The game's developer has made fighting, not story, the main focus, so you're going to be spending most of your time beating up your opponents and not scrolling through boring plot descriptions. [Sep 2006, p.84]
The cell shading looks fantastic given the PS2 graphics. The button combinations are very similar to Street fighter with a much appreciated 8-directional movement mechanic. The inputs come out nice and crisp and the whole game flows very well. Its not to fast and none of the characters fell weaker or slower than the others. Its definitely a "new to fighting games" friendly game. One of the better old gen fighters I've played in a long time. Highly recommend.
It's a shame this game wasn't popular, it is the best DBZ fighting of it's time overlooked because of it's small roster, limited game modes, and difficulty to master with it's steep learning curve.
Super DBZ is an attempt at a legitimate fighting game with some quirky aspects, like creating character cards and leveling up your fighters card with unique special moves and skill traits. I thought it was an interesting mechanic to me, for others this might not be as appealing and some players may be down right confused.
Dragon Ball fans praise DBZ Budokai and Tenkaichi for the robust roster and insane super moves and how easy it is to just pick up and play, but what Super DBZ has is depth, an intricate combo system, and wide variety of characters with different character archetypes. Where the Budokai and Tenkaichi games fall off for me is that all characters play the same. You hit the same buttons for every character to do similar things and there is no difference in play style. Super DBZ has the grappler character Android 16, who wants to put fear into the opponent and try to open them up for a grab or a heavy string of strong hits into a super. They have zoners like Krillin who controls the area around him to make his opponent to approach from a bad angle to try and make an opening.
Super DBZ has a ton of variety, and once you get past the skill wall you start to feel accomplished, you have a better understanding of the game, it's that feeling that gives the player the drive to play fighting games.
PROS:
+Tight Controls
+Deep Complex Combat
+Unique Skill Tree
+Fun and Dynamic Combo System
+Amazing Art Direction
+Great Soundtrack
Neutral:
≠Character Cards can be confusing
≠Game is technical and can be hard to understand for new players
CONS:
-Not a lot of single player modes
-No in game tutorial
In the end Super DBZ was a hidden gem overlooked and shadowed by the success of DBZ Budokai/Tenkaichi. It is an underrated classic and I still come back and play it with my friends with my friends since I discovered it back in 2014. I'd say to give it a shot if you're a DBZ fan or if you are a fighting game fan in general.
Verdict:
10/10
P.S. Check out Super DBZ tournament videos on youtube to see what the game is all about.
Designed to appeal to traditional fighting fans before anime nuts, its strengths lay more to the thinking player's side of things rather than the casual. Had it boasted a larger move set and perhaps a few more playable characters, then its value as a long-term tournament title might have been higher.
To get the most out of Super DBZ you need to be willing to spend hours and hours plumbing the depths of the combo system and mastering every character. Beyond that, there's just not enough to do here.
Its colorful looks may appeal to younger gamers, but Super DBZ is too limited in every department to attract interest from anyone else. [Aug 2006, p.93]
No the best dragon ball z game, BUT is the best 2D FIGHTING dragon ball z game, fast and powerfull combos and each character feels different. I know that Budokai 3 has more characters, but they feel the same and the system of Dragon Rush is... Lame.
Beautiful Graphics, especially for it's time but still holds up today and is one of the most faithful art styles to the original DBZ series. Gameplay is great and it's a happy fusion between the unique style of the Dragon Ball video game fighters and a traditional fighter, maintaining both elements of a casual and competitive fighter, you can enjoy this game from the get go but also spend hours practicing new combos and techniques for a more in depth experience. The game offers an interesting and rewarding style of customization/upgrading as well that is still quite unique to it 16 years on.
I never had the chance to play this until 2020 so nostalgia has yet to cloud my judgement of my experience with this game, I honestly believe it's one of the most underrated titles in the franchise, definitely worth a buy at its current price.
Siguiendo la estela de los grandes videojuegos de lucha como street fighter, KOF o Tekken. acá tenemos un muy buen videojuego de lucha real basado en dragon ball z. posee 18 personajes con algunos bastante únicos como gohan adulto con la espada z o milk (chi-chi). bastante profundo en técnicas y estrategia, aca se nota la carencia de personajes claves como ten shin han, yamcha, kid bu, super bu, ginyu, zarbon, nappa, raditz, garlic jr o dabura. carencia de ending o recompensas. esto esta basado en el arcade es un dragon ball exclusivo para los amantes de los videojuegos de lucha tradicional.
By the creator of Street Fighter 2, Super Dragon Ball Z is a really great fighting game that any fight fan can enjoy, and also adds in a very addicting level up mode for fans, where you raise one of the z warriors power level the more and more you fight, unlocking new moves, and adding an rpg element that i personally believe Dragon Ball Z games benefit from greatly. Even with the awesome powerlevels and well designed fighting engine, this game doesnt have alot of variety. other than a tournament mode, and a mode more specifically for your leved up characters, where you fight with each match opponents getting stronger, and your helth doesnt replenish, other than through the bonus roulette at the end of matches (essentialy a survival mode) this game doesnt have a whole lot to offer in terms of gameplay variety. On top of that, this game only has 18 characters, which is substantially low, considering they all control very similar, and with the exception of Cyborg frieza (which wasnt in any other dbz title at the time) this game really just doesnt have hours of fun and lots of unlockables to keep you playing. Regardless of the fairly low replayability, this is a pretty decent Dragon Ball Z fighting game that, while hated by alot of people, I find does what it does just fine, give the arcade super dragon ball z experience at home. no more, no less.
SummaryFrom the producer of the acclaimed Street Fighter II game comes Super DBZ, a new, highly intense DBZ fighting experience unlike any other Dragon Ball Z game. Super DBZ features an all new DBZ fighting system plus intense combos for super damage. With multiple unique special attacks and fighting styles for all 18 characters, Super DBZ giv...