''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai'' (Known as in Japan) is a series of

fighting Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

video games based on the

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series ''

Dragon Ball Z ''Dragon Ball Z'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the ''Dragon Ball'' media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 '' Dragon Ball'' anime series and adapts the latter 325 chapters of the original ...

'', itself part of the larger ''

Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...

'' franchise.

Gameplay

The ''Budokai'' series plays like a typical 2-D fighting game. As well as including the regular

punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

and

kick A kick is a physical Strike (attack), strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee (strike), ...

buttons, there is the ability to shoot ki blasts, which can also be used in specific special moves. The special moves are mainly taken directly from the anime, including

Goku Son Goku is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is based on Sun Wukong (known as Son Goku in Japan and Monkey King in the West), a main character of the classic Ch ...

's Kamehameha,

Vegeta ( ), also referred as is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise created by Akira Toriyama. Vegeta first appears in chapter #204 "Sayonara, Son Goku", published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine on November 7, 1988, seeking ...

's Galick Gun and

Frieza , also known and spelled as Freeza in Funimation's English subtitles and Viz Media's release of the manga, is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He makes his debut in Chapter #247: "Dark Clouds ...

's Death Beam. Although these mechanics have stuck with the series, other ideas such as the "Hyper Mode", the ability to move at incredible speeds, fly freely, and "Beam Struggles" between two characters' beam attacks, were later replaced in favour of other techniques.

History

Main series

''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai'' (2002)

''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai'', released as in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, is a fighting game released for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

on November 2, 2002, in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and on December 3, 2002, in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, and for the

Nintendo GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...

on October 28, 2003, in North America and on November 14, 2003, in Europe. It is the first ''Budokai'' game of the series and the first ''Dragon Ball Z'' game to be released in all of Europe instead of having specific releases in France, Spain, and Portugal like earlier games. The game was released in Japan by

Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...

on the PlayStation 2 on February 13, 2003, and on the Nintendo GameCube on November 28, 2003. It was developed by

Dimps is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka, Japan, with an additional office in Tokyo. It is best known for developing games in the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'', ''Dragon Ball'' and ''Street Fighter'' franchises. The company was founded on Mar ...

and published by

Infogrames Atari SA (formerly Infogrames Entertainment SA) is a French video game holding company headquartered in Paris. Its subsidiaries include Atari Interactive and Atari, Inc. It is the current owner of the Atari brand through Atari Interactive. Bec ...

and later by

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...

as a

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

title for the PlayStation 2 in North America. The game includes a total of 23 playable characters, and the story follows the first three story arcs/sagas of the ''Dragon Ball Z'' franchise starting the Saiyan Saga, the Planet Namek saga and ends with SSJ2 Gohan’s final battle with Cell in the Android Saga. Features include a story mode, a versus mode, a World tournament stage, a practice mode, and an items shop which allows players to purchase customization abilities using money gained through challenges in the story mode and tournament victories to make custom fighters. Story mode is divided into special chapters, initially having the player fight predominantly as Goku and Gohan through the Saiyan, Namek and Android Sagas before unlocking bonus chapters from different perspectives like Piccolo and Vegeta. The story mode also includes a few "what if" episodes to play with the villains of each saga, retelling iconic ''Dragon Ball'' events with different outcomes. A cel-shading effect was added to the graphics in the GameCube version. The North American versions feature English voice acting from the North American

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

dub, while the European versions feature the original Japanese voice acting and several European languages text translations.

''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2'' (2003)

''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2'', released as in Japan, is a fighting game and a sequel to ''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai'' and was developed by

and published by

for the

and

. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in North America on December 4, 2003, and on the Nintendo GameCube on December 15, 2004. The game was published in Japan by

and released for the PlayStation 2 on February 5, 2004. The game features a tournament stage, versus mode, and an item shop. Unlike its predecessor, ''Budokai 2s story mode, called Dragon World, introduces a unique retelling of all four chapters of ''Z'' and plays like a board game as the player assembles a team of Z-fighters alongside Goku to challenge the series' villains. The game has 31 playable characters, including fusions of different fighters, and Majin Buu's various absorbed forms. Many of these forms are unique to ''Budokai 2'', including an original fusion between Tien and Yamcha called Tiencha and Super Buu absorbing Vegeta, Frieza, Cell, and Tien and Yamcha simultaneously, which does not appear in future games. The Japanese version of the game adds new costumes as well as a new stage in story mode. Some of the added costumes were included in the North American GameCube version. Once again, the North American versions feature English voice acting from the North American Funimation dub. The European PlayStation 2 version also features it, while the later European GameCube version switched back to the original Japanese voice acting because of negative feedback from players who were used to the Japanese dub since the 16-bit era.

''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3'' (2004)

''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3'', released as in Japan, is a fighting game developed by

and published by

for the

. It was released on November 16, 2004, in North America in both a standard and Limited Edition release, the latter of which included a DVD featuring a behind the scenes looks at the game's development. In Europe, it was released on November 19, 2004, by

, who also released the game in Japan on February 10, 2005. The Japanese version of ''Budokai 3'' added several costumes not present in the North American and European versions. The North American Greatest Hits version of ''Budokai 3'' adds these costumes, as well as the option to switch the audio to Japanese for the first time in North America. This version was also released in Europe as a re-release of the game under the title ''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 - Collector's Edition''. From this release onwards, all ''Dragon Ball Z'' games in North America and Europe were released with dual voice language options in English and Japanese. as well as some graphical tweaks. It received runner-up placements in GameSpot's 2004 "Best Fighting Game" and "Best Game Based on a TV or Film Property" award categories across all platforms.

Other games

''Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai'' (2006)

is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

part of the ''

'' franchise, developed by

and released in North America on March 7, 2006, in Europe on May 25, 2006, and in Japan on April 20, 2006, for the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

. The game's story mode is based on the events of the movie '' Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn''. The choices the player makes in the story determine how the story evolves.

''Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road'' (2007)

''Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road'' (known simply as in

and

). The game features an original story that tells the tale of

Majin Buu , generally spelled Majin Boo in subtitles of the Japanese anime, and rendered as Djinn-Boo in the Viz Media manga, is the final antagonist in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama, before the release of ''Dragon Ball Super' ...

being released in Future Trunks' timeline. As Majin Buu is too strong for Trunks to handle alone, he uses his time machine to recruit the original Z warriors for assistance, eventually succeeding in the destruction of Majin Buu.

''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai - HD Collection'' (2012)

The ''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai - HD Collection'' is a video game compilation that includes remastered versions of ''Budokai'' and ''Budokai 3'', alongside full Trophy and Achievements support. The collection was released in Europe on November 2, 2012, and in North America on November 6, 2012, for

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

and

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

. Both games include the optional original Japanese language track, but also feature reused soundtracks from the US and European versions of the '' Budokai Tenkaichi'' games (known in Japan as the ''Sparking!'' series), whereas the soundtracks from the original PS2 versions were made by Kenji Yamamoto. This is because Yamamoto had used actual songs as bases for the music for the ''Dragon Ball Z'' games he worked on as well as ''

Dragon Ball Z Kai ''Dragon Ball Z Kai'' (known in Japan as ) is a revised version of the anime series '' Dragon Ball Z'', produced in commemoration of its 20th anniversary. Produced by Toei Animation, the series was originally broadcast in Japan on Fuji TV from A ...

'' and as a result, Yamamoto was fired by

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...

in 2011, and all the soundtracks he did for ''

'' were replaced by

Shunsuke Kikuchi was a Japanese composer who was active from the early 1960s until 2017. He specialized in incidental music for media such as television and film. Kikuchi was regarded as one of Japan's most highly demanded film and TV composers, working princi ...

's scores.

Playable characters

Music

''Dragon Ball Z & Z 2 Original Soundtrack''

is the official licensed soundtrack of the first two '' Dragon Ball Z: Budokai'' & ''

Budokai 2 ''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2'', released as in Japan, is a fighting video game developed by Dimps based upon the anime and manga series, '' Dragon Ball Z'', it is a sequel to '' Dragon Ball Z: Budokai'' for the PlayStation 2 release in 2003 and ...

'' for

and

video games. It was released by Team Entertainment on January 19, 2005, in Japan only. This release was unique in that composer Kenji Yamamoto collaborated with not just the standard Japanese performers of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

as well as

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

artists. American credits include

Steve Lukather Steven Lee Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, best known as the sole continuous founding member of the rock band Toto. His reputation as a skilled guitarist led to a stea ...

guitarist of the 1980s rock band Toto and 1970s R&B

Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

Funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

band

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the b ...

who can predominately be heard on tracks 22–24, but despite these credits the album remains a Japanese exclusive. Because this release focuses on the first two PS2 DBZ games, many of Yamamoto's orchestrated tracks heard in the story modes of both games were left out. Prompting many fans digitally rip music straight from the games themselves. For the most part, the tracks featured are very rock oriented with only a few featuring a jazzy funk vibe thanks in part to Tower of Power's influence. The back of the jewel casing gives both Japanese and English track listings for the songs, but the English list is not a direct translation of the Japanese. Instead, they are the names that were provided when the games were released as '' Budokai'' and ''

''. Easily giving the impression that the soundtrack producer anticipated a big demand of importing the album by fans in English-speaking countries. Coupled with the soundtrack is a bonus DVD featuring the intro and music videos of the opening theme "Kusuburu heart ni Hi o Tsukero" performed by

Hironobu Kageyama is a Japanese singer and composer prominent in the soundtracks for anime, video game and tokusatsu productions. He is sometimes called Kami (Kei) by his fans. Kageyama got his big break at age 16, as lead singer of the rock band Lazy. By the ea ...

, and montage game footage. The compositions were met with positive reviews by various gaming critics. Many critics who reviewed the first ''Budokai'' game assumed that the music, like the voice talent, was Faulconer's compositions straight from the anime. Sites like

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

and

GameSpy GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...

consider the music the strongest feature of ''Budokai''. Michael Knutson of GameZone though the tracks in ''Budokai 2'' were upbeat and would not get repetitive. Mr. Nash of the Armchair Empire first says that it doesn't hold up but then goes on to say "''The music works just fine for adding atmosphere to the fights''". Track listing: # くすぶるheartに火をつけろ!!
''Kusuburu heart ni Hi o Tsukero!!/Light a Fire in your Smouldering Heart!!'' # Big Opportunity # Expectation # 熱き風のごとく
''Atsuki Kaze no Gotoku/Like A Burning Wind'' # 勝利への疾走
''Shōri e no Shissō/Running Towards Victory'' # Move Forward Fearlessly # 挑戦者たち
Chōsensha-tachi/Challengers # Breaking Free # 決戦へのカウントダウン
''Kessen e no Kauntodaun/Countdown to the Decisive Battle'' # 戦慄の刻(とき)
''Senritsu no Toki/It's Thrilling Time'' # 最強の力
''Saikyō no Chikara/Super Strength'' # BUDO～Asian Spirit～ # # Spark of Fighting # A lot of'Qi' # 限界を超えて～`Qi'No Limit～
''Genkai o Koete ~'Qi' No Limit~/Breaking The Limit: 'Qi' No Limit'' # I Trust My 7th Sense～至高の力を信じて～
''I Trust My 7th Sense ~Shikō no Chikara o Shinjite~ /I Trust My 7th Sense: Believe in the Supreme Power'' # 遭遇
''Sōgū/Encounter'' # 未知の邦 ��に��ら来た戦士
''Michi no Kuni Kara Kita Senshi/Warrior From An Unknown Land'' # The Battle With All My Force # 野性の魂～Wild Soul～
''Yasei no Tamashii ~Wild Soul~/Wild-Natured Spirit: Wild Soul'' # Soul Vaccination # Only so Much Oil in the Ground # Soul With A Capital'S' # I'm Gonna Get Over～地平線の彼方へ～
''I'm Gonna Get Over ~Chiheisen no Kanata~/I'm Gonna Get Over: The Other Side Of The Horizon'' # Do It At All Risks # Full Of Tears～悲しみの淵で～
''Full of Tears ~Kanashimi no Fuchi de~/Full of Tears: In The Depths Of Sadness'' # The Man Called 'C' When the games were released in English-speaking countries, names of various tracks including the theme song were changed in order to localize despite that this soundtrack has not been released in English-speaking countries. As follows are those changes. 1. Go For It!!
4. Take It On!!
19. A Stranger

''Dragon Ball Z 3 Original Soundtrack''

is the official licensed soundtrack of '' Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3'' for

video game. It was released by Team Entertainment on March 2, 2005 in Japan only. Like its predecessor ''Dragon Ball Z & Z 2 Original Soundtrack'' this album contains a collaboration of American as well as Japanese artists. American credits include

guitarist of the 80's rock band Toto and 70's R&B

band

, but despite these credits the album remains a Japanese exclusive. The opening theme "Ore wa Tokoton Tomaranai" is performed by

. As its title suggests this release stays focused on tracks that are heard on ''Budokai 3'', unlike its predecessor which focused on the first two games on a single disc. As a result, the soundtrack's track list appears to contain a more complete selection. However, many compositions that were featured throughout the trilogy's story modes yet were left out of the previous soundtrack were still overlooked, prompting many disappointed fans to rip copies of the tracks straight from the game itself. Many of these and a few cuts from the previous soundtrack were used for the North American release of '' Budokai Tenkaichi'' because at the time of that game's release neither

nor

had secured rights to the compositions by the anime's composer

which was used in that game. The cuts used appear to have rip straight from this album as the instrumentation does not loop as it did in the ''Budokai'' games. Like the previous soundtrack, the back of the album's jewel case feature track listings in both Japanese as well as English. However, a few of the English names are not all direct translations, but distinct track names the songs were given when the game was released as ''Budokai 3''. Also like the previous soundtrack with ''Budokai 2'''s opening theme "Kusuburu Heart ni Hi o Tsukero!!", the ''Budokai 3'' theme song "Ore wa Tokoton Tomaranai!!" is only presented in this collection its TV size version as it was heard at the beginning of the game. However, the full versions of both songs, performed by Hironobu Kageyama, were released coupled in a single disc between the two soundtrack releases. Upon the game's release, the music received mixed reviews from gaming critics. Although it would receive high scores like 8 on GameZone, some critics still referred to the music as repetitive and corny. Yet it was appropriate for conveying the game's atmosphere. Luke Van Leuveren of ''PALGN'' states "''the sound is generic but annoyingly addictive''". However, Jeremy Dunham of IGN thought the music sounded terrific and Tony "Zing" Tomas of WHAM! Gaming called it top notch. Track listing: # " 俺はとことん止まらない!!
''Ore wa Tokoton Tomaranai!!/I Won't Stop 'Till the End!!'' # "MISSION～新しき神話を創れ～"
''MISSION ~Atarashiki Shinwa o Tsukure~/Mission: Make A New Legend'' # "天空の闘い FOR JUSTICE"
''Tenkū no Tatakai FOR JUSTICE/Sky Battle For Justice'' # "勝利へのインパルス"
''Shôri e no Inparusu/Impulse Towards Victory'' # "We Go Nuts!"～誰も眠れぬ夜～
''We Go Nuts!~Dare mo Nemurenu Yoru~/We Go Nuts!: Restless Night'' # "Under the Gibbous Moon" # "不屈"～Indomitable Spirit～
''Fukutsu~Indomitable Spirit~/Fortitude: Indomitable Spirit'' # "Hand"-in-Hand Fight # "午前0時のシャッフル"
''Gozen Zeroji no Shaffuru/12:00 Midnight Shuffle Time'' # "24-7 Crazy" # "疾風チャレンジャー"
''Shuppū Charenjā/Hurricane Challenger'' # "Twist of Fate" # "ouT oF CoNTRoL" # "Heartbeatが聴こえるかい?"
''Heartbeat ga Kikoeru Kai?/Can You Hear The Heartbeat?'' # "Ultra dAnce in Battlefield" # "銀河を超えて"
''Ginga o Koete/Over The Galaxy'' # "Night of Tempest" # "I'm In Tip-Top Shape" # "炎のOutsiders"
''Honō no Outsiders/Blazing Outsiders'' # "Flight in the Dark side" # "暁"(あかつき)の闘い
''Akatsuki no Tatakai/Daybreak Battle'' # "魔の勢力"
''Ma no Seiryoku/Might of Evil'' # "Ultimatum"～最後通牒～
''Ultimatum ~Saigo-Tsūchô~/Surrender Or Perish'' # "暗黒からの強者"
''Ankoku kara no Kyôsha/Powerful Man From The Darkness'' # "宇宙最大の作戦"～Great Tactics～
''Uchū Saidai no Sakusen~Great Tactics~/The Greatest Tactics in the Universe: Great Tactics'' # "青空を抱きしめて"
''Aozora o Dakishimete/Embrace The Blue Sky'' # "Expectation"(Remix) # "Twist of Fate"～ouT oF CoNTRoL(Remix) Track name changes Like the game's previous two installments, the names of various music tracks were changed when it was released in English-speaking countries as ''Budokai 3'' for localization. The name changes are as follows: 1. The Ultimate Energy!!
11. Step On It
22. Warning
24. Chaos
26. Sky High

Ore wa Tokoton Tomaranai!!

is the opening theme to ''Budokai 3'' and a single by Japanese singer

. It was released on February 23, 2005, in Japan only. The single peaked at #1 on Oricon."Ore wa Tokoton Tomaranai!!" @ Oricon.
/ref> It is coupled with the opening theme to the previous video game '' Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2''. "''Kusuburu Heart ni Hi o Tsukero!!''". The single would be made available domestically through the online music service

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

for a short time. However both song titles were erroneously written as "Oreha Tokotonntomaranai!!" and "Kusuburu Heartni Hiwotsukero!!". Track listing: #俺はとことん止まらない！！
''Ore wa Tokoton Tomaranai!!/I Won’t Stop Till the End!!'' #くすぶるheartに火をつけろ！！
''Kusuburu Heart ni Hi wo Tsukero!!/Light a Fire in your Smouldering Heart!!'' #俺はとことん止まらない！！（インストゥルメンタル）
''Ore wa Tokoton Tomaranai!! (Insuturumentaru)/I Won’t Stop Till the End!! (Instrumental)'' #くすぶるheartに火をつけろ！！（インストゥルメンタル）
''Kusuburu Heart ni Hi o Tsukero!! (Insuturumentaru)/Light a Fire in your Smouldering Heart!! (Instrumental)''

Reception

''Budokai''

''Budokai'' received "mixed or average" reviews on both platforms according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

. Many critics complained about the GameCube version's simple interface and the fact that combos weren't worth the payoff. However, more complex combos were possible due to an oversight in the move canceling feature but were rarely known at the time. These oversights were turned into an important part of the system in the later games and were what high level play tended to revolve around.

''Budokai 2''

''Budokai 2'' received "average" reviews on both platforms according to Metacritic.

''Budokai 3''

''Budokai 3'' was given much higher reviews than its predecessors ''Budokai'' and ''Budokai 2'' according to Metacritic. This was often due to how critics felt that the game did more to improve its gameplay rather than just its graphics and presentation. Its fighting and graphics have also been praised, with

stating that ''Budokai 3'' was "One of the few instances of cel-shading done right", and that it "also offers a healthy amount of special effects and pyrotechnics and they all look great."

''Shin Budokai''

''Shin Budokai'' received "average" reviews according to Metacritic. In Japan, ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...

'' gave it a score of one eight, one seven, one six, and one seven, for a total of 28 out of 40.

''Shin Budokai - Another Road''

''Shin Budokai - Another Road'' received "mixed" reviews according to Metacritic. In Japan, ''Famitsu'' gave it a score of one six, one five, and two sevens for a total of 25 out of 40.

''Budokai: HD Collection''

''Budokai: HD Collection'' received "mixed" reviews on both platforms according to Metacritic.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dragon Ball Z: Budokai (Series) 3D fighting games Atari games Bandai games Dimps games GameCube games PlayStation 2 games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation Portable games Shueisha franchises Fighting games Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 2002 Video games developed in Japan Video games with cel-shaded animation Xbox 360 games Multiplayer and single-player video games Toei Animation video game projects