Goku, Vegeta, Son Gohan … Akira Toriyama’s eternal creations have enjoyed a great presence in the world of video games. We rank the top ten games.
Making a top of the best Dragon Ball video games is not easy. First, because the fanservice component changes everything and allows many of us to end up praising one game over another for different reasons that are not always linked to its quality (and if not, tell Final Bout). But it is true that after more than 30 years of video games, with the ‘boom’ of the Butoden in the nineties, the resurgence of the series with Budokai and Tenkaichi in the early 2000s and the good health of recent times with Xenoverse and FighterZ , there is a range of 10-12 games that are among the best. The order, yes, always ends up going to the consumer’s taste. Before we start, mention that because they are games with very peculiarities of their environment, we have omitted mobile titles from the saga and we have focused on consoles. With that said, our order of the 10 best Dragon Ball video games is this.
10. Dragon Ball: Legacy of Goku 2 (GBA)
To say that GBA is surely the platform that has received the most and best Dragon Ball games is not to be wrong. The little Nintendo managed to host several important names, and one of them is Legacy of Goku 2, an Action RPG in which we had many missions to perform, leveling up, learning techniques and all while we were reviewing some of the best events of the series, in addition to presenting us totally original moments that were very well fitted. A fun title, more varied and solid than the first part and a good example that adventure and Dragon Ball can fit in with a good eye.
9. Dragon Ball: Hyper Dimension (SNES)
Hyper Dimension is often a bit forgotten because it was published in the final days of Super Nintendo, with other games in the series already appearing on more powerful consoles. But it’s arguably the most robust fighting 2D of the 1990s in the series. A title that was visually crazy, with animations and sprites from another planet, and that had a combat system closer to Street Fighter than Butoden. That made it less spectacular in the final attacks but gave it a lot of dynamism and a more precise combat system: combos, well-calibrated hitboxes and impressive meteo attacks. The template was scarce, but very well adjusted and the Japanese version had a story mode omitted in the Spanish one. A title that showed that gameplay and Dragon Ball could go hand in hand.
8. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
It has been a year since Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot came into our hands, a game desired by many for what it wanted to offer: the maximum possible fidelity to the Toei anime. And we can say that it succeeds: Kakarot is an extremely faithful game, which likes to recreate itself in mythical details and dialogue and that covers all the events of Z, as well as some originals. The combat system is not as deep as we would like, it is true, and the DLC has turned out worse than expected, but it is the most faithful game to recreate the great events of Toriyama’s work, and a great starting point for future Action RPG-type deliveries that can give the gameplay a boost.
7. Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai (PSP)
Although it may seem that Shin Budokai on PSP is a minor game, as a port inferior to the Budokai 3 experience, there are many who defend it with enormous reasons as one of the great Dragon Ball of all time. And it is because in addition to having the Budokai 3 combat system, it eliminates the Dragon Rush that some people liked so little because it was a random system in a key mechanic, and it was a very dynamic game, with a very complete template and the best : a story mode full of content and moments. In addition to living that in portable mode … Essential.
6. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (PC, PS4, XO, Switch)
The Xenoverse series can be liked a lot or a little depending on each fan, but if we cannot deny something, it is that the current state of Xenoverse 2 is that of a huge game both in content and options. The game is not even the title that It came out five years ago, and has become a real beast in content, in characters, in modalities, which is very worth knowing because even today it continues to expand horizons and fighters. RPG progression system, cooperative combat, a good squad, character creation and a well balanced combat system. All this having fixed connection problems and invitations. Xenoverse 2 is today a much better game than when it came out, and one of the most complete original Dragon Ball experiences that we can find.
5. Dragon Ball: Ultimate Butoden (NDS)
One of the great unknown surprises of Dragon Ball. Incomprehensibly, Ultimate Butoden never came out of Japan being a great title in the series on a console sold worldwide. The title presents a format of big-headed characters but very well recreated, with extreme fidelity in stories and events that we could unlock for hours and a very complete combat system. Close to 1v1 fighting, with a fun and demanding and highly polished counter system. If you have a choice, delve into it because it is a really competent game at all possible levels and a great pity that it did not reach Europe.
4. Dragon Ball Advanced Adventure (GBA)
Surely the biggest complaint we have in Europe is that there are no more and better games from the first stage of Dragon Ball. This has a lot to do with the drift of the fight that the series has always taken and with the fact that in the United States, when Dragon Ball really exploded was with Z. But this does not mean that Gameboy Advance left us a marvel in shape of beat’em up -genre by the way treated in the best way on the platform- in which we relive the adventures of little Goku, from his first meeting with Bulma to ending with Piccolo Daimaoh. The sprites, animations, development and the great mythical battles of the saga, in addition to being very replayable due to having other characters, make it a jewel that evokes the best of little Goku in virtual format.
3. Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi 3 (PS2, Wii)
For many the definitive Dragon Ball. Rather, the ultimate Dragon Ball simulator. As in a video top we put it first a few years ago, today we put it behind Budokai 3. Be that as it may, we are facing the total gathering of characters from the series, with a very complete combat system, full of options and combos and a spectacular brand of the house. Surely the story mode of the 2 was better, but this one is not far behind and the endless modes, customization options and others made it a dream come true. Hopefully an HD remaster one day.
2. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (PS2, HD version on 360 and PS3)
If Tenkaichi 3 is the yin, Budokai 3 is the yan. No matter the order, we all agree: they were the two best games in the series when they came out. In this case, because within the Budokai format it was expanded as much as possible: playable, characters, options … And an almost perfect hybrid mix was created between the Dragon Ball combat simulation and a high-end 3D fighting experience. An audiovisual show full of fanservice that caught on with all the players of the time. Infinite World surely refined some playable elements, but the one that made the difference and remains in our retina is Budokai 3.
1. Dragon Ball FighterZ
And we come to Dragon Ball FighterZ, released in January 2018 and which remains from now on and until further notice as the best Goku game. After three years it has not been surpassed. We have chosen it in the first place for several reasons on the two fronts that always stand out in a game about Toriyama’s work: fidelity to the work and playability. In the first case, the title is simply sick, with a recreation of blows and movements taken from the anime, with settings, characters and scenes that take us to the closest thing we have ever had to the series. On the other hand, we could never have imagined that Goku would reign in the biggest competitive fighting game event – the EVO. It was the game with the most registrations in the year of its premiere, showing that its accessible but profound playability was a success. Even today, new routes, combos and synergies are being found. For combining the Dragon Ball concept and the video game concept in the best possible way as never before, FighterZ is today the best video game starring Goku and it seems to have a rope for a while, seeing new characters such as Baby and the future Gogeta SSJ4 that is yet to come. We will see if there is a new season soon.
And so far our Dragon Ball Top. Here are five games that deserve a mention for being special and offering unique proposals. That said … What is your favorite Dragon Ball?
Special mentions (bonus track)
Super Dragon Ball Z
We open the top with one of the games that several members of the editorial staff have among our favorites. A title created by the Capcom producer who wanted to bring the Dragon Ball fighting model closer to Street Fighter. And the result was not bad at all. On the contrary, a very competent one-on-one game came out, with the option of making combos that was not usual in the saga and a curious template, although not very extensive, among which Chi-Chà that was controllable for the first time. Its great virtue was in the gameplay and not so much in the modes and options. It is not one of the best sellers or the most acclaimed, but if you like fighting games and Dragon Ball, it is well worth it.
Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden 2 (SNES)
It was the great Super Nintendo bombshell. If 1 became a phenomenon, this is the one that raised the Butoden saga to the altars with a more agile combat system, mythical characters in the squad and a fun story mode with different routes according to the dialogues and characters used. A classic within the Dragon Ball world.
Dragon Ball The Legend (PSX, Saturn)
While some like Shin Butoden took the name without deserving it, the reality is that the best game of the PSX and Saturn era of Dragon Ball was The Legend, a title that already began to flirt with 3D and that allowed us to enjoy group battles , something new and a surprising change of perspective and that, with its limitations, worked very well. It is worth rediscovering.
Dragon Ball: Supersonic Warriors (GBA)
In 2004 Supersonic Warriors was released for Gameboy Advance, a game that came together very well thanks to the perfect mix of 2D with a combat style that simulated very well what Dragon Ball was. It featured several diverse story paths and a combat system that was very faithful to the available characters.
Hyper Dragon Ball Z (PC, MUGEN)
And we close the other games that deserve a mention with Hyper Dragon Ball Z, a free game made with Mugen that has become a sensation due to its deep and detailed combat system, for the fidelity with which scenarios have been recreated. that we have never seen in official licensed games and by characters that have all those attacks that we have seen a thousand times in manga and anime. A jewel made by fans that is well worth knowing.
