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Dragon Ball Z: Budokai for PlayStation 2
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai for the PlayStation 2 turns familiar confrontations from the animated series into duels between two fighters. You use punches, kicks, defense and ki attacks to pressure an opponent. The story route begins in the Saiyan period and continues through the Cell Games, with cutscenes connecting the battles.
The basic controls are compact, but button combinations and timing determine which attack you perform. You can build short sequences, seek an opening after blocking and use energy for recognizable techniques. Ki also plays a role in transformations. You therefore need to watch more than your distance from the opponent. A major attack requires preparation and can quickly take a duel in another direction.
You can choose from 23 characters once you have unlocked the roster. Collected capsules let you customise fighters’ skills and techniques. Alongside the story, there are tournaments, training and local duels with a second player. The emphasis is on self-contained fights and the recognisable moves of Goku and his rivals. You practise combinations, discover which attacks follow one another and try to make better use of your chosen character’s abilities.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai appeared on PlayStation 2 in 2002, developed by Dimps and published in Europe by Infogrames. It translated the animated series into duels with three-dimensional characters and recognisable energy techniques. The campaign covered confrontations from the Saiyan saga through the Cell Games. The GameCube adaptation followed in 2003 with a revised visual style. That later presentation does not belong to this original PS2 release.
Cutscenes gave the story battles a recognisable context. Familiar opponents appeared in the order of the covered sagas, while unlocked characters could later be used outside the story. Capsules connected the collection of new abilities with configuring a fighter. Repetition therefore had a practical purpose: you learned not only how to input a technique, but also changed which skills you took into the next duel.
Budokai combined a simple set of basic buttons with unlocking fighters and abilities. The story, tournaments and duels provided different reasons to keep using the same characters. The series subsequently developed further with Budokai 2, which also appeared on PlayStation 2 and arranged its campaign differently. This first installment instead preserves the straightforward story approach through which Budokai established its place among the Dragon Ball games of the period.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Budokai 2 on the PlayStation 2 builds on the punches, kicks and energy attacks of the first installment. It uses a board-like Dragon World campaign and adds other characters and options. The first Budokai tells its story more directly through successive battles and cutscenes. You therefore follow familiar confrontations along a clearer fixed path.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 for PlayStation 2 expands combat with more characters, transformations and the Dragon Universe campaign. You travel between locations from the series between fights. The first Budokai presents its story through a more direct sequence of confrontations and cutscenes. Both let you practise techniques and customise fighters with capsules, but structure the route to the next duel differently.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi uses the same anime world on PlayStation 2 for battles with a camera behind your character and plenty of room to fly around. Budokai keeps its duels closer to a side view and successive button combinations. Familiar ki attacks connect the games, but the camera and freedom of movement change how you keep your distance and prepare an attack.
Soulcalibur II for PlayStation 2 centres on weapons, reach and moving around an opponent. Heihachi is its exclusive guest fighter. Budokai mainly uses punches, kicks and ki techniques, with transformations from Dragon Ball. Both offer training and local two-player duels. Weapon types and ring edges shape your position in Soulcalibur; Budokai places greater weight on energy and learned attack combinations.
Tekken 4 for PlayStation 2 shares practising combinations and responding to an attack you have blocked. Its fighters use different martial arts and walls affect your position. Budokai connects its duels with ki attacks, capsules and transformations. Timing and learning a character link the games; Tekken keeps combat closer to physical techniques.
