It seems fans of Dragon Ball Z are forever stuck with fighting games. Where once there stood a nice break of RPGs and adventure titles, these days anything with the DBZ moniker on it is bound to be yet another fighter. The latest, Burst Limit, is no exception.
First off, if you’re a fan of Dragon Ball Z and fighting games, and have been getting Budokai installments as they came out, stop reading now and go get Burst Limit. That’s really all there is to that. It has everything a fan could want in the game – great visuals, solid gameplay, a host of unlockables, and lots of nice-looking cut scenes and homages to the show – all in one package.
Unfortunately, if you aren’t a fan of Goku and Company’s adventure and aren’t totally familiar with the story and narrative of Dragon Ball Z, Burst Limit will seem like a rather haphazard game to you.
The meat and potatoes of the game is (once again) the story mode. With the best graphics yet in a DBZ game, Burst Limit also has the best show-to-game transition, as there are plenty of times the on-screen action mirrors and mimics the television show perfectly. For a non-DBZ fan, the pretty graphics won’t mean a thing as the narrative makes absolutely no sense for the uninitiated, and it doesn’t even seem to try to. It’s an odd approach that seems like it alienates any potential new fans, but I suppose ten years after the end of its run and after a slew of games, the well for possible DBZ converts has dried up.
It’s a shame non-fans of the show will feel so unattached and confused by what’s happening in the game, too, because Burst Limit is a pretty solid fighter for both casual and experienced fighting gamers. Like Budokai you’re given strong and weaker attacks, along with plenty of special moves, ki blasts, and blocking/dodging capabilities.
For newcomers to the genre, some of the moves are very easy to pull off, and the simple layout makes it a very intuitive game. Despite this, once again the nuances of Budokai show themselves in Burst Limit, with a lot of time-based opportunities and advanced special attacks that only more veteran players can unleash. Counter-attacks and timing play a huge role in more experienced battles; when you start out it’s very likely you’ll be button mashing, but in due time you’ll be waiting for the right moment to attack, or for your opponent to make the first move.
New to the DBZ franchise in Burst Limit are Drama Pieces, little in-battle cut scenes which change the tide of the battle. Usually they involve you being healed or your enemy being hurt, as they draw from the story of whatever point you’re at. Unfortunately, they’re completely unskippable, meaning if you’re replaying a battle you just lost you have to sit through them again and again until you clear it. And, once again, people unfamiliar with DBZ will be extremely confused by what’s going on as there’s no real explanation for why or what is happening.
Burst Limit isn’t without its other shortcomings, either, the least of which is the $60 price point, an oddly high one for a game of this type. One of the best parts of any DBZ game, flying, turns out to be a pain if you ever want to land, and there’s little variety in terms of where you fight. Characters also play very similarly, with most of them feeling just like playing someone else with a different costume on. The similarity between characters and their playing styles makes it even harder for the already pressed non-DBZ fan to enjoy the game, once again showing that Burst Limit is strictly a fans-only affair.
