Here we go again. Yet another Dragonball Z game to toss into the frenzy of the raving masses. For those of you who don’t know, I’m still a fan of the series. But my appreciation has always been limited to the original Japanese version. Don’t get me started on the U.S. version and the problems I have with it. But keeping with the subject of games, it wasn’t until Atari hit gold with Budokai that we’ve seen DBZ games give a proper representation of such a wonderful series. Sure Legacy of Goku 1 and 2 had its moments, but I wouldn’t really call the fighting in those games a true representation of the fights in DBZ. Up until recently I wasn’t sure that such a thing would be possible on a GBA given the size and graphical restraints. But I have to say that Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors really came out of nowhere and surprised me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 2D DBZ game that worked so well on such a small scale. I’m not saying it is completely perfect, but for those of you looking for a DBZ fighting experience on a portable device, it doesn’t get much better then this.

One of the first things I have to say is thank god someone realized that most fights in DBZ took place in the sky. With a simple double tap of the D-pad in an upward direction your character will head skyward. The rest of the controls are just as simple. The A Button is your Strong Attack while the B Button is your Weak Attack. Holding down both the A & B Button initiates blocking, while holding down the R button allows your character to charge up his/her Ki. Combinations of the R button with A or B initiate standard Ki attacks as well as your character specific power moves. The L button is mainly used to switch characters out on the fly when you have more then one on your side. Once you got your controls down you’re ready to join the fray and start kicking some ass.

Supersonic Warriors sports about 15 characters each with varying degrees of power. Usually represented by a number 1, 2 or 3. Unfortunately given the fact that we’re using sprites as characters here, the only ones who show any significant change would be the Saiyans. Upon startup you’ll have a few characters at your disposal with the option of opening up new characters by purchasing them in the shop. I can’t say I was completely happy with the character lineup, but all the fan favorites are there. While sticking with Goku in Story mode will take you through the normal transition of events in the DBZ universe, selecting other characters gives you the opportunity to play the “What If” Story Modes. Here you get to find out all kinds of interesting twists the story would have taken if certain events turned out differently. For example, what would happen if Freeza defeated Goku on Planet Namek? Or how about if Goku took the killing strike from Freeza instead of Vegeta? Definitely an interesting twist for all the die hard DBZ fans out there.

After playing this game for a while you’ll realize that Supersonic Warriors is essentially a button masher. For some, this will be a turn off from the whole experience. But for those who are simply in it to enjoy DBZ you won’t pay too much attention. Once you get over this, the game becomes very fun. The action contained in each fight is extremely fast paced and furious. Once you get those close range boxing matches up and running you’ll see what I mean. Especially the fact that some of those special moves, like Goku’s Super Kamehameha, can be downright nasty if they connect properly. However don’t think you can pull off moves like this all the time. Special moves consume Ki, and Ki needs to be replenished by charging up. Your Ki gauge is located just beneath your life gauge and runs on the percentage scale (100% is full power and so on). As I said before, Ki is replenished by holding the R button. But this technique also leaves you wide open to attack from your opponent. Once you have the power, connecting with one of these attacks takes a small degree of skill. Based on your character, you may need to be within a certain distance or location to score a hit. Not to mention that since you both are airborne most of the time, it’s fairly easy to dodge the attack and follow up with a counter. As a bonus for these special attacks, the developers threw in short animation sequences backed up by the actual character voices when you pull off a full power blast. Those GBA speakers don’t pack that much of a punch from say a TV, but it is a nice plus none the less.

Overall this is a nice treat for you DBZ fans out there. Sure it’s essentially a button masher and the character lineup isn’t all too spectacular. But anyone who wants to get a little DBZ entertainment out of their GBA should scoop this one up. The little bonus additions Atari put into Supersonic Warriors definitely makes up for the simplicity of the game in my opinion. Especially the tag team modes and the option of battling head to head with a friend via a Link Cable. Regardless of a few dings here and there, it is still a fun experience and a nice addition to your GBA library.