
	Platform Wii Genre Action Publisher Namco Bandai Developer Media Vision ESRB E 10+ Released October 2009

- Looks good - A return to classic Dragonball - Replay value - Easy for kids to get into

- Older Dragonball fans will find the game too easy

Review: Dragon Ball Z Budokai 2 (PS2)
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Dragonball: Revenge of King Piccolo

Score: 7 / 10

Of all the series that I would have thought could have been saturated by now, Dragonball is definitely near the top of the list, yet somehow Namco Bandai keeps pumping out new games with breathtaking regularity, and they generally tend to be pretty decent. Revenge of King Piccolo is no different. The game won’t be setting the genre on fire anytime soon, but it’s a good, solid action game that will eat away a few hours of one’s time.

Taking place at the very beginning of the Dragonball series before it was a Z or GT, players will find themselves controlling Goku as a child when he was first setting out against the Red Ribbon Army. If you want a retro throw back to the early days of the series, or are looking for a game that can act as a way of introducing someone to the Dragonball universe, the fact that Revenge of King Piccolo takes place so early in the series’ timeline will work out great for you.

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The action itself is very traditional. Taking its cue from classic brawlers like Final Fight and Streets of Rage, players will find themselves wandering around fairly linear, 2.5D environments getting into fights with all sorts of bad guys. While the brawlers of old only had a few moves for players to make use of, Revenge of King Piccolo does try to add a little bit more variety in how players

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can pummel their enemies, albeit not a whole lot more. There are some combos, and blocking / dodging techniques, as well as the expected kamehameha, all of which add a little bit of extra flavor to the fighting. There are also some nifty boss fights to sink one’s teeth into. Revenge also encourages players to explore every nook and cranny of a level, as there are treasure chests hidden in far flung places with goodies that players can ogle in the game’s gallery. Overall, the game is very easy, and definitely geared toward a younger audience, but what it does it does well. It’s very solidly put together.

Aesthetically, the game looks very nice, and feels like you’re inside the anime. The visual presentation is very authentic to the Dragonball series, with some nice vibrant colors to add a little extra life to what is going on in-game. The music and voice work is quite well done too. One minor quibble that I had was that while the cut scenes all had voice work as well as text bubbles, the tutorials, and conversations that happened as players came across other characters while traversing a level was just text bubbles with no voice work. Every other aspect of the game had voiceovers, yet these didn’t, which seemed a little bit odd.

If a player wants to take a break from Revenge of King Piccolo’s story mode, there’s also a tournament mode where players can face off against unlockable opponents in a 2D fighting game format. Generally the computer controlled opponents are dumb as bricks, so it comes highly recommended that one plays against a friend here. The game also has a store where players can use the zeta (Dragonball’s currency) to unlock more characters, music, cinematics, and so forth that can be unlocked over time.

There isn’t anything overly new or innovative in Revenge of Piccolo. It’s just a very straightforward brawler that will appeal to younger fans of the Dragonball franchise. Older gamers will likely not get as much out of this game, as it is just too easy. Still, it’s a good choice for kids.

Mr. Nash

December 29, 2009