This demo's power level is over 9000!! (DBZ Burst Limit Demo Impressions)

A demo for Dragon Ball Z Burst Limit came out today on Xbox Live Marketplace and likely later on Playstation Network with the final game coming out on June 10 for 360 and PS3. It is less than 500 MB, so the amount of what's there to play is not much which is two fights from the Saiyan Saga (Goku vs. Raditz and Yamcha vs. the Saibamen - spelling??). Right off the bat, this game brings it back to the Budokai 1-3 style of game as I wasn't a fan of Tenakachi games because of the free-form movement. Sure, fighting games suck on 360 because of the awful d-pad, but since the DBZ fighting games are not as hardcore as Virtua Fighter and Dead or Alive, it is more user friendly to attract even the causal fans of the anime. I used the left stick and yes, it plays like Budokai 3. Even though it is still about mashing the X and Y buttons for various punch/kick combos, pulling off the flashy stuff and avoiding attacks is not as easy as u think at first. Once the Ki meter is built up, you can pull off the crazy moves like the ping-pong punches and kicks after bursting (left bumper on 360). At the end of each fight, you will be ranked on specific challenges and how many dramatic cutscenes u ran into (Highest is Z rank, but I can at least get a S since these challenges want you to do nearly everything in a limited time. I'm happy that the gameplay is back to what it used to be in Budokai 3, but these fights on the demo tend to end pretty quickly.

It is also safe to say this is the best looking DBZ game now, but that seems obvious since it is on 360 and PS3. It is also to a point that looks better than the anime itself even though Budokai 3 to Tenakachi 3 had the style spot on. The glowing effects look great and the characters themselves look pretty accurate to the cartoon. As expected, the voice acting is from the U.S. version of the cartoon, so it is love and hate thing on which style of dialogue u like (If Vegeta says "Its over 9000!!!!" just like the cartoon, then I'm sold!!). Since this is not the show, the dialogue is different and mostly cheesy and the facial animations when they speak is a little poor, but what do u expect for a DBZ game.

After playing the demo, I would give DBZ Burst Limit a chance and it is okay that it only goes up to the Cell Saga just like Budokai 3. The gameplay has gone back to its roots, Budokai 3 mostly, and it is the best looking DBZ game out now. I don't know if I would buy it when it comes out next month, but a good rental at best. Hardcore DBZ fans should buy this in a heartbeat even though it is more of the same (with online play too) from the previous generation of DBZ games.

UPDATE - Its over 9000!!!