Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo – WII – Review

The
Dragon Ball series is no stranger to video-games seeing as the series has
made a number of appearances on just about every console and handheld. It’s no
real surprise seeing as it’s one of the most popular manga and anime series for
a long time now and the characters are as well loved by fans all over the world.
So why doesn’t Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo for the Nintendo Wii
rock our Dragon Ball world?

“No, I
am not Keith Richards and no you cannot have my autograph!”

There’s a
story in Revenge of King Piccolo’s solo Adventure mode and if feels true
to the series that takes place in a time when Dragon Ball didn’t have the Z in
its title. A year has passed since the monkey-tailed Goku (as a child, for those
that don’t know) set out on an adventure with Bulma in search for the mythical
Dragon Balls. Legend has it that gathering all seven Dragon Balls would call up
an entity that would grant that person any wish. So off goes Goku to search for
the Four-Star Dragon Ball but it won’t be easy because he isn’t the only one
looking for it. Among those searching for the Dragon Ball is King Piccolo who
wants some payback.

Adventure
mode plays like a platform game with emphasis on combat rather than the jumping
form platform to platform … and that’s not such a bad thing, really. Each level
has you moving towards your destination while facing off against numerous
enemies such as the beast-like soldiers of a military force also looking for the
Dragon Ball. Goku has his trusty staff and his fists as he brawls his way to
each checkpoint. You’ll start off the game learning about his basic moves as
well as learn the art of pull off decent combos and, of course his powerful
Kamehameha that can blast through multiple enemies.

While
Adventure has a grand story that feels like an extension of the early anime
series and has a number of familiar characters show up, the combat begins to get
old quickly. There’s just so many times you can pull off the same combos before
things start to feel way too repetitive. You’ll be glad there are boss battles
in this mode and wish there were more of them since boss battles require more
than just mashing buttons. Believe me when I say that the boss fights later in
the game will give Goku quite a workout.

Pictured Above: Why having a monkey tail isn’t so good.

Still, it’s
hard to ignore the fact that the game – aside from being way too repetitive –
has brain dead opponents you have to face before you get to the boss battles.
Many of them rush at you without attacking! The real dumb opponents come in the
game’s World Tournament mode where you face off in a 3D environment against a
number of opponents you unlock during Adventure mode. Really, the best way to
enjoy World Tournament mode is by playing against a friend.

There are
also plenty of unlockable goodies in the game’s Shop menu that includes adding
more health for Goku in Adventure and World Tournament mode. As far as the
controls are concerned, the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls are the best way to
play the game. Sure, you can use the retro-styled Classic controller or even
your old GameCube controller but the Wii Remote makes pulling off combos easier
and a lot more fun.

Dragon
Ball fans will
also love the fact that the game does look rather good on the Wii with the
characters getting the best visual treatment. Not only do the characters look
like they stepped straight out of the anime they look good in action. Sadly, the
visual effects really don’t stand out and the backgrounds are colorful but not
as good as the character models in the game.

“No, he
doesn’t shoot ink. He does shoot t-shirts, which makes him a big hit at ball
games.”

The voices
from the English dub do make an appearance and that’s a very good thing so
hearing Goku cry out “Kamehameha” is a huge treat for Dragon Ball fans. There’s
even great music in the game, including an opening theme song that comes
straight from the anime. The sound effects are also handled decently with an
anime feel to it.

Dragon Ball
fans will find a number of things to like about this game but, ultimately, the
repetitive gameplay and mindless enemies make Revenge of King Piccolo for
the Nintendo Wii a game with wasted potential. This is too bad seeing as the
story feels right and the Vs battles have plenty of familiar faces but it means
nothing if you don’t do the action right. Consider skipping this one, Goku fans.

Review Scoring Details for Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo

Gameplay: 6.5
Goku is after the
Four-Star Dragon Ball but he has to go through a number of foes along the way
that involves the powerful Piccolo. Adventure has some fun moments and enough
boss battles but its problems keep the mode from being too fun.

Graphics: 7.5
You just have to
love a game that really comes close to capturing the character models perfectly
even on the Nintendo Wii. It’s just too bad that the backgrounds or special
effects didn’t receive the same treatment.

Sound:
8.0
The voices from
the anime’s English dub are present and do a great job with the dialogue. The
music is also true to the series and it never gets old. Even the sound effects
work well in this game.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Younger gamers
will find some challenging moments during the boss battles but older fans will
not even break a sweat. It’s too bad that the bad guys are way too dumb.

Concept: 6.5
The single-player
game has a great story with all the things we love about the manga and anime and
it’s good to see Piccolo at his most dangerous. World Tournament mode has a
healthy number of characters to compete against and even more to unlock. The
Shop has more than enough unlockable goodies.

Multiplayer: 7.5
Unfortunately,
you can’t play Adventure mode with a friend but you can play against them in a
world tournament with plenty of characters to select. Grab a bunch of friends
and compete old-school style by passing the Wii Remote or controller around.

Overall: 6.5
Dragon Ball:
Revenge of King Piccolo
for the Wii has all the
right moves but falls flat when it comes to the enemies and the lack of real
innovation. The repetitive action in the solo game mode makes for a boring
brawler despite a good Dragon Ball storyline. We know there’s a really good
Dragon Ball game out there but it just hasn’t come to the Wii yet but we can
wait.