From its debut in the 1984 to its many shows and projects today. Akira Toriyama's magnum opus Dragon Ball is among the most recognizable franchises ever. An adaptation of the fairy tale Journey To The West, Dragon Ball has an appeal that has made it mainstream. Goku's journey to become the strongest didn't stop at the page and screen, however.
As far back as the 1980s Dragon Ball had games on the Japanese NES. Dragon Ball's game franchising is long-lasting. Goku has a gaming presence as long as The Legend of Zelda's. While game rights are Bandai-Namco's, many developers have touched it. But of its entire gaming library, which Dragon Ball Z game has the greatest critical reception?
Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors - 73
Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors for the Game Boy Advance was a 2D fighter that brought the series' flight to the fighting-game formula. It had a sequel on the DS, and both featured characters from the Dragon Ball anime and the movies.
The other appeal of the series was its story. Like other games, it featured campaigns that went over Z's major arcs. But it also featured what-if campaigns that have completely new scenarios. Another exciting feature was the ability to play with your friends via link cable. The first game's developer was Arc System Works, who have other great Dragon Ball work.
Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans - 73
Dragon Ball Z: Attack Of The Saiyans initially appears par for the course, as it retells an arc from the anime. But it's actually unique, being a turn-based RPG. Leveling up fits right in with Dragon Ball's focus on training, so it's strange more games didn't take this approach. Since the developers were RPG experts Monolith Soft, the game fit well into the genre.
Purists may not like liberties that Attack of the Saiyans take with the story, but it shows the world in a new way. The Z anime doesn't take time for exploration, which makes Saiyans' use of exploration unique. Bonuses from the series are hidden around the map. This DS game didn't receive a sequel, but it remains one of Dragon Ball's biggest curiosities.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 & 3 - 73
The Budokai Tenkaichi games are often thought as being the pinnacle of DBZ games. Released on Playstation 2 and Wii, these are arena fighters that allow players to fly around open areas and throw Ki blasts. This scale makes it a very accurate depiction of Z's bombast. But its biggest feature was its roster full of both canon and non-canon Dragon Ball characters.
The roster of these games was enormous: 3 had 161 characters. While there were repeats and transformations, it had the largest roster in a fighter at the time. If they had a name, and sometimes if they didn't, they were in there. This made the Budokai Tenkaichi games perfect for recreating dream DBZ fights.
Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure - 75
Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure was a platformer/brawler on the Game Boy Advance. The GBA had many excellent brawlers like Astro Boy: Omega Factor, and Advanced was one. It had surprisingly deep combat and secrets to uncover. For example, you could unlock playable Krillin.
The biggest appeal it had was the title's lack of Z. A rarity for Dragon Ball games, Advanced Adventure adapted the manga's earliest parts. Most games recreate the arcs of Z, so it's refreshing to see the original series get love. Finishing a game with the battle against King Piccolo is a breath of fresh air.
Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II - 75
Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II is a top-down action RPG similar to The Legend of Zelda. It retells the Cell saga with five playable characters and has large maps. The second and best in the Legacy of Goku series, it featured balanced combat that used alternating buttons to use techniques. Despite being called Legacy of Goku, it focused on Dragon Ball fan-favorite Gohan.
It also introduced transformations. It was western developed, being based on Funimation's dub and using Bruce Falconer's score. It's synchronicity with western versions of the show made it a western favorite. Unfortunately, the next in the series, Buu's Fury, was not received well.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 - 77
This Playstation 2 fighter is one of the series' most feature-packed games. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 does great at mimicking the fighting of the series. Fans could replicate transformation, beam struggles, fusions, and even more. It featured a roster full of characters from all franchise entries, including Dragon Ball GT.
It was also a major release, having bonus features in the mid-2000s. It was claimed that the game would feature a Japanese audio track and soundtrack, which was hard to find in the west at the time. Unfortunately, the initial American release of the game did not have these features. Atari eventually released an unmarked corrected version, but Budokai 3 still remains an excellent entry.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot +A New Power Awakens Set - 78
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is the newest game release in the franchise. Of the versions, the Nintendo Switch version is the best since it comes with the downloadable content. Another retelling, Kakarot breaks the mold similar Attack of the Saiyans. Kakarot is an open-world RPG that brings more exploration elements to the forefront. It's open-world approach to the world was exciting.
By far the biggest plus Kakarot had is its additional content. Z's arcs have been retold to death in games, but the DLC added some fresher stories. It retold the events of the canonical films Battle of Gods and Resurrection F. Seeing these arcs adapted in games was exciting for fans, and the fighting-game influenced combat keeps the gameplay interesting.
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 - 78
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse was one of the series' largest releases. The game and its sequel were sales juggernauts, moving tons of inventory because of one simple feature. The games came bundled with a character creator that puts your original character in an online world. The excellent graphics and fighting mechanics made it feel like you were in the anime.
But Xenoverse didn't only do a great job of recreating the feel of the anime. The time travel story allowed both retelling of popular arcs, but also a new dimension of stories. Author Toriyama created several characters for the Xenoverse games, which have become popular on their own. In fact, the Xenoverse story has started a line of spinoffs. This alternate line creates even more content.
Dragon Ball: Origins - 78
Also known as Dragon Ball DS, Dragon Ball: Origins was an action adventure game on the DS. Similar to how Legacy of Goku was like Zelda, Origins plays much like the Zelda titles on DS. Meaning that is controlled mainly by the stylus and touch screen, like many Nintendo DS hit games. Like Advanced Adventure, this outing chiefly focused on the beginnings of the franchise.
Unlike that game, Bulma was featured prominently. Capsule Corp's inventor's a major character, but often doesn't appear in games due to lacking combat skills. Origins fixes that by using Goku for combat and Bulma for solving puzzles. This action took place on two screens, a DS hallmark. It recreated early Dragon Ball's art, exciting because most art styles in these games feature Toriyama's later style.
Dragon Ball FighterZ - 87
Dragon Ball FighterZ is the game fans had been waiting for. Arc System Works, known for excellent fighters like Guilty Gear, took center stage for this entry. The studio was also known for its excellent licensed games, including Supersonic Warriors. An art style that matched the manga perfectly met with excellent balanced combat.
It fit the hyper-fast fighting niche, attracting series fans and fighting fans. At the game's release, the recent Vs. Capcom title unperformed. FighterZ then fit into that niche with the high energy bouts. As of time of writing, it recently finished its DLC. It didn't have the largest roster, but great mechanics and visuals gave it long-lasting popularity. Even now, fans are still clamoring for more. It's excellent production and fan devotion make it the best Dragon Ball Z game.