Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Monolift Soft
Genre: RPG
Release date: Available now

Take one of the most recognizable Manga and anime series and have it fused with a turn-based RPG. The result is…Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans for the DS. For the first time ever in North America, the world famous Dragon Ball Z series arrives in a turn-based RPG from Namco Bandai.

Right after Goku defeats Piccolo in the world tournament is where Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans starts off. All the famous Dragon Ball Z characters, like Krillin and Gohan, are living their lives and doing what makes them happy when mysterious alien warriors, called Saiyans, come to Earth with the sole purpose of destroying every living person. Goku and the others must band together if they have any hopes to stop these powerful Saiyans.

The game is a standard turn-based RPG. You fight random enemies as you progress and gain experience, and with this experience you gain levels and obtain better skills. With a max party size of three, you are able to switch between reserve characters at any time during battle. There’s also a feature called “active guard”. When an enemy attacks one of your characters you press the corresponding button next to the character to block some damage. Pressing the button too early or late, however, cancels your “active guard” chance.

Attack of the Saiyans brings some pretty good things to the table. The flashy animations and “active guard” help create a great gaming experience that is not boring to look at, even for hours on end. The title also does a great job capturing the story of the series and putting it into an interactive turn-based RPG format.

All is not perfect here, though, as when I first started playing, there was one big thing that stuck out…the difficulty. The game is too easy. I did not feel challenged when fighting enemies until much later in the game when facing a boss.

While Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans is by no means ground breaking, it does serve as a bit of salt and pepper to the turn-based RPG. It adds a little spice to the genre and makes it better while being simple at the same time. People who are new to the series, “hardcore” Dragon Ball fans, or people just craving a new turn-based RPG for their DS will find this game entertaining.

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