Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo review

Simplified to the point of emptiness

12DOVE Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Doesn't require a million remote inputs

  • +

    Nice anime flair in the camera

  • +

    Fits the material in style

Cons

  • -

    Mindless button-thumping

  • -

    Combat fails to up the stakes

  • -

    No landscape-splitting theatrics

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After two mind-frazzling Wii beat-’em-ups (roughly 800 remote inputs to throw a single punch), things cool down in Dragon Ball’s latest. It makes sense: it covers the earlier pre-Z adventures. Simpler times deserve simpler play – so it’s out with finger gymnastics, in with mindless button-thumping as Goku churns his way through a tame scrolling brawler.

Has it gone too far? There’s nice anime flair in the sudden camera zooms used to capture close-up pummellings, but we miss the landscape-splitting theatrics of the earlier Wii games. And combat fails to ever up the stakes – swiping goons into the air and pounding them back down remains the chosen tactic from start to finish. Small, but not perfectly formed.

Oct 20, 2009

More info

GenreAdventure
DescriptionThere’s nice anime flair in the sudden camera zooms used to capture close-up pummellings, but we miss the landscape-splitting theatrics of the earlier Wii games.
Franchise nameDragon Ball
UK franchise nameDragon Ball Z
Platform"Wii"
US censor rating"Everyone 10+"
UK censor rating"12+"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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