Dragon Ball Z: Legends, is the only DBZ game from the PS1 era that wasn’t published for

us English-speaking gamers. Which is really my favorite aspect because you know what’s

the best part about imports? Making your own subtitles.

No, but seriously; if you’ve ever seen the Z series or played one of the many games then

you know what you’re in for as far as story goes; it’s the same ol’ same ol’. The

story mode has you fighting as various heroes throughout the Dragon ball Z series while

battling antagonists from Napa and Vageta to Freeza and Buu. But, since the game is

in Japanese the story isn’t really worth mentioning, either you already know it from

the show or you’re going to need to be fluent in Japanese.

So, combat; that’s what matters. What separates Legends from most other Dragon

ball games is the group combat; it’s sort of like a tag team match but everyone is fighting

simultaneously whether you’re directly controlling them or not. So, it’s the Battle Royale

of DBZ. The upside to this battle extravaganza is that it has a huge roster, from three different

Buus and Debora to Great Saiyaman and all of the androids; the downside is that they

all fight the exact same. Blocks, punch and kick barrages, small projectiles

and power-ups are the tools that every character uses to win battles. There are also three

major components to victory: the health bar, the Ki meter and the Power Balance at the

bottom of the screen. None of the characters’ health is reduced simply from being attacked,

the trick is that every combatant influences the Power Balance bar; if your team is winning

then you’ll tip the balance in your favor and one of your characters will go into a

special move which will then damage the targeted foe. This tug-of-war system really captures

the never-ending 20 episode struggle that Dragon ball is so accustomed to.

The combat does become repetitive since basically every character fights the same way; really

the only thing that differentiates them is their default handicap and a couple of unique

cut-scene attacks. But, it’s still fun to unlock the truckload of characters through

the story mode and a Dragon ball Z battle Royale with friends can be a blast.