The mechanics of Dragon Ball Z are fairly simple to pick up and play, but do take a bit to master. You have your typical fighting game style of heavy and light attacks, along with special moves (different per character) that you can do with enough power built up. The interesting thing I enjoyed about the game was that the stages were wide open, as opposed to small or 2D style levels like most fighting games have. You can combo attacks together, and the game gets even more fun when you have a team of allies (or a co-op buddy) fighting with you to create monster combo chains. The gameplay is solid, but could use a bit more depth overall. For someone not well versed in the genre it was easy enough to pick up and jump into.

The campaign of the game has you going through missions taking on numerous foes in the Dragon Ball Z universe, and getting help from DBZ allies as well. There’s a bit of story that runs through each mission, but the overall story isn’t really anything too deep. This is more a game, and less of a DBZ episode. Each mission tends to be super short, which is good if you’re just feeling like playing a few missions and moving on. You also get rated on each mission and gain experience that levels you up across missions. After beating a mission you unlock power-up cards as well to upgrade your character. The campaign is a good starter to get your legs under you, but not much else. The real meat to the game comes in MP. The MP in the game is where true DBZ fans are going to land. Playing online against other fans seems to be the game’s true calling and it works well for what it is. If you love DBZ and  fighting games it’s safe to say you’ll land in the multiplayer.

Overall Dragon Ball Z Battle of Z is a mixed bag. It’s disappointing that the game looks dated, is a bit repetitive, and features a lackluster campaign, but it holds enough fan service that true DBZ fans will get some enjoyment out of the gameplay, especially within multiplayer. As someone looking in from the outside I can’t help but put it up against better games in the genre and see what could have been. If you love Dragon Ball you’ll likely have some fun with the game, but whether or not that fun is worth $60 is up to you. I would be waiting for a price drop on this one.

Dragon Ball Z Battle of Z Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1zOweds7wI