Random Article


 
Event News
 

GAME REVIEW: Dragon Ball FighterZ – A Fighting Game Over 9000?!

 
DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Flipgeeks-Loading
DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Flipgeeks-Loading
DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Flipgeeks-Loading

 
Overview
 

Published by: Bandai Namco Entertainment
 
Developed by: Arc System Works
 
Platform(s): Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC via Steam
 
Genre(s): Fighting
 
Mode(s): Story, Arcade, Local Battle, Online
 
FG RATING
90%
90/ 100


User Rating
9 total ratings

 

Raves


Captures the look and feel of the anime series, welll drawn and animated, simple gameplay mechanics, noob friendly, great introduction to fighting games

Rants


Online mode, Difficult to get online and set-up private matches


Bottom Line

Since its announcement, fans have eagerly anticipated for the release of Dragon Ball FighterZ. Dragon Ball FighterZ is the latest video to come out in the long line of Dragon Ball games ever made. Aside from video games, there is the long standing Dragon Ball anime franchise with its latest series nearing it’s end, Dragon […]

0
Posted February 1, 2018 by

 
FULL REVIEW
 
 

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Flipgeeks-Loading

Since its announcement, fans have eagerly anticipated for the release of Dragon Ball FighterZ. Dragon Ball FighterZ is the latest video to come out in the long line of Dragon Ball games ever made. Aside from video games, there is the long standing Dragon Ball anime franchise with its latest series nearing it’s end, Dragon Ball Super. In addition, there is also an upcoming Dragon Ball movie scheduled for release this year. Dragon Ball is undoubtedly a successful franchise, but where does Dragon Ball FighterZ stand in all of this? Is it just another number in the long line of Dragon Ball video games or does the game makes a mark of its own? Aside from the Dragon Ball franchise, how does the game fare in today’s fighting game standards? Here is what we think of one of 2018s early video game releases.

STORY

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Story

As numerous as the video games released, so does the anime series (may be even more), it’s safe to say that almost everyone might have seen a single episode of Dragon Ball. The reason why I mention it is because the story mode of Dragon Ball FighterZ is like an episode out of the anime series. You might even consider it as an OAV (Original Animation Video). Just like any Dragon Ball episode that came before, the world again is in danger and it’s up to Goku and the rest of the Dragon Ball fighters to save the day. Clones of different Dragon Ball characters now run rampant and it’s up to you to destroy them and save the original ones. As you progress through the story and defeat the clones, you’ll get to save your comrades and add them to your team roster.

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Flipgeeks-Black-Goku

Dragon Ball FighterZ is a genuine adaptation of the anime series. Each cutscene feels like an episode out of the anime and the artworks and graphics is well-made that it could even rival that of the current series Dragon Ball Super. Of course, a video game adaptation wouldn’t be complete without its mix of cringey, cheesy, and most of the time hilarious dialogues. The dialogue helps the game be as close to the series as possible.

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Story-Mode

Another interesting portion of the game’s story mode is that it also doubles as the game’s training mode. Dragon Ball Fighter Z has its own training mode but who has time for training anyways, right? Well, the developers think that to enjoy the game, you have to. Great thing is that they have seamlessly incorporated the training mode as you progress the story. For the first few stages you’ll be in training/story mode. The story mode allows you to choose your own path on how you would like to go about in the chapter. You can beat everyone in the map, or just go right ahead and challenge the boss. The story mode also triggers different cutscenes before the match depending on your character and who you’re going up against.

VISUALS & PERFORMANCE

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Fighter-Z-Goku

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Fighter-Z

 

Dragon Ball FighterZ is a beautiful game, period. Dragon Ball FighterZ could easily be one of the visually appealing fighting game ever made. They have made a 3D game look like a well-rendered 2D fighting game. The graphics alone entices you to play the game. Dragon Ball is well known for its over the top and out of this world fight scenes, which Dragon Ball FighterZ has captured in the game. It’s the drawn/animated in the same style as the anime, matched with bright and eye-catchy special effects that entice you to pick up a controller and play the game.

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Flipgeeks-Gohan

 

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Flipgeeks-Super-Saiyan-3-Trunks

 

 

GAMEPLAY

 

 

If Dragon Ball FighterZ was a subject in college, it’ll be your Intro To Fighting Games. I’m a casual fighting game player and can only do the basic and special moves but I’ve never been able to execute combos. Remember when I mention earlier that you need to take the game’s tutorial? It helps you learn and figure out the Dragon Ball FighterZ’s mechanics. It’s actually simple and you can actually execute combos (even air combos!) without even resulting to button mashing. Dragon Ball FighterZ lets you experience the joy in fighting games without having to memorize a number of move lists or a combination of combos. Of course, this doesn’t make you a competitive player overnight, the simple mechanics makes experienced fighters even better. Dragon Ball FighterZ’s gameplay mechanice makes it a noob-friendy fighting game that make casual games alot more fun, a perfect game for game nights!

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Flipgeeks

Aside from the Story Mode, Dragon Ball FighterZ also offers a Local Battle Mode that allows to battle a traditional Player vs Player, vs CPU, or set up a local mini-tournament. There’s also an Arcade Mode that allows you to battle stronger  enemies and upon completion, Dragon Ball FighterZ’s Hard Mode is unlocked.

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Flipgeeks-Local-Battle

The only letdown from DragonBall FighterZ is its Online mode. Even during the beta players were having difficulty logging on to the network or finding an online match. However, when you have successfully entered a match, there’s little to no lag depending on your internet connect. There are instances though that there were 1 seconds delay and as you know in fighting games, that lost second could cause you the game. It’s still worth trying because your experience may be different from mine but otherwise stick with Arcade or Story Mode instead.

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Flipgeeks-Arcade-Mode

Another issue that I had experienced is setting up a private ring (match) with my friends. I have yet to successfully create a ring as I always experience no ring found. I’ve researched a little on this issue and it turns out the a number of players are experiencing this since launch. May be it’s one of those birthing pains but I do hope that they’ll get to patch this soon.

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Flipgeeks-Shop

 

Recently, there has been a lot of talks regarding loot boxes or monetizing games. Great news, Dragon Ball FighterZ doesn’t charge other than purchasing the game. Although, there’s an in-game currency that you can use to purchase cosmetic items for your game avatar or profile background. Unlike most games nowadays, you don’t need real money to purchase in-game currency. You just need to play the game and Dragon Ball FighterZ is actually generous giving away currencies by completing simple game tasks. Another great thing about Dragon Ball FighterZ is that all of the characters are available during launch including Android 21, who was specifically made for the game. There have been reports of additional characters for the DLC but that is another matter. Dragon Ball FighterZ has numerous characters available for you to enjoy the game.

 

VERDICT

DRAGON-BALL-FighterZ-Flipgeeks-Destructive-Finish

Dragon Ball FighterZ has upped the standard of fighting games with its release. Its simple gameplay mechanics made it highly playable for veteran and casual fighting game players alike. By far, Dragon Ball FighterZ could very well be the best Dragon Ball game to date. DragonBall FighterZ has captured the look and feel of the anime series, it even recreates some of the famous match-ups in-game. If you can overlook the game’s online issue, this would have been a perfect game. This game is still fairly new, so we can expect a fix or improvement in the coming weeks or months. This does not affect the game’s overall experience as it offers other game modes that let you enjoy the game.

With a plethora of good games coming out during the first part of the year, Dragon Ball FighterZ is a sure buy. It’s a perfect video game adaptation of the well-loved and long-standing anime franchise that both anime fans and fighting game enthusiasts would love.

If our rating system could only allow it, we’d rate it over 9000. It’s THAT good.


Ryan Villanueva

 
Your resident all around Flipgeek, from comics,movies,games,toys,music and even sports. A big Spider-man fan raised in the ways of the Jedi,who listens to punk rock and a sucker for chick flicks.


0 Comments



Be the first to comment!


Leave a Response

(required)