Throughout the years, fans have been clambering for a traditional 2D fighter from the Dragon Ball Z franchise, and I’m happy to say that we’ve finally got it! If you’re a fan of Street Fighter or MVC (Marvel vs Capcom) then Dragon Ball FighterZ is for you.
During my time playing with Bandai Namco’s newest installment to the DBZ series, the first thing that I noticed were how true to the anime the graphics were. It made you feel as if you were watching the anime rather than playing a game.
In the demo there were only six characters to choose from: Frieza, Cell, Goku, Gohan, Vegeta and Majin Buu. It was a 3v3 match where players can switch out to different characters instantaneously, this mechanic is called Z switch. The gameplay was extremely fluid with no frame drops: solid 60fps. I didn’t notice any stiff animations, and the controls were very smooth as well. When playing I found that there is certain balance when choosing characters.
For instance, its good to have a heavy character along with a quick combo fighter such as Frieza or Gohan. It gives a good mix to your roster; not only to outsmart your opponent with different variations of moves but to also  counter your opponents characters as well.  The ultimate z change mechanic is where if your power meter is high enough and you use  z switch,  your team can activate their ultimate attacks at once launching a devastating combo and destroying the map, completely changing the landscape.
I must say that, if you’re not used to the Street Fighter fighting style, then this game may be difficult for some to get used to. Other than that, the game is extremely polished, especially since it’s only 20% complete. This game is hands down the best fighter I have played in a long time whether its a anime game or a standard fighter ex: Street fighter, Injustice or Guilty Gears.
For those who weren’t able to attend E3 to get hands on the game, don’t worry Bandai is releasing a closed beta in the summer. So be on the look out for sign ups coming soon!
Bandai Namco plans on releasing Dragon Ball FighterZ in early 2018 on Xbox one, PS4 and PC. If you haven’t checked out the trailer, no worries. Scroll below.
