PixlBit

Dragon Ball based video games have become excessively abundant in recent years. It seems multiple times throughout any given year a variety of games based on the popular IP are released, each of differing quality and gameplay type. Dragon Ball: Raging Blast is the latest game attached to the property, and it covers the entire lifespan of the anime with the intention of capturing the essence of the series. In theory, and on paper, the concept makes total sense. Unfortunately, in practice the concept falls apart.

Raging Blast is no more than a collection of modes that allows players to battle an opponent within a vast Dragon Ball environment. The game offers both the ability to fight online and offline against friends and strangers. It also allows players to fill up a 16-man tournament bracket, enhancing the local multiplayer portion of the game.

In terms of the single player experience, players can enjoy the Super Battle Trial mode, which offers players short and sweet challenges in order to earn money. The game's main mode, Dragon Battle Collection, offers players a means to experience the entire Dragon Ball series and universe via various actual battles that occured during the events of the anime. In addition to all of the real battles, the game provides a variety of "what if?" scenarios for mega fans to experience and enjoy.

These animated scenarios do a decent job of detailing the premise leading up to the physical encounter, however those unfamiliar with the actual scenes from the anime will undoubtedly be lost. The game features no actual cutscenes or anything more tangible than text and horrendous voice acting to describe the story, which definitely leaves something to be desired.

This however, should be the least of the concerns regarding the game. The game's fighting mechanics are quite problematic. They attempt to recreate the Dragon Ball experience in video game form by allowing players to freely traverse a giant landscape, execute massive hits, and rapidly move and hurl an opponent around the world. While the game appears to be fast-moving, in reality it's very slow. Moves don't execute on button press in most instances, and players will need to keep a constant eye on their special gauge since that power is required to perform the majority of moves in your arsenal.

Given the way attacks are executed, players will be able to develop some strategy to successfully defeat their opponent. However, most of the time it feels like you are attacking and immediately blocking to avoid being critically damaged. The staccato nature of the control makes it extremely tough to string moves and effectively combo your enemy, a cornerstone of all popular fighting games. When players finally get the hang of the game, for a few fleeting moments, everything will come together, and moves will flow freely.

Quite often, even when players have it all figured out, the camera will get completely lost, making it hard to keep track of an opponent. This, in many instances, prevented me from pulling off a major attack, causing me to eventually lose the match. Because both on-screen characters can move freely in all directions along all axes, the camera constantly has issues keeping up with the action.

The frustrating camera and lackluster controls only become more frustrating as players push further into the game. Every single match lasts upwards of five minutes and all of them play out to be basically the same. The only push that players have to keep moving forward is to enjoy the game's story as well as unlocking all of the characters and stages to use in the multiplayer modes.

Dragon Ball: Raging Blast is simply an unimpressive game. The controls, camera, and execution are all subpar, creating for an experience that only super fans could truly appreciate.