Dragon Ball Z Infinite World is just one of many video games released on the PlayStation 2. This console was legendary for a bunch of reasons. Dragon Ball Z had so many games released just in this generation alone, it’s easy to forget many of them. Some of the most popular games were the Budokai and Budokai Tenkaichi series. So why was Infinite World forgotten, and how did it become the most underrated game in the series?
Infinite World’s Stumbling Release
Infinite World is unfortunately not viewed very highly by the Dragon Ball community. There are a ton of factors surrounding the game’s release that kind of made it fail on entry. First off, it was released in 2008, but it was only available on the PS2. The PS3 came out two years prior. A little hard to comprehend that they released this game only on last-gen hardware at the time. But perhaps it was because the publishers believed the PS2 would have a larger fanbase than the PS3. That’s understandable.
What isn’t understandable is the marketing of the game. This game is for all intents and purposes, Budokai 4. Yes, the Dragon Ball Z Budokai series was a fighting game series on the PS2 that fans loved. Infinite World was marketed as being a separate game. Many fans were confused, because Infinite World uses the same visuals, engine, and animations from Budokai 3. Put both games together, and it’s hard to tell the difference other than looking at the menus. This made fans look at Infinite World as a cash grab, instead of a brand new entry in the anime series they love. While this is understandable, it’s a darn shame.
The Culmination of the Budokai Series
Infinite World is very similar to the Budokai games. It plays, and looks almost exactly like Budokai 3. They do have some slight differences. The story mode is a lot more cinematic. Scenes from the anime are fully adapted here. In Budokai 3, the main story mode involved you playing as your character and physically flying around the world. It was a novel idea, but a bit disappointing in the sense that they really didn’t animate or adapt any major scenes from the show.
Infinite World has the player using an interactable menu to select the fights, and in these fights, there are fully voiced cutscenes that adapt the major scenes from the series. It’s really well done. The gameplay is similar to Budokai 3, but tweaked a bit. Some unbalanced or unskillful mechanics from Budokai 3 are removed, like the Dragon Rush. This mode almost always activated an unskippable cutscene during your fight, so many were relieved to see it go.
The Definitive 2D Fighter of the Era
This game still had great gameplay, as well as a ton of content in additional modes and unlockables. It’s a shame. Many fans right off Infinite World for being “Budokai 3.5”. In reality, it’s similar, but it is standalone. For this writer’s money, it’s the definitive 2D DBZ game for that era. Of course, now gamers are blessed with games like Dragon Ball FighterZ, but it was a different time back then.
Many gamers point to games like Budokai 3 or Budokai Tenkaichi 3 as being the best. Yes, both of these games are phenomenal. Tenkaichi 3 has the most characters in any DBZ game, which must be applauded. Budokai 3 was the first DBZ fighting game that felt like it nailed every aspect it was trying to. But Infinite World is just the underrated game that deserves more love. Before Sparking Zero comes out and takes all your time, give this game a shot.
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