Looking back, "Budokai" was really a crappy game

[Jord]

The cutscenes were nice, but the gameplay pretty much blew. I bought it for NGC which had somewhat better graphics but the gameplay was the same.

The worst thing had to be the transformations. A transfomered state drained KI. Now that is bad, but every higher transformed state drained MORE KI. It was virtually impossible to maintain SSJ Goku and SSJ2Gohan states.

O yeah, and the NGC version was pretty much censored with blood removed and questionable subtitles.

[Taku128]

The cutscenes were nice, but the gameplay pretty much blew. I bought it for NGC which had somewhat better graphics but the gameplay was the same.

The worst thing had to be the transformations. A transfomered state drained KI. Now that is bad, but every higher transformed state drained MORE KI. It was virtually impossible to maintain SSJ Goku and SSJ2Gohan states.

O yeah, and the NGC version was pretty much censored with blood removed and questionable subtitles.

I thought the draining energy helped show the transformations the way they were in the tv show. It makes no sense in Budokai 3 when they gain energy.

[Mr.Piccolo]

I see what you're saying but that's probably because we're used to Budokai3 and this "generation" of gaming. I played B1 a few weeks back and its almost unbearable but when I first picked it up for the PS2, I thought it was a godsend. Its weird, I won't stand for B1 and its graphics, but I can pick up Ocarina of Time right now and I'll have no problem. I guess the other elements of the game have to make up for the visuals...

-Rick

[Kaboom]

Because Z:OoT was and is a legendary game. Who cares about its N64 graphics?

Budokai 1? Aw, c'mon, don't be so hard on it. It's the only one of the 3 that I've played a significant amount of (only because my cousin has itfor her Ps2), and I like it. For the very first in a series that would only be "perfected" on the third time around, it's very good.

[Mystic Jack]

I actually think it's an excellent game considering what the company that made it had to work with, which was pretty much squat all.

[Pedro The Hutt]

Don't forget the dreaded yellow kamehameha!

As to Ki-drain that was present in Budokai 1 & 2, I have no issues with it. All the more reason for me not to use SSJ Goku. XD Plus there are alternatives to buffing up your strength. And decrease the ki drain.

And I'm with Taku, it nicely showcases that these high transformed states (such as SSJ3) actually drain one's energy. Plus with careful capsule set-ups and making sure you keep landing hits you can maintain those forms.

Although personally I just prefer to put in capsules that boost power without the need to transform, or just one form and have more slots left for attacks and other useful goodies (like the capsule that reduces the ki-usage of specials by half)

[Deus ex Machina]

Well of course Budokai 1 is going to look bad by comparison; it's successors were all built on the frame work that game created. I still have fond memories of that game because when it came out, it was the only DragonBall game of its kind. UB22 and Legends had nothing on it.

I'll agree though, it's difficult to go back and play it now. I'm so used to Budokai 3 that 1 feels like I'm playing with a broken controller. But where else do you get to play as Vegeta and wipe out the Z-senshi, or see Cell's ultimate absorption of Kuririn?

[Hao_Kaiser]

I really like the story mode in Budokai, and as a... uh, at the time, dubbie, it was only the 2nd DBZ game I'd ever played, and only the third I'd ever heard of, and I loved it. I stayed up and beat the story mode on when I got it on Christmas.

It's neat to play for nostalgias sake... and that "Legend of Hercule" thing was awesome.

So, like I said, I loved Budokai... but I also loved Legacy of Goku, and thought that Final Bout was the coolest game I'd ever heard of... so, I guess that de-bunks my opinion.

[Ma Junior]

At least Budokai had those little movies inbetween. That's the only thing it had on B2 in my opinion.

[Jord]

Well the Ki draining maybe had its reasons around the Freeza saga but around the Cell saga you should be able to maintain a Goku SSJ1 status easily. It got even worse in Budokai 2 where Mytic Gohan (when his Mystic form was noted for not waisting ki) soaked up even more KI than SSJ Gohan.

[Jodaku]

I played through Budokai 1's stroy mode a few months back and it was a bit unbareable to play, as Mr Piccolo said. The graphics haven't aged too badly tho' IMO and the cut scenes are still great.

[djkalteraphine]

Last time I attempted to play B1 was after B3 was out, and I was in the last month stretch before Sparking! came out. I kept trying to teleport. I agree that it's hard to play now, but just try going back and playing Final Bout.

A little off-topic but, I think the Budokai engine has more untapped potential than Sparking! or Super DBZ. I'd love nothing more than a new Budokai.

[Mr.Piccolo]

I still appreciate Butoden 2 over Budokai 1 and Budoten had yellow kamehamehas as well. When I played B1, I always wanted to reenact certain bouts so to do that, my opponent and I would have to establish powering up early, "allowing" customs, etc. That's probably one of the reasons why I enjoy BT: you pick a form and you stick to it. And yes, Kaboom, I know Z:0oT is a classic *uses dins fire*

-Rick

[Eclipse]

I have fond memories of Budokai, it being my first plunge into Dragon Ball Z (both video game-ically, and canon wise too). I played the game a bit while ago, and had no problems with it. But that's probably due to the fact I own (and pretty much mastered) Budokai 2

But yeah, it was a great game.

And I'm with Taku, it nicely showcases that these high transformed states (such as SSJ3) actually drain one's energy. Plus with careful capsule set-ups and making sure you keep landing hits you can maintain those forms.

I kept using Angel's Halo for Vegeta in B2 =P

[future_trunks]

Well thats pretty much how video games work.
They come out and the graphics are amazing and gameplay is great but then something else comes out that is better and then the game seems worse than you used to think.

[Li'l Lemmy]

I actually got the first Budokai game about a year after it game out-- it was the reason I picked up a PS2, when at last I could afford it-- and damn if I didn't think it was the best thing I had ever seen. (Cel-shading? What's that?) It was like being thrown straight into the show.

And say what you will about how it compares to the games coming out now, but there's never been a story mode quite like the first one. So much so where I almost get tired of hearing people bitch about the difference.

[Jord]

Well thats pretty much how video games work.
They come out and the graphics are amazing and gameplay is great but then something else comes out that is better and then the game seems worse than you used to think.

Well that's not always the case with fighting games. There are a lot of older fighting games which are still fun to play nowadays. The past Streetfighters, Fatal Fury's, heck the Butoden and Hypoer Dimension games are still fun despite their age.

[Rocketman]

And I'm with Taku, it nicely showcases that these high transformed states (such as SSJ3) actually drain one's energy. Plus with careful capsule set-ups and making sure you keep landing hits you can maintain those forms.

So Super Saiyan drains Goku more than Kaioken x20 did?

[Sun_Wukong]

I also have good memories of it, it was my first PS2 game and I spent all of New Years eve 2002 playing it with a friend. We missed the ball drop because of it. Looking back on it, the graphics seemed dated, but I had fun with it.

[chibi_goten]

I loved Budokai.

Sure it's dated now, but at the time it was awesome. It was the best DBZ game of the time. I liked the pictures of the fighters in the world tournament. I liked the cut scenes, I think the main thing I had a problem with was the long loading times.