Dragonball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 for PlayStation 1

I stopped by the nearest Target a week ago and I spent $20 on the latest Japanese Import into the US, Dragonball Z Ultimate Battle 22. Now, while 22 is a ton of fun, and any real DBZ fan would merrily go out and put the 20 on the counter to get it (along with any extra body part they might consider giving up for the game), some may think that it isn't worth it since they put down $50 for Budokai on the PS2, which is in 3D. Well, I have played both games and I can say that while Budokai is a good game, it can't hold a candle to this seven year old classic of a 2D fighter.

First off, there are 22 playable characters to start with (thus the title), and five more characters to get with a code or playing the single player mode of the game. Now, with such a big lineup of characters, you shouldn't have a problem with picking and choosing a few fighters that work for you (I personally am great with Gotenks, Krillin, & Veggeto) and go to town on your friends.

Now, for those of you who are really set on the whole cel shading fad as of late (which has been in games like Budokai, Cel Damage, & the soon to be released XIII), you will be shocked to see that this games characters were made the old fashioned way, a pen. That's right, all of the characters are rendered directly from the original artwork seen in the show. This means that almost all the characters are true to form (except for the unlockable Veggeto, who looks more like Gogeta, lazy translators). The only thing different is that the backgrounds are 3D models of famous DBZ landmarks (Namek, Kami's Lookout, Cell Games arena, World Tournament arena, etc.). The only problem here is that the backgrounds look a little rushed and sloppy and leave out beautiful 2D characters seem out of place.

The gameplay itself is ripped right from Street Fighter II, with simple (yet complex) combos that blast off each characters signature moves. There is also a button solely for a standard energy attack (as well as a special attack with the proper combo). Those of you who like the WWF Attitude like move list on Budokai will have to memorize any combo you wish to use, or keep the manual in front of you at all times.

Now, the character selection screen, a vital thing in fighting games, is the games only true drawback. What is a gorgeous crowd shot turns into a pain in the @$$ to navigate. It is especially hard to gain access to Capt. Ginyu, Vegeta, Mr. Satan, & Master Roshi (the last two being hidden characters), who are at the bottom of the group shot and involve finding the right characters to push down on to gain access to that bottom row. If this slight problem could have been fixed, this would have been a five star game, hands down. But, this can get frustrating.

A problem that some people might have is the fact that the games dialogue is still in Japanese. This doesn't faze me (because I have downloaded the entire Dragonball GT series in Japanese and have gotten used to it), but some people might feel out of place with this. So, just mute the TV, and you won't have that problem.

Overall, loyal reader, if you are looking for a great 2D fighter, and are sick of Capcom's "we've ran out of new ideas so we'll sequalize a sequel (Street Fighter III: Triple Impact) or we'll borrow another license and put our characters against them (Capcom vs. SNK)", then DBZ: Ultimate Battle 22 is the perfect fighter for you. Even if you aren't a fan of DBZ, I think you will get a kick out of this game. And, besides, it's only $20, it's not like it's gonna kill you.

Trust me on this one. You'll thank me later.