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The Dragon Ball series seems like it never wants to die. Since its debut in 1985, the series has remained popular and with its popularity has come an endless stream of Dragon Ball merchandise and games. In 2009, a total of four unique Dragon Ball games were released; Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans is the latest title, and surprisingly, it's one of the better games in the series to be released.

In the game you assume the roles of various characters from the Dragon Ball Z series fighting off the evil Saiyans and other foes that try to destroy Earth. The story in the game follows the Saiyan story arc from Dragon Ball Z to the very last detail. There isn't any major deviation from the source material, so if you are familiar with the story from the anime or manga, you won't experience any new story elements. The only issue I have with this is that there is a lot of mundane dialog which quickly becomes boring to read. Because the dialog is plentiful, it actually becomes a detractor from the overall experience.

The story chapters are presented episodically similar to the cartoons. In each chapter the main character is different. While this is a nice touch and gives the game some variety, the implementation of the idea leaves something to be desired. The equipped items on every character are unequipped between chapters and you must re-equip them at the start of every chapter.

The game is a traditional RPG with a gameplay style that is similar to Final Fantasy and countless other Japanese RPGs. Battling is the typical fare: they occur randomly, and in combat a simple selection menu is available so that you can chose what action you want to perform. Each character's special attacks are congruent with their powers found in the anime and manga series.

There are two unique aspects to combat: the advance guard system and the Sparking System. The advance guard system allows players to press a specific button at the correct time in order to mitigate the damage received. With the Sparking System, when one of your characters deals or receives damage, their rage gauge slowly fills up. When the gauge is full, a red aura appears around the character and the word sparking appears on the gauge. When the character is sparking they can perform super special attacks and special combination attacks with other members in the party.

As you might expect the game’s art style matches the art style found in the Dragon Ball Z series. The backgrounds and graphics found in the game are very colorful and beautiful. In battles, the combat animation is great and feels authentic. The soundtrack in the game is a little generic but it fits the game well. In battles, there are voiceovers, and anime fans will be happy to know that the Japanese character voiceovers are used rather than English ones.

Overall, Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans is one of the better Dragon Ball Z games I’ve played. It offers solid Japanese RPG gameplay that is really only marred by its mundane dialog. Fans of the series and RPGs in general will appreciate this Monolith Soft developed title.