When you think of video games adapted from manga, Dragon Ball immediately comes to mind, and for good reason: there's no shortage of good titles. As the release of Dragon Ball Gekishin Squadra approaches, we offer you our top 10 of the best games in the franchise, with a simple rule: only one game per series, just to vary the pleasures.
#10 Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle (2015)
Fans of Dragon Ball Legends might be mad at us, but if we had to choose only one gacha, it would be Dokkan Battle. Having been around for 10 years now, it's one of the best games of its kind on the market. While its gameplay isn't its strong point, it's still incredibly addictive.
#9 Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (2016)
A sequel to an already highly acclaimed game, Xenoverse 2 has become a staple for Dragon Ball fans. It's one of the most comprehensive games in the franchise, both in terms of story and content. Even 9 years after its release, it continues to receive regular updates that further enrich its universe. This is the perfect title for those who want to discover a new side of the franchise while staying connected to current events.
#8 Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure (2004)
Yes, there are some great games that retrace Goku's early adventures. This Game Boy Advance opus perfectly exploits the console's capabilities to offer a quality visual and gaming experience. Between beat em up phases, fights and sequences on Kinto-un, you will experience a rich, varied and complete adventure. It is therefore a clearly underrated game, like the "child Goku" part of Dragon Ball.
#7 Super Dragon Ball Z (2005)
Here is a game that you probably missed. Super Dragon Ball Z stands out from other fighting games released around the same time thanks to its unique gameplay. It requires some adaptation time and a lot of training to fully appreciate it, but once mastered, it offers a unique and surprising experience, despite a limited roster.
#6 Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (2020)
The ultimate nostalgia game. We're not the ones saying it, but the marketing around the game, and it's not wrong. Kakarot is perfect for diving back into Dragon Ball Z, with sublime cutscenes and suitable fillers. The gameplay, while certainly improvable, remains the main flaw, but the overall experience is so satisfying that it's easily forgiven.
#5 Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku 2 (2002)
Dragon Ball is often adapted into fighting games, and rightly so, but the franchise also managed to surprise by exploring the RPG with the The Legacy of Goku series. The second installment transcends the source material. Indeed, the first game, while decent, suffered from many flaws like the number of playable characters and its short lifespan. Goku's Legacy 2 corrects this on all levels, to the point of becoming one of the best RPGs on the GBA.
#4 Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 (2010)
With Raging Blast, fans were treated to a true spiritual sequel to the Budokai Tenkaichi series. Raging Blast 2 modestly improves on the first installment, but these adjustments are enough to make it a better game. We can also welcome the presence of new characters, which alone justify diving into it.
#3 Dragon Ball FighterZ (2018)
In 2018, the Dragon Ball franchise made a resounding comeback in 2D (or rather 2.5D) fighting games with FighterZ. The game has not only become one of the best Dragon Ball titles, but also a true benchmark of the genre. You can skip the story mode, which is not very memorable, but that's not why you play it. Its gameplay, with its formidable precision, is its strength.
#2 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (2004)
Budokai 3 is the iconic game of an entire generation. Everything about it is legendary, from the opening credits to the menus, all the way to the gameplay. It's the ultimate form of an often-copied, but never-equaled, game style that many would love to see return.
#1 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (2007)
It's very difficult to separate Budokai 3 and Tenkaichi 3 for first place, and even more difficult not to include Sparking! Zero, which could, and should, have done better. In the end, Tenkaichi 3 remains unmatched in almost every way. This is the ultimate Dragon Ball game, which, in addition to its extremely rich content, is much more technically sound than one might think.
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