There’s no denying that Dragon
Ball Z is a beloved anime franchise but when push comes to shove, fans
simply won’t accept a substandard game. With Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World
being the last DBZ game for the PS2, the hope of the series going out
with a bang was dashed with Atari’s and Dimps delivering a disappointing DBZ:
Infinite World. Even if you’re a hardcore fanatic of DBZ, it’ll be
difficult to find enjoyment out of this fighter.
What’s new? Well, to start off,
there’s a new mission mode included that’s called “Dragon Missions.” Rather than
strictly having a goal to fight and defeat your enemies, DBZ: IW employs
small tasks of running errands to retrieve items, racing your enemies or
blitzing through an insane amount of rings before the time limit runs out.
You’ll find yourself bored by these repetitive mini-games and scratching your
head where the fun is. Who thought it would be a good idea to run through rings
set before your path? While it’s not as bad as Superman 64, it still
drags down the overall package. But even then, it does break up the procedure of
continuous battles.
Maybe the mini-games/quests would’ve
been entertaining if they had proper controls that weren’t overwhelmingly
frustrating, but that remains to be seen. The camera is fixed, so gamers won’t
have full control of it to position in any manner they’d like. Often times
you’ll find it hard to reach the objects you are assigned recover, so be
prepared to throw your controller down in frustration.
If you’ve recently played Dragon
Ball Z: Burst Limit for any of the consoles, you’ll know exactly what type
of fighter you’re getting yourself into. DBZ: Infinite World is not
nearly as enticing as Burst Limit, but it does have its moments. Players
can customize their fighter with select skills, but the depth of this system
isn’t nearly as wide as it could’ve been. Sure, upgrading the skills is
rewarding but it won’t keep you playing the game late into the night.
The character roster is the biggest
draw of DBZ: Infinite World. In fact, it’s the only facet that leaps off
the page when looking at the features of the game. Over 45 characters are
included from the vast history of DBZ so if it had to be said, then the
character roster is fantastic. The usual suspects are here with Gohan, Goku,
Vegeta, Trunks, Piccolo, Cell, Buu, Frieza, and Raditz showing their
recognizable faces. Lesser known characters, such as Hercule, Janemba, Videl,
Dr. Gero and Dabura show their pretty faces too. If you’re a huge fan of the
series, the selection of characters is definitely satisfying.
The graphics are a tiny step up from
the latest DBZ releases, but don’t expect to be engulfed with amazement –
this is the PlayStation 2 we are talking about. The energy blasts are effective
and animations are done well enough for a fighter. But with the PS2 at its
utmost limit in terms of graphical output, DBZ stretched the boundary as
far as it could go with the engine they have.
The sound portion includes both
Japanese and English voice tracks, but the voice-acting isn’t extraordinary by
any part – it’ll grate on your nerves before you can say the name “Super Saiyan
4 Gogeta.” The sound effects added in are “blah” since they’re over-exaggerated
and used repetitively.
Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World
is not as riveting as it could’ve been. It’s probably a good thing that the
developers move on to the next-generation of consoles to refocus on building a
bigger and better game.
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Review Scoring Details for Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World |
Gameplay: 6.3
The mission mode is not up to scratch in comparison to other fighting game
campaigns.
Graphics: 8.0
On its last leg, the PlayStation 2 gives birth to a great looking DBZ
title.
Sound: 5.5
If you’re into hearing the same lined said over and over again, DBZ:
Infinite World may be your type of game.
Difficulty: Easy
Concept: 5.8
Another fighter based on the DBZ franchise, another wasted
opportunity to make something worthy of a fan’s time. Can we finally see a
worthwhile adventure title based on Dragon Ball Z? Is that too hard to
ask?
Multiplayer: 6.2
Find a friend, you might have fun. But the multiplayer isn’t as inviting as
it was in Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit to newcomers.
Overall: 6.1
The only enjoyment you’ll find in Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World is
the fact you have a wide range of characters to choose from. Otherwise, avoid
DBZ: IW as it’s an uninspiring cash-in on the franchise.
