Dragon Ball Z - Shin Budokai
Dragon Ball Z - Shin Budokai is a PSP fighting game released in 2006 developed by Dimps. It centers on combat encounters, story, case, or mission progress, and move inputs, with controls and information arranged around the directional pad, single analog nub, shoulder and face buttons, with a camera or another accessory only where required.
- AI score · out of 10
- 7.3 / 10
About this game
Dragon Ball Z - Shin Budokai is a PSP fighting game centered on combat encounters, story, case, or mission progress, and move inputs. Short bouts use character differences and rising difficulty for variety, with progress divided into stages, tasks, matches, or growth milestones that make immediate goals understandable. Its value depends on whether these rules continue to create judgment and room for mastery rather than on length, sales, or series recognition. Short campaigns are judged by repeat-challenge value, while longer ones are judged by variety, pacing, and recovery after failure. Animation, hit feedback, and readable arenas create match tension, while the portable widescreen, UMD streaming, compressed audio, and handheld-scale interface need to preserve targets, text, and action readability. The genre-specific limitation is that button mapping, move recognition, multiplayer accessories, and cpu behavior can affect balance. Platform conditions also include single-nub camera control, UMD loading and noise, Memory Stick saves, battery life, regional language, ad hoc requirements, and retired online services affect present-day use. This description covers only this platform release and does not import features or conveniences from remasters, emulators, or other console editions.
Collected in series
Dragon Ball games turn the manga and anime’s battles into fighting games, character-building adventures and action RPGs. You might assemble a tag team, create your own fighter or revisit Goku’s journey between explosive encounters.
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PlayStation Portable
AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
Fast portable fights in a modest package.
Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai compresses melee, guard, ki blasts and instant teleportation into the PSP buttons without reducing every match to random inputs. Charging energy leaves a fighter vulnerable, while timely defense or a teleport can reverse momentum. Cel-shaded characters, vivid energy effects and quick animation give the small screen much of the anime’s spectacle. The weaker part is the package around those fights. Dragon Road adapts Fusion Reborn mainly through a chain of battles and static exposition, and arcade, time attack and survival modes bring little structural novelty. Spoken story delivery is sparse. A direct PSP review confirms that the face-button layout is easy to learn. Its ad hoc multiplayer is a local wireless condition, however, not evidence of a currently available internet service. This score concerns the first Shin Budokai, not the sequel known as Another Road. It fits players wanting short, energetic Dragon Ball fights on a handheld, while those seeking an expansive story or especially deep competition may find it thin.
Strengths
- Ki and teleport counterplay, strong effects and clear controls.
Weaknesses
- Static story delivery, familiar modes and little voice work.
Who it is for: PSP players seeking quick Dragon Ball battles.
Play notes: Local ad hoc is not a claim about current online service.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension The fight sequence and familiar side modes have limited long-term variety. | Reviewed | 5.9 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Compact controls preserve fast counterplay and a clear charging risk. | Reviewed | 7.7 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension The anime look thrives on PSP, while voice-led storytelling remains thin. | Reviewed | 8.0 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension PSP controls suit the action; multiplayer depends on local ad hoc access. | Reviewed | 7.8 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Dimps
- Publisher
- Atari
- Release date
- 2006
- Platforms
- PlayStation Portable
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Fighting · Primary genre
- Tags
- 3D GraphicsFantasyReplayableSolo-friendlyReal-time CombatMelee CombatMain Story Under 10 HoursShort SessionsCombosStory-drivenPlayer versus PlayerFast-paced
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- MultiplayerSingle player
- Perspectives
- Side view
Release editions
- PlayStation PortableWorldwide2006
Game gallery
Sources
Not provided