Archview 67: Dragon Ball Kai: Ultimate Butoden

 Best Dragon Ball game since Burst Limit?

 By 2013 there's been dozens upon dozens of Dragon Ball fighting game, and they have ranged from the awful to the really good. Nintendo handhelds haven't fared much better, Taiketsu was terrible, Super Sonic Warriors was really good and Super Sonic Warriors 2 dropped the ball. Here we have the second fighter for the DS, and for reasons unknown, Namco-Bandai didn't see it fit to bring it over seas, shame, as it's really friggin' good.
 The game has 3 main modes: Story Mode, Challenge Mode and Versus(CPU, Player). Story Mode is fantastic, it covers the entire DBZ saga, without the fillers. There are are lot of chapters, plus a lot of what if scenarios(Some of which are hilarious, if you can understand what is happening). This mode is very extensive and can easily run over 10 hours if you watch all the cut-scenes. Speaking of the cut-scenes, they are really good... but only a few key-scenes are voiced. If you can't read japanese, like me, you are out of luck and these cut-scenes may seem a bit boring. If you know nothing about Dragon Ball, you might as well just skip them. Regardless, if you are a fan, you will know what is going on, and seeing classic DBZ moments recreated in 3D is really cool, cut-scenes would be on par with Budokai 1, if only they had more audio.

 After each story-fight, you are awarded with a grade, depending on the grade you will unlock extras. Extras like opening up Challenge Mode sections, hidden costumes, stat boosting customization quotes and  customization items. Yes! Customization, you can add accesories to each character, glasses, shades, caps, the Dragon Radar, Roshi's beard or turtle shell. There are lots of items, and every character can equip them. You also get three different customization slots per character! Besides the clothing items, each slot also allows you to equip stat boosting "quotes", but knowledge of Japanese(Or a FAQ) is needed to know just what you are raising. Most of the customization items require an S grade though, but you can get them on easy of it gets too hard. In Challenge Mode, the game tasks you with defeating a series of harder opponents using a team of characters of your choice, sometimes getting healed after a couple of fights. As for Versus mode, it'd be alright if only it hadn't been balanced after the show instead of trying to be, well, balanced. Weak characters in the show get reduced damage, less Ki levels and less HP than stronger ones.
 As for the gameplay, you get 5 basic functions: Weak hit, which can be comboed if you mash it, eventually leads into an air combo. Smash hit, a stronger attack that knocks the enemy away... or below. Ki blast, throws a little energy ball. Dodge, time it right and you can dodge attacks. And a Throw button. The L button is used in conjunction with Up or Down to raise your Ki Level. A higher Ki Level means stronger attacks and faster movement, at the cost of nor recharging your Ki. Lowe levels means less damage, but faster Ki recharge. Ki is used when you use any of your 3 Special Attacks or the Ultimate Attack. Special attacks can be done with motions, Street Fighter style, or by pressing a button on the touchscreen. As for the Ultimate Attack, it requires the most Ki, and initiates a minigame where you may have to time button presses, press certain button combinations or a few others, both you and your opponent get  to do it, so they made avoid damage entirely. Lastly, you also get Burst Mode by pressing all four face buttons together, it gives you unlimited Ki for a while, can only be done once in a fight and after it's gone, it leaves you with 0 Ki.

 This game has, probably, the best graphics I've seen on a DS. Models are very crisp and detailed, stages are colorful and have a lot going on in them. The audio... well, the music used in the Story mode quickly grows out it's welcome and becomes very boring, but the music during the fights is pretty alright. Voices are used sparingly, but the samples are quite clear, and it's neat to hear the original Japanese voice actors. There are over 50 characters(35 something if you don't count transformations), which is pretty impressive for a DS game. Less impressive is that many characters share basic moves, these being the Weak attack and Smash attacks, still, every ultimate get's it's own unique cutscene, and every special moveset is unique, although quite a few of them share the Kamehame ha, which is to be expected.
 When it comes down to it, this is a very meaty game. There is a lot of unlockables, a lot of story mode scenarios and a lot of characters. Plus, it's, probably, the only Dragon Ball game that lets you outfit existing characters with accessories! I can understand why Namco-Bandai wouldn't bring it over, as there is a lot of text needing to be translated, and they probably thought it wasn't worth the effort, it's a shame, as it's a great game for Dragon Ball Fans. Fighting game fans, however, may be a tad disappointed with characters being so samey between each other, or how unbalanced it gets. Regardless, not knowing Japanese isn't that big of a barrier, it's quite import-friendly.
 7 out of 10