It is incredible what a difference a year can make. In 2002, The Legacy of Goku was released for the Gameboy Advance. That game was torn apart by fans of Dragon Ball and the gaming community alike, who claimed that it was a poor Dragon Ball game and a poor game in general. Despite this criticism, however, the game was a financial success, with more than a million units sold. Webfoot Technologies and Atari soon began working on a sequel, and in 2003, The Legacy of Goku 2 was released for the Gameboy Advance.
Like its predecessor, The Legacy of Goku 2 is an action role playing game (RPG) that covers the story of Dragon Ball Z. This installment covers the second major arc of the Dragon Ball Z story, starting with the Arrival of Future Trunks and going through the end of the Cell Games. While the first Legacy of Goku game only covered Goku’s involvement in the story, the sequel allows you to control up to six playable characters as you battle your way through the sagas.
As an action RPG, and especially as a Dragon Ball game, fighting is a critically important aspect. The original Legacy of Goku game failed in this regard, as combat was slow, filled with AI glitches, and not very enjoyable overall. In The Legacy of Goku 2, combat was improved by leaps and bounds. What was once a tedious combat system where success was dependent on the enemy AI glitching out was replaced with a system where your success is dependent on your attack timing. In fact, it is entirely possible to keep your opponents on the backfoot provided you time your attacks right. Not to mention that there are more frames of animation for players and the enemies you encounter.
The Legacy of Goku 2 is a massive improvement in terms of looks and presentation. The character sprites are distinct and sharper, and the environments are expansive for the hardware. The game also features original musical compositions alongside pieces of music pulled directly from Faulconer’s work on the FUNimation English dub score. The Legacy of Goku 2 was the first game released in America to feature such a score; Faulconer’s work was very much tied to Dragon Ball Z’s identity in the west due its presence in the English syndication. Webfoot Technologies is a western-based developer, so this was a good move on their part and showed that they know their audience.
This game also features an attribute system for characters as you level up, so you can see exactly how your characters are getting stronger. You can also clearly see how much damage you deal and take, unlike with the original Legacy of Goku, where you had no idea how much damage you were dealing.
The original Legacy of Goku can be completed in about 4 hours if you know how the game works. The Legacy of Goku 2 easily triples that playtime, but I didn’t mind, as this game is actually fun to play unlike its predecessor. The original was a poorly developed game that appealed to no one, while this game is far more polished and has clear effort put into it. Yes, there are deeper RPG’s out there, but this is an easy-to-pick-up title that I think any fan of Dragon Ball can enjoy. I also recommend it to people who are on the fence about RPGs, as it isn’t overly difficult. The Legacy of Goku 2 is a solid game, and it wholeheartedly has my endorsement. This one is a keeper…
