Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit

is a fighting video game based on the popular anime/manga series Dragon Ball Z, released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. It was announced in the Shonen Jump magazine on December 12, 2007.
The game's Z Chronicles story mode allows players the chance to relive key points of the three sagas within the Dragon Ball story with the aid of items called Drama Pieces that give what has been called an immense Dragon Ball experience.
==Gameplay==
The gameplay of Burst Limit is very similar to the other Budokai games; basic kicks, punches and combos are available, along with the "Ki Blast" button and a direction leading to a more powerful version of that attack, for example a Kamehameha or Destructo Disc. The game makes use of a multiple health bar system, with each character having a maximum (determined in the game options) of six health "blocks" that are worn down until the character reaches zero, when they are knocked out.
It also makes use of a "Fatigue meter" - blocking and certain attacks use up fatigue and when this reaches zero, the character is stunned for a few moments while he or she recovers - and the "Ki meter", which is a gradually regenerating bar that provides power for larger energy attacks, transformations, "powering up" and the game's finishing moves, "ultimate" attacks. In order to transform, you press down on R1 (in the PlayStation 3 version) or RB (in the Xbox 360 version).
The game utilizes in fight cutscenes or "drama scenes" in order to make it as true to the anime as possible - for example, if a character is attacked with an energy beam, in some situations it may switch to a cutscene to depict the character deflecting the energy beam and taking no damage, or another character jumping in the way. These Drama Scenes are activated once the fight reaches certain parameters, for example the character is down to 30% health, the fatigue bar is completely filled, or the player's character has just reached his final form.
Any character in the roster can also be picked as a "support" character - support characters are available in every fight and may be activated in a similar way to drama scenes. A cutscene will begin and the character will be shown deflecting an energy blast, kicking the opponent or standing in the way of an attack in order to defend the player, transferring itself to affect the battle in a number of ways, such as enhanced ki regeneration, damage down or fatigue down. The game then returns to normal gameplay.
==Game Modes==
===Z Chronicles===
One of the game's main modes of play is the "Z Chronicles" mode. The game's story mode charts the Z Fighters from the beginning of the Saiyan Saga to the end of the Cell Saga, allowing players to take control of the character who won that particular fight. There are also two exclusive "what-if" stories within this mode. The first where Bardock defeats Frieza and finds himself mysteriously on present day Earth, and the second where Broly journeys to Earth in search of Goku.
===Trial mode===
A mode where players are given the option of three types of challenges.
===Survival Mode===
Where players must fight a wave of opponents for as long as their health last.
===Time Attack Mode===
Where the player must defeat opponents before a certain amount of time runs out
===Battle Points Mode===
Where players must earn battle points in battle.
===Online mode===
The game features an online mode where players battle other players locally or internationally, and also post their high scores from the different game modes.
==Characters==
===Playable characters===
Name 	Playable Forms	Available at Start
#16 	 	No
#17 	 	No
#18 	 	No
Bardock 	 	No
Broly 	
*Legendary Super Saiyan	No
Captain Ginyu 	 	No
Cell 	
*Imperfect Form
*Semi-Perfect Form
*Perfect Form
*Super Perfect Form	No
Frieza 	
*First Form
*Second Form
*Third Form
*Final Form
*Full Power	No
Goku 	
*Base
*Kaioken
*Super Saiyan	Yes
Kid Gohan 	
*Base
*Unlock Potential	Yes
Krillin 	
*Base
*Unlock Potential	No
Nappa 	 	No
Piccolo 	
*Base
*Fuse with Nail
*Fuse with Kami	Yes
Raditz 	 	No
Recoome 	 	No
Saibaman 	 	No
Teen Gohan 	
*Base
*Super Saiyan
*Super Saiyan 2	No
Tien 	 	No
Trunks (Sword)	
*Base
*Super Saiyan
*Super Trunks	No
Vegeta 	
*Base
*Super Saiyan
*Super Vegeta	No
Yamcha 	 	No
==Battle Stages==
*Plains
*Planet Namek
*Mountains
*Cell Game Ring
*Archipelago
==Achievements==
There are 50 Achievements with a total of 1000 Points for the Xbox 360.
*The Story Begins: Clear the first chapter of the Saiyan Saga - 5 Gamerscore
*Meeting a Rival: Clear all chapters of the Saiyan Saga - 5 Gamerscore
*The First Z Award: Clear a chapter with a Z rank on Normal difficulty - 20 Gamerscore
*Saiyan A Award: Clear all Saiyan Saga chapters with a Z rank on Normal difficulty - 35 Gamerscore
*Fierce warrior: Clear all of the Saga chapters with the difficulty set to Very Hard - 40 Gamerscore
*Full Drama Unlock: Unlock all of the Drama Pieces for one character - 5 Gamerscore
*Saiyan Sage Drama: Unlock all of the Drama Pieces Pieces from the Saiyan Saga - 20 Gamerscore
*All Saiyan Fighters: Unlock all of the Saiyan Saga fighters - 5 Gamerscore
*Saiyan Sage Allies: Unlock all of the Saiyan Saga ally characters - 5 Gamerscore
*Worldwide Contender: Join 10 sessions over Xbox LIVE - 5 Gamerscore
*Worldwide Warrior: Create 10 sessions over Xbox LIVE - 5 Gamerscore
*Battler (Default): Play the Survival Trial (Default Drama) - 5 Gamerscore
*Speed Beyond Terror: Clear the Time Attack Trial (Course A) and get a result - 5 Gamerscore
*Score Beyond Terror: Clear the Battle Point Trial (Course A) and get a result - 5 Gamerscore
*A Beginner Awakens!: Clear Basic tutorials - 5 Gamerscore
*Bloodless Victory: Win a battle without taking any damage (Z Chronicles/Versus only) - 20 Gamerscore
*Destructive Win!: Win a battle while changing or destroying the background (Z Chronicles/Versus only) - 5 Gamerscore
*Unleashed Ki Win!: Transform, use Aura Spark, and win with an Ultimate Attack (Z Chronicles/Versus only) - 5 Gamerscore
Secret Achievements
*Advanced Victory: Clear Advanced tutorials - 15 Gamerscore
*Legendary Warrior: Clear all chapters of the Frieza Saga - 15 Gamerscore
*Ultimate Warrior: Unlock all characters' Ultimate Attacks - 15 Gamerscore
*Survivor (Default): Survivor (Default) - 35 Gamerscore
*Survivor (Custom): Play the Survival Trial (Custom Drama) and defeat 50 opponents - 35 Gamerscore
*Frieza Z Award: Clear all Frieza Saga chapters with a Z rank on Normal difficulty - 35 Gamerscore
*Z Warrior: Clear all of the Saga chapters with the difficulty set to Z - 40 Gamerscore
*Birth of a Legend: Play the Survival Trial (Default Drama) and defeat all opponents - 100 Gamerscore
*Goku's Father: Unlock Bardock - 20 Gamerscore
*Legendary Saiyan: Unlock Broly - 20 Gamerscore
*All Drama Pieces: Unlock all of the Drama Pieces for all characters - 40 Gamerscore
*Intermediate Fire: Clear Intermediate tutorials - 5 Gamerscore
*Ultimate Unlock: Unlock all of one character's Ultimate Attacks - 5 Gamerscore
*Sturdy Warrior: Unlock all fighters - 20 Gamerscore
*Frieza Sage Drama: Unlock all of the Drama Pieces from the Frieza Saga - 20 Gamerscore
*Cell Sage Drama: Unlock all of the Drama Pieces from the Cell Saga - 20 Gamerscore
*All Frieza Fighters: Unlock all of the Frieza Saga fighters - 5 Gamerscore
*Frieza Sage Allies: Unlock all of the Frieza Saga ally characters - 5 Gamerscore
*Master of History: Clear all chapters - 15 Gamerscore
*All Cell Fighters: Unlock all of the Cell Saga fighters - 5 Gamerscore
*Family Bonds: Clear all chapters of the Cell Saga - 15 Gamerscore
*Cell Sage Allies: Unlock all of the Cell Saga ally characters - 5 Gamerscore
*Cell Z Award: Clear all Cell Saga chapters with a Z rank on Normal difficulty - 35 Gamerscore
*Z Master Award: Clear all chapters with a Z rank on Normal difficulty - 35 Gamerscore
*Ultimate Z Fighter: Clear all of the Saga chapters at difficulty Z, with Z ranks - 100 Gamerscore
*Ultimate Survivor: Play the Survival Trial (Custom Drama) and defeat all opponents - 100 Gamerscore
*Battler (Custom): Play the Survival Trial (Custom Drama) - 5 Gamerscore
*Speed Beyond Power: Clear the Time Attack Trial (Course B) and get a result - 5 Gamerscore
*Speed Beyond Rivals: Clear the Time Attack Trial (Course C) and get a result - 5 Gamerscore
*Score Beyond Power: Clear the Battle Point Trial (Course B) and get a result - 5 Gamerscore
*Score Beyond Rivals: Clear the Battle Point Trial (Course C) and get a result - 5 Gamerscore
*Powerful Allies: Unlock all ally characters - 15 Gamerscore
==Reception==
Publication 	Score 	
PS3 Version 	PS3 Version 	PS3 Version
IGN 	7.9 of 10 	
GameSpot 	7.5 of 10 	
Xbox 360 Version 	Xbox 360 Version 	Xbox 360 Version
IGN 	7.9 of 10 	
Game Spot 	7.5 of 10 	
Review compilations (PS3 Version) 	Review compilations (PS3 Version) 	Review compilations (PS3 Version)
Game Rankings 	72% (based on 32 reviews) 	
Metacritic 	71% (based on 32 reviews) 	
Review compilations (Xbox 360 Version)	Review compilations (Xbox 360 Version)	Review compilations (Xbox 360 Version)
Game Rankings 	73% (based on 45 reviews) 	
Metacritic 	72% (based on 50 reviews) 	
The game received generally positive reviews. IGN gave the game a 7.9/10, commenting that "Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit is a strong fighting game, with combat mechanics that are both simple and deep. There are some issues in terms of variety, however, with a limited number of stages and characters that are fairly similar to one another."
GameTrailers gave the game a 8.2/10 and said that "Drama pieces are a nice touch but can sometimes burden the action." and "Burst Limit should no doubt please fans of the show, thanks to a large cast of characters, a fleshed-out story mode and all the special attacks fireworks you'd expect."
Following its initial release, the PS3 port became the top selling game in Japan for a total of three months. Beating out its Xbox 360 counterpart, which came in at twelve. Atari reported that the game along with Alone in the Dark helped to increase the company's net sales. The game was nominated for a Spike video game award for best fighting game, but lost to Soul Calibur IV.
GamePro praised the games visuals and felt that the Drama Pieces integrated well within the Z Chronicles. However, he stated that they didn't seem to work well when applied to the multiplayer mode.
GameSpot stated the visuals and animation would impress regular gamers, despite referring to the environments as bland. He continued, saying that "the overall look of Burst Limit is definitely greater than the sum of its parts".
GameSpy felt the lack of content made the game feel a little shallow, but called the game a quality fighting game with an improved game engine that couldn't be denied.
GameZone stated that it was an excellent game with some drawbacks, such as lack of characters and an under refined online multiplayer. While overall felt the game was a critical success.
Official Xbox Magazine praised the controls and the visuals. He also stated "after countless titles spanning various platforms, we may just have the best Dragon Ball Z game yet".
However, some critics were not as pleased with the game overall. 1UP.com was impressed by the game at first but was ultimately disappointed by its lack of innovation.
As of March 2009, the game has sold 730,000 copies across Japan, Europe and Asia which includes 163,000 copies sold on PS3 in Japan by the end of 2008.Famitsu 2008 video game sales
==Trivia==
*This is the last home console Dragon Ball game to use the Saiyan Overdrive fighting system.
*Kamehameha, the signature move, appears on commercials on TV when saying it. The clips shown for the advertisement are such as arm wrestling, chef, megaphone, office, etc.
*This is the first Dragon Ball Z game on the high-definition generation of consoles and the only game on HD consoles which has Budokai-style gameplay (If one excludes the remakes of the original Budokai games.)
*In the opening sequence, when attacking Nappa, Goku is wearing the kanji he wore on his gi when fighting the Ginyu Force and Frieza, but he does not have this specific costume in the game itself. Similarly, Gohan is seen wearing his original child's outfit in a few moments of the opening sequence even though he too does not have this costume in the actual game.
*Although Chiaotzu is not a playable character, he does make a brief appearance during the first of two unlockable bonus movies, in which he sacrifices himself in an attempt to defeat Nappa.
*In this game, Frieza's tail whip is white in all his forms, while it is purple in his first three forms in the anime.
*This is the first English-dubbed video game in which Goku calls himself by his full name "Son Goku", and also pronounces the Kaio-ken correctly.
*Although both are not playable characters, King Cold and Mecha Frieza make a short appearance in the second of the two unlockable bonus movies. They are seen flying towards Earth in their spaceship.
*Much like the Budokai series, Cell's voice does not change when transformed, he instead retains his Perfect Form voice in this game (except cutscenes).
*This game shows Goku in the Father-Son Kamehameha in his normal stage, not as a Super Saiyan.
**Alternately, Gohan remains in his Super Saiyan 2 stage after his fight with Cell, rather than reverting to his normal form.
*Though this form is not playable, Goku is seen transforming into a Super Saiyan 2 against Broly at the end of game.
*The two bonus movies from the game are played with a lengthened version of the introduction music in the background. However, the second movie uses an English version of the song.
*During the credits of the game, a slideshow depicting key points in each saga runs behind the credits. Every now and then, a still image of a saga's main villains will appear, standing in line and striking a pose, much like the Ginyu Force. Villains like; Raditz, Nappa and Vegeta, Frieza, Recoome and Ginyu, and the Red Ribbon Androids can all be seen in these poses.
*This is probably one of the only Dragon Ball Z games to allow all characters to be playable in the Story modes. Thus, this includes the villains like Frieza, Cell and others themselves.
*The game shows Vegeta crushing his Scouter after Goku powers up, but he’s seen with it after Nappa’s defeat.
**Vegeta is also seen with his Tail during his fight against Recoome.
**The game also shows Vegeta fighting Ginyu and Frieza in his battle armor that he doesn’t get until the Cell Saga.
*At one point, Bardock says that Goku was a baby with a power level of 1, but he was with a power level of 2.
*Despite this fight not being in the game, Gohan, Krillin, and Yajirobe can briefly be seen fighting Great Ape Vegeta in the credits.
==Gallery==
===Screenshots===
===Characters===
===Achievement Icons===
==References==
==External links==
*Japanese site
*Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit PS3 version
*Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit 360 version
*Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit Official page from PlayStation website
*Primer trailer
*News at jeux-france.
*Trailer with the DBZ Shonen Jump Manga
*Trailer with the DBZ Shonen Jump Manga; part 2
*Trailer with the DBZ Shonen Jump Manga; part 3
*Trailer with the DBZ Shonen Jump Manga; part 4
*Picasa Photos- Burst Limit Uncut pictures
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