Dragon Ball Z: Budokai HD Collection

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai HD Collection was released on PlayStation 3 in 2012 and brought a remastered pair of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai and Budokai 3 fighting games, originally released on PlayStation 2 in the early 2000s. The HD collection was prepared by studio Artdink, which focused mainly on improving resolution, textures, and animation smoothness, while the gameplay and content of both games remained faithful to the originals without changes to the game system, controls, or character roster.

Both games offer traditional 3D battles in the style of the Dragon Ball Z anime series, where players control Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and other characters from the saga in stylized, destructible arenas full of falling rocks and crumbling mountains. The battles rely on energy blasts, teleporting behind the opponent's back, and rising tension through a system of transforming into higher power levels, so typical of the Dragon Ball Z series, which allows a weaker character to turn the course of a battle with a single spectacular attack. Budokai 3 is generally considered the more mature of the pair thanks to a more refined combat system, a wider character roster, and the Dragon Universe story mode, which guides the player through the key arcs of the series from the Saiyan invasion to the battle with Majin Buu.

The collection targets primarily nostalgic fans who want to relive the classic battles without having to hunt down an old console and original discs, although the HD upgrades are more cosmetic than revolutionary, and the game retains even the minor flaws of the original versions, such as an occasionally stiff camera during larger battles or a more limited selection of game modes compared to later entries in the series.

Why play it: For a nostalgic revisit of classic Dragon Ball Z battles in a clearer HD form.