Greatest DBZ games of all time?

[Daimo-Rukiri]

Oof, no Super DragonBall Z here? Harsh. X3

I second, and Dragon Ball Legends for the playstation.

How'd I forget that one? I have to rank it slightly above the SNES RPG, it's quite fun!

The Snes RPG felt like the other famicom games, sure you can walk and fly around but there isn't much activity and it's not like you can explore the world... It was a good game, but had it allowed for exploration would have made it epic.
Upcoming BOZ reminds me of Legends...a lot.

[hulkty]

I'll never understand the big deal about Super DBZ...got extremely boring after a few games for me. The only cool thing was a playable Adult Chi-Chi... :/
Obviously the best overall is Budokai 3, but others will argue over Tenkaichi 3 because of the roster and gameplay.
Personally, my favorite is Raging Blast 2. Would have been the perfect game if it had a better roster. SSj3 Vegeta and Broly help ease it though.

[MCDaveG]

greatest of all time...... That's difficult really. I'd say Sparking! Meteor and Infinite World. These are games that I replayed so much and probably one of the most played games I have and still play even today!
Behind them is RB2 when I want to play on TV in HD, but I have to play downloaded Japanese soundtrack for RB2 from flash-drive.

[Quebaz]

I'll never understand the big deal about Super DBZ...got extremely boring after a few games for me. The only cool thing was a playable Adult Chi-Chi... :/
Obviously the best overall is Budokai 3, but others will argue over Tenkaichi 3 because of the roster and gameplay.
Personally, my favorite is Raging Blast 2. Would have been the perfect game if it had a better roster. SSj3 Vegeta and Broly help ease it though.

I take it you're not a fan of Quarter-Circle inputs, or just never got to play this with friends. Because seriously, this game, even at a novice level (and by that I mean just doing what the movelist tells you) is amazing specially with friends (specially if you have a mem card with all the characters with all the movesets+colors), and when you get into the deepness of the game, then it's the best DBZ game ever.

[dbzfan7]

I'll never understand the big deal about Super DBZ...got extremely boring after a few games for me. The only cool thing was a playable Adult Chi-Chi... :/
Obviously the best overall is Budokai 3, but others will argue over Tenkaichi 3 because of the roster and gameplay.
Personally, my favorite is Raging Blast 2. Would have been the perfect game if it had a better roster. SSj3 Vegeta and Broly help ease it though.

I agree. I played through the whole thing and while fun it wasn't that good. The ultimate attacks are a pain in the ass.

I thought RB2 had a perfect roster for the most part (Z standards). If it had Create a Character, GT characters, and a story mode it would have been perfect.

[MCDaveG]

I'll never understand the big deal about Super DBZ...got extremely boring after a few games for me. The only cool thing was a playable Adult Chi-Chi... :/
Obviously the best overall is Budokai 3, but others will argue over Tenkaichi 3 because of the roster and gameplay.
Personally, my favorite is Raging Blast 2. Would have been the perfect game if it had a better roster. SSj3 Vegeta and Broly help ease it though.

I take it you're not a fan of Quarter-Circle inputs, or just never got to play this with friends. Because seriously, this game, even at a novice level (and by that I mean just doing what the movelist tells you) is amazing specially with friends (specially if you have a mem card with all the characters with all the movesets+colors), and when you get into the deepness of the game, than it's the best DBZ ever.

My issue will be the friends! As I'm huge fan of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, but really, once you played arcade mode, survivor and unlock all missing characters, you played the game. At least, if there was some arcade story mode for each character, like in SF4 for example and than special end titles! That will be different. But with beating arcade mode for each alternate colour, it starts to be boring pretty soon.
Things I love about Super DBZ tough. !!Remixed DBZ themes in Japanese version!!, the manga look, character customizations and characters like Piccolo Daimao, Mecha-Freeza, Chi-Chi and Gohan with Kaioshin outfit!

[Quebaz]

My issue will be the friends! As I'm huge fan of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, but really, once you played arcade mode, survivor and unlock all missing characters, you played the game. At least, if there was some arcade story mode for each character, like in SF4 for example and than special end titles! That will be different. But with beating arcade mode for each alternate colour, it starts to be boring pretty soon.
Things I love about Super DBZ tough. !!Remixed DBZ themes in Japanese version!!, the manga look, character customizations and characters like Piccolo Daimao, Mecha-Freeza, Chi-Chi and Gohan with Kaioshin outfit!

I feel that Super DBZ is a great game, released at the wrong time. Had it been released during 2009-2010 on the current-gen with, of course, online, I could see it being one of the most loved DBZ games ever. Because at the time It was released, everyone was either expecting a Budokai 4 or Tenkaichi 2 (the latter being released months), so just a few could get this game and enjoy it for what it is.
And yes, the arcade mode gets boring after awhile, then again, I'm still in highschool, and I usually just take this game with me to school and play it on the library and a friend's PS2, so all of a sudden lots of students are watching us play and it gives a great feel, I have tried this before with DBZB3 and T3 and most of them gave up.

[MCDaveG]

Yeah well, people are usually in general familiar with classic controls for fighting game, so I believe that SDBZ can be better party choice from all the games and not those hybrids the DBZ fans so much adore.
Well, Budokai series maybe, but my friend was caught off guard and puzzled with doing special attacks only by arrow and button and Budokai Tenkaichi series is really alien to people.
I remember when we played it (The first BT) for the first time when drunk and stoned years ago on some party and nobody was able to do anything with it, only some time later, someone was able to go to the enemy and punch him.....
Fuuu, I don't know if it's banned on this message board, but me and lots of people in Europe are smoking weed sometimes. It's harmless fun, but hell, some people can take it to disaster levels..... in any case, I'm sorry to the mods
and if it's a problem, I will alter my message
So SDBZ is my party choice for playing with unfamiliar people ) But the odds are for SF, Tekken and MK anyway.

[Quebaz]

You should try playing with them when you have all the skills and colors unlocked (it's boring to get all of them I know), I remeber some guys really liking the color choices while I was playing another dude and most of them noticing the diferent skills in our memory cards. (Well, yeah they will probably choose the other 3 options if you give them the chance).

Also, I have bad memories trying out BT1 with my friends back when it first came out (I was in 3rd grade I think), we were all on this rich guy friend house, and nobody could figure out the controlls, we literaly had to go to the tutorial to understand them.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

From the modern games (2002-2013), I would say (not in that order):

Dragon Ball Z 3
Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! METEOR
Dragon Ball Online
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2

These are my favorites so far (BTW, I haven't played yet Super DBZ).

[Rukura]

I'm gonna assume that the topic is meant as "Dragon Ball" as a whole and not just Dragon Ball Z. Here goes, in no particular order:

Advanced Adventure - A really solid and fun 2D platforming beat-'em-up, with a 2D fighting portion. It's basically two good games that complement each other well, making a great game. (Something we never got for the original Dragon Ball since. No, I don't have a Wii so I still haven't played Revenge of King Piccolo.)
Hyper Dimension - Yes, I'm one of those guys I see Hyper Dimension as the Super DBZ to Super Butoden's Budokai. It tried a new type of sprite visual that I thought worked really well, and it was a traditional 2D fighter with a few twists in the gameplay. It was something new, in the middle of all the card games, rpgs and Super Butoden series, and it was good.
Super Dragon Ball Z - Manga-style visuals like we'd never had before and haven't had since. It was a good fighting game and it was fun to get into. Good character costumization, even down to their attacks and abilities. Kuririn as the best character in the game. Chi-chi with kinto'un, nyoi-bo and the basho fan. Gohan with the Kaioshin outfit and both his swords.
Infinite World - You could go through the Serpentine Road for the first time in a Dragon Ball game! And explore a place to find a Dragon Ball. You had to catch Bubbles and aim those practise Spirit Bombs at the incoming bricks. You didn't spend more than half the playtime flying from point A to B. And it had the familiar Budokai 3 gameplay, but with the refinements of the Shin Budokai games and without having to rage because of Hyper Mode and Dragon Rush (HD Collection sparked that hate all over again lol). It's the Budokai 4 that some people still ask for.
Sparking! METEOR - Its major flaw was it being advertised (including by fans of it) as "Naw, it's TOTALLY a deep serious fighter, with really unique characters". It's a game where you simulate the actions of the anime and let's you beat other characters up with it. That's all it is. And if that's what you're looking for, this is where it's (still) at.
Attack of the Saiyans - Good, simple, fun RPG. Made good use of all the filler to extend the story. Only flaws: Who the secret boss is; Not having a post-end-game, thus never being able to fully complete the game; LACK OF SEQUEL.
Ultimate Butoden - Really fun fighting. Really fun character costumization. Really fun what-if scenarios. Flaws: NO WESTERN RELEASE or sequel.
Supersonic Warriors - Fun fighting. Interesting what-ifs. Different from every other handheld Dragon Ball game up to that point.

Honorable mentions: Ultimate Tenkaichi - A good example of what a console Dragon Ball game can/should look like (despite the anime models with manga shading) A reminder that we're probably never gonna get a new game that looks great AND is great, but one or the other.

[Rostir]

Dragon Ball Z: Idainaru Dragon Ball Densetsu
Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku 2
Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

[DBZ Mick]

You could go through the Serpentine Road for the first time in a Dragon Ball game!

That was in the original Legacy of Goku.

[Rukura]

You could go through the Serpentine Road for the first time in a Dragon Ball game!

That was in the original Legacy of Goku.

Fair enough lol. I was thinking in terms of a main 3D home console game, since we also got it later in Attack of the Saiyans.

Small tangent, out of the american made DB games I only ever really played GT Transformation. Should I play I, II and Buu's Fury or just the last two?

[Gyt Kaliba]

I completely forgot about the mini-games in Infinite World. That aspect alone puts it up there with my list of favorites, though I remember haaaatttiiinnggg the one where you had to hide from people as Cell.

Small tangent, out of the american made DB games I only ever really played GT Transformation. Should I play I, II and Buu's Fury or just the last two?

I, personally, would recommend starting with the original Legacy of Goku - but go into it with low expectations. I recommend starting with this one though so that you can even further appreciate how improved II is from it when you get to playing that one.

[MCDaveG]

You could go through the Serpentine Road for the first time in a Dragon Ball game!

That was in the original Legacy of Goku.

But it felt real in IW, not like drunken parent lost in lunapark.

[Daimo-Rukiri]

My issue will be the friends! As I'm huge fan of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, but really, once you played arcade mode, survivor and unlock all missing characters, you played the game. At least, if there was some arcade story mode for each character, like in SF4 for example and than special end titles! That will be different. But with beating arcade mode for each alternate colour, it starts to be boring pretty soon.
Things I love about Super DBZ tough. !!Remixed DBZ themes in Japanese version!!, the manga look, character customizations and characters like Piccolo Daimao, Mecha-Freeza, Chi-Chi and Gohan with Kaioshin outfit!

I feel that Super DBZ is a great game, released at the wrong time. Had it been released during 2009-2010 on the current-gen with, of course, online, I could see it being one of the most loved DBZ games ever. Because at the time It was released, everyone was either expecting a Budokai 4 or Tenkaichi 2 (the latter being released months), so just a few could get this game and enjoy it for what it is.
And yes, the arcade mode gets boring after awhile, then again, I'm still in highschool, and I usually just take this game with me to school and play it on the library and a friend's PS2, so all of a sudden lots of students are watching us play and it gives a great feel, I have tried this before with DBZB3 and T3 and most of them gave up.

Yes, it's still better than any of the games released so far labeled as "fighting games" I wouldn't even call them fighting games as the controls are a smack in the face to the fighting genre.
It would have been better if it was released on the PS3 or 360, online support, HD, however if this was the first dbz game released in 2002 I think the ladder would have had horrible reviews (like they don't already?)

[DBZ Mick]

You could go through the Serpentine Road for the first time in a Dragon Ball game!

That was in the original Legacy of Goku.

Fair enough lol. I was thinking in terms of a main 3D home console game, since we also got it later in Attack of the Saiyans.

Small tangent, out of the american made DB games I only ever really played GT Transformation. Should I play I, II and Buu's Fury or just the last two?

Yeah, like Kaliba said, I'd start with the original (play it with the invincibility cheat, seriously). I know lots of more experienced RPG players don't like them but since I'm not really good at the genre, I REALLY enjoyed them, especially LOGII which is my favourite Dragonball game.

[Rukura]

I completely forgot about the mini-games in Infinite World. That aspect alone puts it up there with my list of favorites, though I remember haaaatttiiinnggg the one where you had to hide from people as Cell.

I might have to replay the story mode because I don't remember that one at all. Granted, all the flying and running stages had some getting used to, and could be a bit iffy at times, I was still the first (and only?!) time we got to do a lot of stuff like that in a 3D environment

I, personally, would recommend starting with the original Legacy of Goku - but go into it with low expectations. I recommend starting with this one though so that you can even further appreciate how improved II is from it when you get to playing that one.

(play it with the invincibility cheat, seriously).

Fair enough. For the first one, I'll totally use that cheat, since I've heard how frustrating it can be . From what I've seen, from II and "III", it definitely looks fun and like something I can enjoy. Kinda sad that they didn't just improve on it for the GT story... (I would really like an Attack of the Saiyans or Legacy of Goku style GT game) Thanks, guys!

[MCDaveG]

Legacy of Goku is pretty easy to play. All you have to do is running away from your enemy and spamming ki blasts at him. Punching is completely useless feature.