Boy, anime games are pouring in lately, aren't they? Well, the anime scene by itself has seen a significant boost, thanks to the likes of Cartoon Network and the Toonami and Adult Swim blocks that cherish it so, as well as other dedicated networks and DVD releases. High among these lists is Dragon Ball Z, created many years ago and capturing legions of fans across the world. For years, the fanbase has grown even larger, and Atari recognizes this, so they were quick to pick up the DBZ distribution license here for the States. However, it hasn't been quite so rewarding.

I won't talk about the ridiculously bad PlayStation games, nor will I talk about the average start of the Budokai series years ago. But I will bring up two specific examples that show the state of this brand- Budokai 3 and Sagas. Budokai 3, while trying to reinvent the brand with a quest-like mode and more focused fighting, couldn't even get off the ground due to too many gameplay problems and quirks that failed to draw in fans. And Sagas...blech. The idea had merit but the development, done by a completely different team, was flawed in every direction and buried this sucker quicker than a dog hiding a T-bone in the backyard.

But Atari is aware of its failures, and has enlisted fame fighting developer Spike to take the helm for a little bit. The result of their fruition is Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi< a game that has promised, more than any product before it, that it was dedicated to the fans, complete with a stellar array of new modes, a promising power-up system, and the kind of fighting that would make a downright nutty Piccolo fan gasp like the hero he idolizes. But promises are a funny thing- sometimes they're kept, and sometimes they're emptier than my bank account after a bad girlfriend.

Consider this a mild promise, depending on your approach. The game itself is vastly changed from what you might expect in the Budokai brand, but that doesn't necessarily make it better. Spike has done an interesting touch with the fighting here, allowing gamers to use charge-up meters to prepare hardcore distance attacks, but they've limited the combo punches and kicks to one button, meaning that, while you can use the combination of the two, you really fail to connect with the feeling that you're fighting for a reason. It seems pretty mindless. In fact, during one match, I was using Cell and just plowing my opponent with charged attack after charged attack and easily cleaning his clock. So much for balance.

It follows the theme of the show, which was all about ridiculous airborne attacks and fireballs so bright they could burn down a forest with one pass-over. But that doesn't mean that Spike couldn't generate any fun, so it's perplexing to see why they didn't. The game does give you the ability to power-up any of your given fighters with the help of the Evolution Z system, even giving you the chance to fuse items together to form even stronger items. But this rarely comes into play during combat, only when you time it in just the right manner. I don't think I have the patience to stomach that.