Dragonball Z Sagas is a top from bottom crappy game.
I'm not a Dragonball fan at all. I don't think I ever sit through an entire episode in my life. I do like these character action games, so I attempted to play this, besides having no prior knowledge. I must say that Dragon Ball Z Sagas is a pretty bad game. One of the worst games I've played on the Gamecube actually. It's also pretty damn easy too. The game was actually more difficult in the beginning of the game than the later, maybe because I discovered how to beat every boss without trying. The game has a really flawed combo system. If you finish a combo, then you knock your enemy across the screen and they will come at you again, but if you fail your combos, then they will be paralyzed unable to fight against you. If you keep using failed combo attacks, then you can beat a boss without even getting attacked.
Besides that, the level design is terrible. The graphics are bad. The game is short, but that could be a good thing. I like how you can play as different characters, but there is no difference in fighting style between them. Overall, this is one of the worst games ever made without a question.
----------Battle System----------
Dragonball Z Sagas is Final Fight style beat'em up. You run through a linear level, fighting all enemies that approach you. Once you've cleared the area, you can go to the next area to beat up more monsters. Once you've reached the end of a level you'll fight a boss fight. Boss fights are all just about the same, just beat them until their health is down to zero.
Within each stage you'll find Z coins. You can spend these in special "shops" you'll find at the end of a stage. You can buy new abilities, combos and attacks. You'll also find health and skill items within stages too. If you find 10 health or skill items, then you'll boost your overall HP or SP.
----------Characters / Story----------
Um... there's no solid playable character, since the characters change depending on the stage. There's also no reliable main enemy either. The "story" is told through cutscenes before and after a stage. The cutscenes are clips of the tv show edited together with a narrator trying to explain everything. The story is so rushed and slapped together, I can't even imagine a Dragon Ball Z fan grasping it, unless this is rehashed stuff from the show. Someone dies, a planet explodes, someone goes back in time, comes back in time, etc just about every cutscene. Every scene is something huge, but you never see it in the gameplay. It's so disconnected.
----------Graphics----------
Geez.. level design is really really bad. You can only move in a linear path, you can backtrack through a level, but there's no real way explore. The levels are lined with invisible walls and blocked paths that it feels like an early Crash Bandicoot game minus the secrets and platforming.
The character and enemy models don't look to bad. They're celshaded and look ok, but the environment just looks terrible.
----------Sound----------
The music is pretty good actually. I'll assume all the music is recycled from the show or previous games, because I can't imagine them putting to much effort in such a crap game as this. However, the music is pretty solid. There are voiced out battle cries by each character and enemies used in battle. There's also a narrator during cutscenes.
----------World Map----------
The map is a stage by stage basis. The game is broken up into chapters with 2-5 stages per chapter. Some stages are full blown levels, some are just boss fights. Not a very "deep" world.
----------Time to Complete Game----------
2-3 hours.
The time is not recorded. After you beat the game you unlock a new mode that allows you to replay any level you want, re-collect missing items and play as any playable character you want.
