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Good: Fast-paced, easy to pick up and play, two-player

Bad: A bit too simple, some slowdown

Apparently: Everyone in Dragonball-land can shoot fireballs

Don't let the allusions to Street Fighter II on the case of Super Dragon Ball Z fool you. This title plays nothing like the Capcom classic of the early 90s, but it does offer some moderate fun on its own merits.

The fighting engine is fairly bare-boned, as there is a limited amount of inputs to perform special moves. Most involve quarter-circle movements (the same found in old-school Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat) followed by an attack button. My favorite part of the combat was the ease in which you can go airborne, flying around and raining fireballs down onto your opponent. The shoulder buttons perform throws and dash attacks, which end up being essential strategies during battles.

Fights are generally entertaining, but I couldn't help but think that it would be far better with a few simple additions. The game needs a larger variety of throws, attack commands, and special moves in general. It seems like this could be a promising fighter, but a sequel would have to address this problem and add some genuine depth to the gameplay.

Outside of the standard arcade mode, there is one that allows you to customize your character in a variety of ways. After collecting enough dragon balls, you can go to a dragon and make a wish, which will affect one aspect of your character (either statistical or in terms of your available moves). One interesting option is the ability to take a move from your opponent and add it to your own moveset.

Environments are vivid and colorful and filled with a decent amount of destructible environments. There is the occasional spot of slowdown when there's too much commotion onscreen, but it never really gets in the way of the gameplay that noticeably. The music isn't much to write home about, but it does feature a good amount of voice samples and decent sound effects.

While it may offer semi-entertaining (but ultimately limited) two-player bouts, Super Dragon Ball Z feels like it's running on a condensed version of a full fighting engine. The legions of fans of the show and manga might get a little more enjoyment out of the title, but those unfamiliar should turn to a more fully-fleshed out fighter.

Graphics: 7.0

Sound: 7.5

First Play: 7.5

Replay Value: 6.5

Gameplay: 6.5

Overall: 6.8