For several years, Atari has released many Dragon Ball Z fighting games and each one is better than the previous. With this year’s game, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Atari has pulled out all the stops to give players the biggest and most complete game yet! There are two questions that need to be answered though: since this anime series popularity is slowly declining in the United States, does this game come too little too late?; and having played most of the previous games, does this one contain enough new features to warrant its purchase?

As stated before, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is one of the most jam-packed Dragon Ball Z games to date. The game modes players can participate in are: Dragon History, Dragon Net Battle, Ultimate Battle, Dragon World Tour, Duel, Ultimate Training, and Evolution Z. Dragon History is the story mode for this game where players will be able to relive some of the most exciting battles in the Dragon Ball Z canon.

Ultimate Battle allows players to take on the best fighters in the series in ladder-style challenges. There are two different modes to choose from: Sim Dragon and Mission 100. Sim Dragon is a battle simulator where players train, in order to gain strength, for 10 days and afterwards battle against a powerful character. What makes this feat challenging is during the 10-day training course, players may actually lose health and power. Many times players might go straight into a battle severely handicapped. Mission 100 is a ladder-based tournament with various conditions for winning, and obtain various prizes based on players' performance.

Dragon World Tour is where players can compete in various king-of–the–hill style tournaments to win prizes, Z points, and powers for use in the Evolution Z mode. Duel mode is the verses mode for the game where players can immediately jump in and satisfy their hostile fighting cravings. Players can select to play against a computer, another person, or watch two computers fight. Ultimate Training is exactly how it sounds: players will be able to learn the in-and-outs of the game, and try to become the best fighter in the universe. It is highly suggested that players look at this mode when they play the game for the first time. That way, they will learn how it plays, and get used to the motion controls. Last up is the Evolution Z mode where players can spend their Z points and customize their favorite characters with various items to make them more efficient in battle.

Dragon Net Battle is a unique game mode since it is the first time that players will be allowed to fight against other players online. Once loaded, there are several options to choose from, such as custom and normal battle, friend battle, and ranking battle. Custom battle is where players can fight with their customized characters (created in Evolution Z mode), but normal battle only allows default characters to fight. Friend battle allows players to fight with players only on their friends' lists. Ranking battles allows players to put their points (and pride) on the line and see what kind of ranking that they can obtain against gamers from around the world.

The character roster for this game is outrageous! Players will have a hard time trying to find a character that is NOT listed in the franchise's universe. The developers took characters from anything relating to the Dragon Ball franchise (movies, television shows, etc.), and put them in this game. What makes this even better is that players can customize each character with various power-ups and items, which makes the character roster even more exceptional.

The graphics are starting to show their age, since this title is originally developed for the PlayStation 2, but overall they look nice. The characters are nicely detailed and the animations are very well done. The various environments that players will battle in are also properly detailed, and many fans will notice the locations and can identify them with the show. The levels are also destroyable, which is nice because this makes the game close to how the show acts; the bigger the impact the more damage it does to the location and the player’s health.

The one thing that makes the Wii version of this game superior to the PlayStation 2 version is the motion controls. This game makes full use of the Wii-mote and the ability to do various gestures in the midst of battle. At first this will be hard for players to get accustomed to, especially if you have played any of the games on other consoles, but once acclimated to the controls, you will wonder how you played without them. One thing that makes the controls so fun is that many of the special movess mimic the actions on the show. This brings the game one step closer to realism for the players, and makes it that much more enjoyable.

The voice acting for this game is top notch, and purists will love that they can choose between the English or Japanese voice actors. Just as in the anime series the characters will say their trademark phrases, which should generate shivers own players' spines when engaged in battle. This game also carries the signature sound effects and musical themes that fans of the series have grown accustomed to hearing.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is rated Teen for cartoon violence and mild language.

Gameplay: 7.9
The developers did a great job by capturing the feeling of the TV show. The battles that players will partake in are very fast paced and action packed. This is made even better with the motion controls as it puts players into the actual fight, since some of the motions are the same the characters make when performing a special move.

Graphics: 8.3
The graphics are starting to show their age in this game, but it looks decent, and does a great job of mimicking the “look and feel” of the television series. The damage to the various levels as players constantly fight is a nice touch.

Sound: 8.0
The sound for this game is really good and stays faithful to both the English and Japanese shows since it features the voices from both series. The music and sound effects are also really good.

Difficulty: Medium
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 provides a nice challenge to gamers out there. The AI is adjustable to player's skill level, but there will be fights where the temptation to throw the controller at the screen comes in, but overall the game is very balanced.

Concept: 8.0
Players will really enjoy the large roster of characters and the ability to play online.

Multiplayer: 8.3
The multiplayer for this game is really great. Not only can players challenge friends in their living room, but they can also go online to get their fighting fix. The main problem is the numerous connection issues that players will face trying to log on.

Overall: 8.0
The developers of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 went above and beyond to create this game. The large cast ensemble and various game modes will have players occupied for a long time. The game only gets better since you are able to play online. This will be one game that will stay in players' consoles for a while.