The cel-shaded fighters are vivid and vibrant, with great detail and smooth animations. They are done in classic Japanese anime/manga style, complete with pointy hair, crazy outfits, and excellent facial expressions. Some environments lack the same quality, as they are a bit bland and generic, but the better ones are vast, colorful, and provide plenty of cover and space to roam. There is a nice variety of locales in which to fight throughout all of the game modes. The transitions and cut scenes are very polished, tying the story together (depending on the mode you’re in) and keeping you in tune with action.

It’s a given that fans of the cartoon series will appreciate all that the game offers from the Dragon Ball Z world. However, as a fighting game from the perspective gamers who don’t follow the series, Dragon ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 stands pretty well on its own, especially for fans of quick-twitch reaction-based games. Being able to master components of the fighting model is challenging yet rewarding. The large variety of fighters, the deep fighting model, and the compelling story that unfolds throughout the game play modes makes this one worth a look.