DBZ Sagas

PS2, Xbox, GameCube

All right, let’s do some free association, shall we? What do you think of when I say the word “saga?” Go ahead… I’ll wait. Done? Well if “short” or “not very long, and rather disappointing” came to mind, congratulations! You have just entered the mind of the person who named this game. For a game that’s title suggests something epic and involving, there just isn’t much content. The game doesn’t even encompass the entirety of the Dragonball Z, or DBZ for short, series (for those of you who don’t know, DBZ is an anime series from Japan that recently made its appearance in the United States on Cartoon Network).

Aside from how short the game is, it offers up some new twists in gameplay to keep the material fresh, even if it already has been beaten to death. Sagas puts you in control of certain characters at key plot moments in the DBZ universe, such as Frieza’s attack on planet Namek. Instead of strictly being a fighting game, you get to run and fly around a 3D world, collecting capsules and Z coins which can be used to upgrade your fighters. When upgrading your character you can choose to learn new combos, increase the speed of the character during flight, etc.

The action can get really intense as you battle four or five different enemies at once. But thanks to the simplistic but responsive controls, enemies will not present too much of a challenge. Bosses are unique and usually have specific goals that need to be reached in order to capture the win.

Overall, Sagas is not really anything special. It tries to take DBZ into a different genre than previous games but fails on a few key points. I would not recommend buying this game as you will probably beat it in the first sitting, but it’s a good possibility for a rental. Just remember: length isn’t everything, but it sure helps.

Grade: C-