What is your favourite DB game in terms of combat?

[blueprintchris]

Hey all,

There are so many DB games out there to choose from, I'm not entirely sure which one to go for. I haven't really played a DB game since DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (which I really enjoyed). What games can you recommend that have a satisfying combat system, ie fun combos, transformations mid-fight etc? I enjoy playing games like Tekken and Soul Caliber. I tried to play DBZ Kakarot but couldn't really get into it. I'm not overly fussed for story-driven or large open world type games, I'm just really into the fighting.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing from some other DB fans

[budokaifanatic007]

I would have to say Infinite world and Burst limit, both felt fast paced for its time.

[Grimlock]

That Dragon Ball Z for PlayStation had a pretty satisfying gameplay/combat once you finally got used to it, which admittedly I never fully understood it to this day. Still, the little I knew about performing the combos was very fun. I also liked that it was the only game that faithfully depicted the aura when charging Ki (is it still the only game that does that?) and the usage of the aura that increases the speed.

Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 had a pretty good combat too.

Honorable mention goes to Xenoverse 2, if only it didn't have the "stamina bars" feature...

[blueprintchris]

I would have to say Infinite world and Burst limit, both felt fast paced for its time.

Thanks. I will check them out. What about current gen? Anything you might recommend in the last couple of years or so?

[blueprintchris]

That Dragon Ball Z for PlayStation had a pretty satisfying gameplay/combat once you finally got used to it, which admittedly I never fully understood it to this day. Still, the little I knew about performing the combos was very fun. I also liked that it was the only game that faithfully depicted the aura when charging Ki (is it still the only game that does that?) and the usage of the aura that increases the speed.

Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 had a pretty good combat too.

Honorable mention goes to Xenoverse 2, if only it didn't have the "stamina bars" feature...

I did play Tenkaichi 3 when it got released because I loved 2 so much and I remember they did change the feel of the game somewhat from 2 - I could never fully get over how much they'd changed it. Like you said about 2, the combos were fun and the aura when charging up looked great. It always made me feel powerful. I'm fully convinced I won't find a DB game as good as that although I really want to. I will check out Xenoverse 2

Side note- I do really enjoy the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm games. Wonder if there's any DBZ games that have a similar feel to that?

[budokaifanatic007]

I would have to say Infinite world and Burst limit, both felt fast paced for its time.

Thanks. I will check them out. What about current gen? Anything you might recommend in the last couple of years or so?

FighterZ was pretty good from a fighting game aspect. Other than that id say maybe Kakarot or XV2 but I'm not a fan of the Xenoverse series.

[Koitsukai]

XV2 is repetitive and the AI is not intelligent at all, it's more like artificial stupidity, but the fighting is nice. There are several comboes and it's not too bad. The beams plainly suck, they look like they are from PS2.

Kakarot is kinda repetitive but each version of a character (base, SS, SS2, etc and Surge) has a distinctive combination of melee attacks and that is great. And the beams look so real.

FighterZ is the best by far in terms of combat, IMO.

[FlpShimizu]

Budokai 3. Would be Infinite World, but I like my beam struggles.

[DBZAOTA482]

Budokai 3. Can never get bored with it whether I'm playing alone or with friends. It's really fast-paced and before FighterZ came out, it was arguably the best we had in terms of being a fighting game.

[Yuli Ban]

In terms of raw fighting game feel, FighterZ is almost unparalleled. I say almost because Super Dragon Ball Z was a thing, though it wasn't as good. FighterZ is otherwise probably the first time Dragon Ball— an internationally renowned, multibillion-dollar series all about fighting and martial arts combat— has ever managed to play with the Big Boys of fighting games. It clearly has done something right, and I can only wish upon the dragon balls that the inevitable sequel builds on everything it did right to give us a GOAT-tier fighter.

In terms of feeling like DBZ, Budokai Tenkaichi 3/Sparking! METEOR is it. A lot of hard-to-master mechanics in that one let down only by the overly-large roster making multiple characters feel more like skin swaps of the same character. The Raging Blast games are technically the same and even added a few details, and yet I still feel this one was the truest culmination of everything coming together whereas those felt like steps back. It being an over-the-shoulder 3D fighter helps it, if you ask me. While I like Budokai 3, free-form movement always strikes me as "more Dragon Ball." It's not the absolute best it could have been, but for what we got, they did a good job and I'd gladly play this one any day.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Dragon Ball Advanced Adventure, it was very much based on technicality and skill though, so may not be everyone's cup of tea. It's a great hidden gem, and one of the few games focused on original Dragon Ball. I wish its kind could make a comeback.

Budokai 3 was brilliant too because of the combos you could do, and it's great roster of 42 characters that were well picked that you could do versus and fighting with. It also had the right balance between beautiful visuals and depth for people who wanted something more than surface level.

[Gridlock]

Previously it would be Tenkaichi 3, with was my gold standard for years. Now it's FighterZ.

[Civic]

FighterZ for the 2.5D fighting, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for the 'float around and fire ki beams all day' variety.

[FoolsGil]

Super Dragonball Z for the PS2. Besides Fighterz, it's probably the only other game that Non-DBZ fans would enjoy playing. Damn shame it never got an updated Re-Release. What I enjoyed about it the most was it was the closest thing to other fighters, it was Street Fighter/Capcom influenced, and wasn't 2.5D, but fully 3D. Not much like it exists these days.

[DBZAOTA482]

Super Dragonball Z for the PS2. Besides Fighterz, it's probably the only other game that Non-DBZ fans would enjoy playing.

It was a common thing back in the day for people to say "you don't have to be a fan to enjoy Budokai 3!".

[sunsetshimmer]

Tenkaichi Tag Team for PSP. It was basically Tenkaichi Budokai 3 but with 2vs2 battles. I always considered Tenkaichi series to had the best feeling in combat and being most faithful to anime.

I also like DBZ The Legend for PS1. It was very unique game and allowed even 3 vs 3 battles.

Majority of realtime DB fighting games are 1vs1. Xenoverse allows 3vs3 battles but i really dislike combat in this game.

Dragon Ball Advanced Adventure, it was very much based on technicality and skill though, so may not be everyone's cup of tea. It's a great hidden gem, and one of the few games focused on original Dragon Ball. I wish its kind could make a comeback.

Also this. Very underrated game.

[ZeroAnnihilated]

So, the evolution of the Tenkaichi series has continued over the past decade and a half, with most of its advancements going unnoticed by a majority of the DBZ gaming community. I hold not intention to dump on any other DBZ game, or any other fighting game for that matter, for I am and always have been a combat console player at heart, and I share a love for nearly all fighting games I've experienced.

That said, there have been some new developments in the Tenkaichi community regarding technical execution and overall meta that is worth consideration and I think it's at least something interesting to take home.

When looking at the concept of APM (Actions Per Minute), many people equate this to the representation of skill in real time strategy games, such as StarCraft. While it doesn't always dictate the winner of the game, it often reflects skill and high probability of victory. In such games, a player with an APM of ~300 is considered good/decent. Those who can push to 400-500 are considered "good" in the technical sense. And we've even heard of player sustaining upward of 600 APM. The current record of burst APM is 818 by Park Sung-Joon. For those of you who are bad at math like me, that's roughly pitching out 14 buttons in a single second for a limited time.

In fighting games, APM's are not considered to reflect probability of victory in the same sense, for in fighting games, one is not required to prepare for combat - he/she is ready as soon as the match begins. There are different styles in fighting games, be it based on aggression or defense... in which high APM's may be counterproductive when patience is key. But high APM (not button mashing) still represents a TECHNICAL mastery of a game at the highest level... regardless of who wins the match. So victory... really just comes down to the player.

However, when we look at a game like Super Smash Brothers Melee, we see top players pushing out APM's of 100-300, sustained. I don't know about you guys, but I always found SSBM to be extremely entertaining with high intensity and jaw dropping moments. So it seems to be that the value of high APM can not only depend on the type of gaming genre, but even vary between sub genres - SSBM apparently being one of them.

I mention all of this because it's important to understand that just because a game has high APM's, it doesn't mean it dictates the victor. Flip the coin, just because a game is of the fighting genre doesn't mean APM is irrelevant.

Among many reasons, I pick Tenkaichi 2. At the highest level of Tenkaichi 2 technical mastery, proper execution requires frame perfect inputs with a sustained APM of over 1,000. My personal current sustained APM is 1,150, with bursts reaching 1,680. This doesn't make the game any better or worse because we all have our preferences, so I won't waste time trying to change anyone's mind. BUT... if you are looking for a game that will truly test your skills and break your hands... DBZ BT2 is the game of choice, though my doctor would not recommend.