Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 - hands-on

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Space karate takes on a new dimension as we hurl giant fireballs with the Wii remote

Part of what makes Tenkaichi 2 so addictive is just how much it looks like the anime - the colorful art style translates perfectly to polygons, and the fights play out just like interactive versions of the TV show's season-spanning brawls. The illusion is helped along by the addition of "Banishing" attacks, which enable you to smash your opponent with a charged-up kick and send him sailing into the distance. Then - if your timing is right - you can quickly teleport behind him and bash him in the other direction.

As is true for most DBZ games, the dozens of characters play differently but control more or less the same, so there's no real learning curve when switching to a new character. That doesn't mean that all of the combatants are equally matched, of course - try pitting a rock-tossing, jetpack-wearing weakling like Hercule against the colossal yellow demon Janemba, and you're in for an embarrassment.

Mikel Reparaz
Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.