Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi Tag Team was developed by Spike and released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. The game was designed to be a sequel to the popular Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku series, but with a new gameplay mechanic that set it apart from its predecessors. The game's title, Tenkaichi Tag Team, roughly translates to "Strongest in the World Tag Team," which reflects the game's focus on tag-team battles.
For a game running on Sony’s petite handheld, Tenkaichi Tag Team is a technical marvel. The cel-shaded character models are crisp, colorful, and animate smoothly, closely resembling the PS2 Tenkaichi games. The arenas—from the rocky plains of Namek to the World Tournament stage—are destructible and surprisingly large. The game manages to maintain a stable frame rate most of the time, though Ki blast spam or multiple transformations can cause noticeable slowdown. The loading times are respectable, and the iconic soundtrack (courtesy of the anime’s original composer, Shunsuke Kikuchi) adds the right level of nostalgia. dragon ball z tenkaichi tag team
This game is arguably better today than it was at launch. Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi Tag Team was developed
Here lies the game’s most significant flaw. Tenkaichi Tag Team is clearly designed for cooperative play, but its single-player content is sparse and repetitive. The main "Story Mode" is a truncated series of diorama-style battles with static images and text boxes, lacking the cinematic presentation or world exploration of its console cousins. The computer AI, especially for your partner, can be frustratingly inept. Your AI teammate will often waste Ki on useless attacks, fail to guard at critical moments, or leave you to fight a 2v1 battle. The game essentially requires a second human player via local ad-hoc multiplayer (online play was not supported) to reach its full potential. For a game running on Sony’s petite handheld,
The game's battle system is based on a 3D fighting engine, with characters able to move freely around the arena. Players can use a variety of attacks, including ki blasts, physical punches and kicks, and special moves like Kamehameha and Dragon Fist. The game also features a variety of interactive environments, where players can use the terrain to their advantage, such as by throwing opponents into obstacles or using the environment to block attacks.