Legacy of Goku II, Attack of the Saiyans, Budokai Tenkaichi III, all respectable titles. All inferior to the game I’m about to mention here. While Dragon Ball Z has hosted a myriad of respectable adventures, many with great action sequences, others with interesting character selections, none have ventured into the classic turn-based, Final Fantasy-esque realm quite as much as Bandai’s hidden gem: Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu, or Dragon Ball Z: Legend of the Super Saiyan, released in 1992 for Japanese fans everywhere on the Super Nintendo console.
Legend of the Super Saiyan follows the story we all know and love. Raditz, Goku’s Saiyan brother arrives on the planet earth, but he’s not there to smell the roses. After finding out that Goku’s failed in the task given to him at birth from his home planet, Planet Vegeta to destroy all humans, Raditz abducts Gohan, our favorite Saiyan’s only son, and we’re off to the races!
The game’s combat is interesting to say the very least. It follows the traditional card-oriented, turn-based model, with some slight tweaks. Each card has a top number, represented by stars on a Dragon Ball, ranging from 1 through 7, with Z being the highest (8), and a bottom number. This top number represents the order of attack, with higher numbers attacking first, while also representing the power of the move executed. So if one were to select Goku, for example, and choose a card with Z as its top number, they would get first attack (all instances of a tie, a computer chooses a Z card also, result in the player going first), with Goku hitting for maximal damage, so long as his attack isn’t dodged.
The bottom number represents the defense of the character who will be attacking. However, rather than being simple to understand, with stars on a Dragon Ball corresponding to the level of your character’s defense, each number is written out in Japanese, meaning you’ll have to know the Japanese characters for 1-7 (with Z still being the highest defensive number). But worry-not, dear readers! For the first time ever, I’m taking it upon myself to ensure each Japanese number is displayed in order, 1-8, so that players such as yourselves will have no problem in choosing the proper card for your favorite characters (you’re welcome, I accept Amazon Gift Cards)!
Each card also has a move type (I swear this isn’t as complicated as I’m making it sound), with each fighter having their own fighting style. So if you select a card with Goku, and it matches his fighting type, he’ll attack everyone, not just a single enemy.
And for those of you more interested in some Kamehameha action, the game also features an amazingly awesome ki system; with energy blasts also being represented as a card type and each character having several to choose from. So for the example-oriented of you out there:
Eh? Eh?! How cool was that (seriously, Amazon Gift Cards, I accept them)? Moving on, each character has a set amount of HP and ki (mana, for all you Final Fantasy nuts out there). However, differing in one aspect from its RPG counterparts, in Legend of the Super Saiyan, when a character’s HP reaches zero, they die – permanently. So you’ll want to utilize the game’s save and load feature to ensure your party remains intact.
And for those gamers out there who enjoy grinding, Dragon Ball Z-Legend of the Super Saiyan is for you; as players can enter each boss battle as strong or weak as they choose to be (I seriously once defeated Frieza’s first form with Chiaotzu). On this point, the game incorporates an experience points/leveling system, with a specific number for each character showcasing their power level. Meaning that not all fighters are created equally, as a Gohan at level 15 may have a 2,000 power level advantage over a Krillin of the same level.
As far as the game’s length goes, with a story spanning from The Saiyan Saga, all the way to Frieza’s demise, including a secret boss fight after for those of you wanting to test your mettle, you can expect to beat this gem in as little as 20 hours, or as many as 30, depending on how much time you want to put into training your favorite Z-Fighters – And yes, you can play as ALL of the original Z-Fighters, Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, Gohan, Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu, with some help from the occasional Namekian.
Finally, I’d like to say that it’s a shame this game never reached North American stores upon its release, as its fighting system, coupled with an amazing storyline we’re all familiar with make it one of the best Super Nintendo RPGs out there (you heard me!). So for those of you who love a good RPG, can watch episodes of Dragon Ball Z for days on-end, and have a wallet that’s weighing your pants down, I highly recommend forking out some cash for this one, as Legend of the Super Saiyan is undoubtedly the best Dragon Ball Z game of all time!
Oh yeah, and then there’s this…
