Dragon Ball Z is sorely lacking in passable fighting games. When you look at how impressive the repertoire of Naruto releases really are in terms of graphics, mechanics, and voice work, it’s kind of upsetting considering Dragon Ball Z’s status as classic shonen anime, one that started many lifelong love affairs with the genre or anime itself. The last decent release that comes to mind is Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout, but that was years ago. There were some shining moments on the Super Nintendo and some equally impressive sprites therein, but none of those made it beyond import status. Dragon Ball Z Budokai was impressive for a while, but never really sated the hunger I have for a spinoff title that address canon character stories, a wide variety of characters, or true-to-the-show voiceovers and lines.
All posts in Xbox 360
Review: Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage
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You don’t mess with those trained in the ancient art of assassination Hokuto Shinken, or “divine fist of the North Star.” Even if you sustain a few strategically-placed blows and live to tell the tale, celebrating is futile. As Fist of the North Star’s protagonist likes to say, “You are already dead.” Boom. You’d explode into meaty chunks of person goo, certain pressure points on your body having given in to the revered Hokuto Shinken style. That’d be all she wrote.
Impressions: Call of Duty: Black Ops
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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will live forever in my heart as the best time I’ve ever spent online with friends shooting other groups of friends in the face. Oh, and the campaign was pretty decent too. Really, that’s why I’m interested in the franchise. From the very beginning, it’s all been about the characters, the journey, and the fun to be had making it to the end. They may be disjointed and full of some truly abysmal plot holes, but I just enjoy tearing through war like it’s my business.
Impressions: Dance Central
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I may be a lover, but I ain’t no dancer. At least I wasn’t before I picked up Dance Central, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. I’m only an “easy” level dancer, but if I keep at it, I’m hoping to tackle “medium” or “hard” someday, when I’m convinced I won’t knock my action figures off of the wall or run straight into my television. We’ve had DDR for so many years (and will hopefully continue to) and I’ve enjoyed the Just Dance franchise, but now with the introduction of Microsoft’s Kinect, dancing has taken the next logical step: incorporating your whole body and getting every bit of you into the groove, whether you like it or not. It’s also the best dancing game ever made, and yet, still feels like we’re just getting started all over again.
Review: Dead Rising 2
The boys are back in town. By boys, I mean ravenous, flesh-eating zombies. And by town, I mean Fortune City. Luckily Chuck Greene, motocross superstar, is on the case. In Dead Rising 2, the sequel to the cult hit zombie apocalypse simulator Dead Rising, Greene replaces Frank West as the Average Joe on the run from the starving undead. Yes, there are plenty of zombies, but there’s a cure floating around that can stave off the effects of zombification. It’s called Zombrex, and Katey, Chuck’s tiny daughter, is in dire need of a dose every 24 hours lest she degrade into a shambling monstrosity herself.