Dragon Ball Z: Idainaru Dragon Ball Densetsu or as it’s more commonly known Stateside,
Dragon Ball Z: Legends, is the only DBZ game from the PS1 era that wasn’t published for
us English-speaking gamers.
Which is really my favorite aspect because you know what’s the best part about imports?
Making your own subtitles.
No, but seriously; if you’ve ever seen the Z series or played one of the many games then
you know what you’re in for as far as story goes; it’s the same ol’ same ol’.
The story mode has you fighting as various heroes throughout the Dragon ball Z series
while battling antagonists from Napa and Vageta to Freeza and Buu.
But, since the game is in Japanese the story isn’t really worth mentioning, either you
already know it from the show or you’re going to need to be fluent in Japanese.
So, combat; that’s what matters.
What separates Legends from most other Dragon ball games is the group combat; it’s sort
of like a tag team match but everyone is fighting simultaneously whether you’re directly controlling
them or not.
So, it’s the Battle Royale of DBZ.
The upside to this battle extravaganza is that it has a huge roster, from three different
Buus and Debora to Great Saiyaman and all of the androids; the downside is that they
all fight the exact same.
Blocks, punch and kick barrages, small projectiles and power-ups are the tools that every character
uses to win battles.
There are also three major components to victory: the health bar, the Ki meter and the Power
Balance at the bottom of the screen.
None of the characters’ health is reduced simply from being attacked, the trick is that
every combatant influences the Power Balance bar; if your team is winning then you’ll
tip the balance in your favor and one of your characters will go into a special move which
will then damage the targeted foe.
This tug-of-war system really captures the never-ending 20 episode struggle that Dragon
ball is so accustomed to.
The combat does become repetitive since basically every character fights the same way; really
the only thing that differentiates them is their default handicap and a couple of unique
cut-scene attacks.
But, it’s still fun to unlock the truckload of characters through the story mode and a
Dragon ball Z battle Royale with friends can be a blast.