budokai mixed or average reviews. The PS2 version received an average score of 68% based on 41 reviews on the review aggregator Game Rankings, and an average score of 67 out of 100 based on 28 reviews on Metacritic.

The GameCube version received an average score of 66% based on 30 reviews on the review aggregator Game Rankings, and an average score of 65 out of 100 based on 16 reviews on Metacritic. Many critics complained about its simple interface and the fact that combos weren't worth the payoff. However, more complex combos were possible due to an oversight in the move canceling feature but were rarely known at the time. These oversights were turned into an important part of the system in the later games and were what high level play tended to revolve around

The PlayStation 2 of Budokai 2 version has an aggregate score of 69% on Game Rankings while the GameCube version has an aggregate score of 66%. GameSpot, who gave the game a 6.7/10 commented that "The improved visuals are nice, and some of the additions made to the fighting system are fun, but Budokai 2 still comes out as an underwhelming sequel."^[1]

Budokai 3 was given much higher reviews than its predecessors Budokai and Budokai 2. This was often due to how critics felt that the game did more to improve its gameplay rather than just its graphics and presentation. It was given an 8.0/10 by IGN.^{[citation needed]} GameTrailers gave it a 9.1/10.^{[citation needed]} Its fighting and graphics have also been praised, with IGN stating that Budokai 3 was "One of the few instances of cel-shading done right, Budokai 3 also offers a healthy amount of special effects and pyrotechnics and they all look great."^[2].

[edit] References