We gamers, especially us older ones, are an unforgiving bunch. It's not always our fault. After investing our youth into these life-fulfilling products, we are used to disappointment. We have seen cheap flops and big budget disasters. We have watched once beloved companies favor stockholders over their customers.
We tend to dump our cynicism, vitriol, and general disdain on licensed games. Take Dragon Ball Z, for instance. There are thirty-seven hundred Dragon Ball Z games in existence now. Among them, maybe seven are good.
Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku was not one of those. To be fair, it was not the worst game I ever played. Thanks to a helpful ROM patch, I finished it without suffering through its worst aspects. It was, however, very mediocre, and by the time I neared the end, I was past ready for it to be over.
Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II is a staggering, and rare, example of a development team making a positive turnaround. The legends are indeed true. I don't know what kind of Dramamine Webfoot abused while programming the first game, but it is evident they worked their issues out in rehab here. Legacy II improves upon everything its predecessor did wrong.
Whereas the first game covered the Saiyan and Freeza sagas of DBZ—barely—The Legacy of Goku II recaps the Android and Cell sagas. As the story begins, Goku has put down the tyrannical supervillain Freeza but has yet to return to Earth, which becomes a problem when Freeza not only survives, but shows up to commit some good ol' fashioned revenge genocide.
Before Goku can intervene, Freeza's mass murder plot is cut short—one might even say, broken apart—in the form of a Super Saiyan teenager named Trunks. He reveals to Goku that he is a time traveler from the future, and that in the future, all is devastation. Two Android antagonists have reduced humanity to almost nothing, the Z-warriors are too dead to fight back, and Goku himself has perished from a heart virus.
For those of us familiar with the source material, these are the arcs that introduced the idea of villains homegrown on Earth being able to outclass not on Freeza, but Super Saiyans as well. The concept was baffling for sure.
There are five characters to pick from this time: Gohan, Trunks, Vegeta, Piccolo, and of course, Goku. Now, for a game called The Legacy of Goku II, our titular Saiyan hero is not playable for most of it. This is the original story's fault, though, not the game's. Characters unlock as the story progresses, and sometimes the player is locked into using one character or another.
Though some parts of the story are glossed over, the game condenses and retells almost 80 episodes of the anime in a way newcomers can follow. The dialogue is derived from the 2000 FUNimation Toonami dub, which sometimes means it sucks; on the other hand, it's expected since an American company developed the game.
Before the plot's presentation gets a chance to shine, however, the first thing that stands out is actual hit detection during combat. Unlike the first game, where the possibility of a successful hit was left to fate, punches and Ki blasts alike land when and where they are supposed to. What's more, a skillful player can engineer combo locks, throwing jab after jab and backing enemies into corners. But enemies can dish out pain, too, breaking free of combo assaults and turning it around. One-on-one fights, therefore, aren't just Win Button spamming. The result is an engaging, and addictive, combat system.
Balance is another huge improvement. Granted, II still requires a lot of grinding to succeed. Walking into a boss fight without leveling up is always going to be a one-sided affair, and new enemies always demonstrate a need for character improvement. The difference is that Gohan can now venture into the woods at level 2 without a wolf one-hitting him. Insta-kill is a past affair. Dicey situations can and still do happen, but now they are escapable in some way, not a guarantee of failure.
As the story goes on, new areas in what becomes an open Dragon World map unlock. The player has the option to rush from one end of the story to the other, barring all the necessary grinding. Far from being a linear connect-the-dots from Plot Point A to Point B, however, there are plenty of side tasks. Stranded Namekians need finding, Cooler destroying, and Golden Capsules collecting. The ultimate optional goal is unlocking Mr. Satan—or 'Hercule,' to us puritanical Americans—at the end of the game.
Yes.
It all adds up to a game full of addictive, mindless fun. The only problem I have is one infamously frustrating, mandatory task involving dinosaur eggs, in what amounts to an old 'sneak past the guards' stealth mission. It's a rare low point in what is otherwise a well-polished product.
Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II is a great game on its own merits. It's proof that a team can redeem itself after a blunder. While I am very impressed, I can't help but feel sad as well. This is the game Legacy of Goku should have been. A shame, really; I would have loved to play through Tree of Might while searching for Dragon Balls.
Final Grade: A-