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Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo Review for Nintendo Wii

Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo Review for Nintendo Wii

Dragon Ball Z in a gaming institution. Though the anime ended ten years ago, there is always at least one game released every year with the Dragon Ball Z franchise name attached to it. However, before the action-packed Saiyan sagas of the Z universe, there was Dragon Ball. This series still featured Goku as the main character, but he was just a little boy who was learning martial arts and happened to get himself in plenty of awkward situations with a teenaged Bulma and other kids like Chi Chi and Yamcha. Featuring plenty of light humor and fun action sequences, Dragon Ball is certainly one of the most beloved anime series of all time, despite being eclipsed almost totally by the Dragon Ball Z series. Much like the anime that inspired it, Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo can never aspire to becoming the fan staple that games based on the Z franchise are. However, for what it is, there is plenty of fun to be had.

Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo screenshot

Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo starts at the beginning of the Red Ribbon and continues through the King Piccolo saga. The story is reproduced quite faithfully, and fans of the Dragon Ball anime and manga will certainly enjoy all the key moments from the series being played out in the game. The game uses several animated cutscenes to move the story forward, as well as some in-game text-based plot scenes as well. The story is a focal point of the game and is presented quite well.

However, one of the game’s biggest shortcomings becomes very apparent early on: the visuals. The game looks like a poor GameCube title. Character animations have a plethora of jagged lines, environments are devoid of any kind of detail, and they have plenty of repetitive textures. Right from the opening cutscene, this game’s visual shortcomings were obvious. I really wish more time was taken with the visuals, as it is easy to watch the opening cutscene and dismiss the entire game. They say first impressions count for a lot, and this game certainly doesn’t leave a good one.

But if the visuals are this game’s biggest shortcoming, then the gameplay is its principal strength. Dragon Ball takes the form of a 2.5D side-scroller and has plenty of fun levels complete with running, jumping, puzzle-solving, and boss battles. In terms of reinventing the wheel, there is absolutely nothing new here. However, if you are a fan of old-school platforming, then Dragon Ball will feel comfortably nostalgic, which is great.

Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo screenshot

The game even has plenty of gimmicky levels that use special floating discs to help Goku bounce around areal levels, and there are some secret items that can be found by taking certain paths when your character is airborne. This portion of the game reminded me a lot of the old Sonic games back in the Genesis era, which was definitely a good thing. I can’t imagine the developers of the game thinking that the game they were creating existed in a vacuum, and by hearkening back to old-school games (the kind that were around when the original Dragon Ball anime was being aired) was a smart move, especially for older fans of the series.

Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo screenshot

Control in the game is fairly simple and you can use either the Wii-Mote and Nunchuk combination or the Classic Controller. While both schemes are easy to use (thank goodness there are no poorly-implemented Wii motion controls), the classic controller structure feels a little more organic. Having the block/attack/target buttons all on one side of the controller makes for quicker combat, and it also allows for more precise movement. But no matter what control scheme you use, the controls are very responsive and you should have no problem getting around the Dragon Ball world and kicking but with Son Goku.

The sound in the game is also very good. One thing that was very surprising was the quality of the voiceover. Though it has been almost a decade since the original Dragon Ball was dubbed, the voice actors for the game sound almost identical to those who did the English dub. In addition to the spectacular voiceovers, the game also has some pretty sweet tunes. In keeping with the game’s retro feel, the background music has a distinctive synth feel to it, and boss battles feature some 8-bit-sounding music that is sure to take you back to your retro gaming days.

Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo screenshot

Control, sound, and gameplay are great, but once you really get into the game, you may be dismayed to find out that it has ended already. Length is definitely an issue with this game, as most gamers will probably complete the main story mode in less than six hours. The short length is definitely an issue, as the game has little to no replay value as a strictly linear adventure. However, there is an extra mode in the game that will help to ease the sting of the game’s short length: tournament mode. This mode allows you to take control of all the characters in the game and battle with a friend. However, even though there are plenty of characters to use in tournament mode, I was disappointed by it overall.

The combat in tournament mode is taken directly from the game’s story mode, and it features very simple one-button attacks, two or three combos, and one special attack. The dearth of combat options really sinks the replay value of tournament mode, and matches involve little in the way of strategy and skill and are reduced to simple button-mashing contests.

Despite the lack of replay value, the time you do spend with Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo is time well spent if you are a Dragon Ball fan. The story follows the anime and manga serial, and the gameplay is perfect for older fans of the anime. Although the visuals are most certainly not up to par and the game’s length is a little lacking, the better aspects of this title make up for its shortcomings. This game is not the most original thing to hit the Dragon Ball universe, but you are pretty much guaranteed a good time with it, as long as you don’t mind its retro platforming structure and are interested in the early adventures of Son Goku.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.0 Graphics
These are GameCube graphics at their worst. Jagged lines, repetitive textures, and bland environments make this game look terrible. 3.9 Control
Classic Controller scheme works perfectly. Although the Nunchuck and Wii-mote combination works well enough, it is a little bit too complex. 4.1 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Old-school synth sounds and 8-bit effects are great. Title theme is awesome. 3.8

Play Value
The main story mode is short, and there isn’t enough depth to the battle system to keep tournament mode relevant for long. Still, Dragon Ball fans will still have a great time with this one.

4.0 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • An all-new adventure game – Run, jump, explore and fight in a full 3D world using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the Classic Controller or the Nintendo GameCube Controller.
  • Exciting gameplay modes – Goku can lock onto enemies and perform different stun and combo attacks.
  • Cut scenes from the original anime – View key events from the series refined in full CG and in an all-new dramatic detail never before seen.
  • Fight in the World Tournament – Choose your favorite character from the Dragon Ball series and challenge your friends in head-to-head battle.
  • Shop at the store – Purchase items that will aid your quest in the Adventure Mode or unlock fun items for the Gallery.

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