On November 3, 1997, the United States received a first. It was on this date that rabid DragonBall Z fans lined up at their local video game stores to pick up the first DragonBall Z game to be officially released in North America. This Game (DragonBall GT: Final Bout) immediately sold out in the first few days.
Those lucky (?) enough to pick up this game were treated to a fighting title featuring characters from the DragonBall, DragonBall Z, and DragonBall GT. Rendered fully in 3-D, DBGT used both fixed and freestyle camera angles to give anime style views of the action. It also included a training mode, tournament battle, and an innovative "Build-Up" mode that allowed characters to be powered up by defeating different opponents. Of course, no DragonBall title would be complete without the over the top attacks and moves from the show. DragonBall GT included these in the form of massive Meteo attacks and the ability to fly and hover.
With the DragonBall License and all of these features in the game, one would have expected an incredible gaming experience. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The game play is slow and the fighting engine lacks the depth that we have come to expect from even the most common fighting titles. DragonBall GT is a prime example that no matter how many bells and whistles a title features, if the basic gameplay is lacking, nothing can save it from mediocrity.
DragonBall GT: Final Bout is currently selling for anywhere between $100.00 and $200.00 for the U.S. version of this title. However, the Japanese version has the current asking price of about $50.00. If you must have a DragonBall Z game, we suggest you bypass this title altogether and pick up DragonBall Z Legends or another of the superior DragonBall import titles available for both the Playstation and Saturn.
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