Undoubtedly the close combat allows players to practice, and use, the range of fighting moves Goku, Yamcha, Piccolo and the rest all have at their disposal, and yet the lumbering sensation of being grounded makes those moves feel heavy and sluggish – even though they really aren’t. A tutorial aimed at retards has been included, that goes to new depths of mindless simplicity to try and teach Ballers to use proper combinations instead of button mashing, but most will be too keen to get on with the ass kicking than being patted obsequiously on the back for successfully pressing the X button. So mash away, monkey boy.
5 hits, 140 damage, 2 shoulder pads.
Overlooking the beached characters for a moment, the rest of the fighting is at least up to scratch. The combatants fairly run in circles, charge, pound, vanish, reappear and rabbit punch each other in the trademark firework show that only the Japanese know how to ignite in their warrior’s fists. In this respect, the latest DBZ offering really excels, and not even the pinnacle moments of the long running anime series can compare with the realisation of the characters and their worlds. Cell shading is taken to new levels that make the characters no longer look cell shaded – only in a superb, cartoony way (when you see it, you’ll understand what the fuck I’m taking about) – and the special effects effervesce and throb with organic energy.
Dust spirals around the lightening fast feet of Yamcha and buddies as they tear around the floor, while the atmosphere warps within a micron of rupturing as invisible event horizons form around converging blasts of power. And, just as quickly as these dazzling lightshows of martial magic appear, they’re gone again and the action returns to a frenzy of fists, feet, elbows, knees and heads. If nothing else, a few minutes watching Burst Limit enthuses players to get more involved in the 25-year old mythology of DragonBall, and shift eagerly toward the edge of their seats in anticipation of the forthcoming live action movie. Without wanting to sound too derogatory, it might even be fair to say Burst Limit makes better viewing than it does playing – but in a good way.
