Posted on: April 30, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

There have been a number of different Dragonball Z games over the course of the last fifteen years, and Dragon Ball: Evolution is the one that really tends to break free of the molds and bring something new to the line. Despite the fact that the game is on a portable console (the Sony PSP), there is a certain vibrancy and quick pace to the action that belies the slower processor and graphical interface. The only thing that I could conceivably see that could be changed in future iterations of this part of the Dragon Ball line would be the AI’s difficulty.

This is moderated by the ability to play against other human opponents, but I, through playing different releases in the Mortal Kombat and Tekken lines, have learned to be frustrated when it comes to running up the single-player ranks. There is not quite that same sense of hair-pulling annoyance with Dragon Ball: Evolution. Consequently, the title’s replay value decreases a little bit, but consider this: maybe the player wants a strong but not insane type of challenge. With Dragon Ball: Evolution, that is what they get. With a strong visual and audio element, Dragon Ball: Evolution is one of the better fighting games that I have played for this generation of portable consoles.

If you like the original cartoon or have seen (and like) the current feature film and own a PSP, there is no reason that you should not purchase this title. There are enough twists and turns present in this game to make any fan of the fighting genre appreciate what is trying to do, while the strategies used here are common enough that players will not feel alienated by the title. Rent the game if you are on the antsy side, but I believe that the charm and personality that the game has been imbued with will ultimately bring players to purchase the title.

Rating: 7.5/10

Dragon Ball: Evolution (Sony PSP) / 2009 Namco Bandai / http://www.namcobandaigames.com

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