Gaming

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot review: Super fan service

A kamehameha that deals damage, but doesn’t finish the fight

Published

January 30, 2020

Growing up, I have always wanted to be a Super Saiyan. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, through a video game, has afforded me that experience.

In case it’s not clear from that first sentence, I am absolutely a Dragon Ball fan. That’s precisely why there’s plenty about this game that appealed to me. However, if you’re only vaguely familiar with the generation-defining anime then this might not be for you.

Goku to the rescue

The staple role-playing game (RPG) elements are present but something about this game makes it feel like it’s not a full-pledged RPG. Regardless, it’s still a fun game with a heavy dose of fan service.

Live like a Saiyan

Flying aimlessly as Son Gohan was an extremely satisfying experience for me. Yes, Gohan. He’s my favorite character. He’s also the son of the titular character Son Goku who’s Saiyan name is Kakarot.

The less spectacular parts of the game — which include a bit of free roaming, collecting orbs, and substories that were mainly fetch quests or quick battles — would not have been enjoyable if this hadn’t been about Dragon Ball.

The flying doesn’t feel fluid. But it made up for it with the sheer fact that I got to fly around as the heroes from my childhood. I was so giddy to find out little details like how far is the Sons’ house to Orange City where Gohan went to school, as well as where the Kame House is in relation to Capsule Corp and West City were.

The infamous car-filler episode is in this game

Going around the world of Dragon Ball and interacting with its side characters were such a fun experience for me. The game itself is already one huge nostalgia-trip, but as you free roam, you’ll also find orbs that tell quick stories from episodes of the original Dragon Ball series. This piles on the nostalgia even more.

Flashy but simple combat

Speaking of free roaming, scattered all around the world of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (DBZ:K) are the Z orbs. These orbs come in different colors and all you’ll spend them on unlocking your characters’ skill tree.

The skills are divided in attacks, know-hows, and transformations. Some skills will be unlocked as you progress in the story, while others need to be learned by collecting D Medals that you then spend on training grounds to learn new skills.

The DBZ: K skill tree

On combat itself, if you’ve played any game from the Naruto Ultimate Series, then the controls should be familiar. There’s a combination of melee and ki attacks, ki recharge, and dodging (which in Dragon Ball standards is really cool AF).

Kamehameha!

Press L1 and you’ll gain access to your Super Attacks — also a combination of melee and ki attacks. You can customize this to fit your style. Press R1 and you’ll see the Super support attacks. These are only available when you have one or two more characters in your party.

There are enough variations in the boss and story fights to keep combat interesting. The same isn’t true for the random battle encounters. Thankfully, you don’t really need to do many of those because the EXP is almost inconsequential in comparison to the ones you get on the main story and the side quests.

Vegeta getting the shock of his life after being bested by Android 18

Side quests are fun fillers

The side quests, when broken down to its basic structure, is nothing more than fetch quests. But it was still fun because you get to meet all the other side characters both from Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.

It’s also important that you jump into the side quests as soon as they appear. Each one provides a significant amount of EXP. It’s true that just going through the story itself will net you enough EXP to finish the game. But having a few extra is never a bad thing and helps going through enemies a lot easier.

Some side quests will ask you to go fishing — a callback to the first Dragon Ball episode

The side stories will also provide you with the characters’ Soul Emblems. These emblems fit in different community boards. Each community board provides stat boosts for everything you do in the game. The Z Warrior community will raise your support characters’ abilities, the Cooking community increases the stat boosts from eating, the Training community provides combat boosts, etc.

There are also portions of the game where you get to collect the Dragon Balls and make wishes that range from bringing back old foes to life so you can fight them again for EXP boosts, to wishing for more Zeni (money in this game), Z orbs, and rare items.

Dragon Balls collected. Time to make a wish!

Dramatic recreation of key Dragon Ball Z moments

Seeing the iconic moments of the series recreated in DBZ:K was such a treat. It reignited whatever emotional connection I had with the series. That’s especially true since a lot of these moments I saw when I was still just a stupid kid screaming my lungs out trying to turn Super Saiyan.

Goku turns Super Saiyan for the first time

I was primetime viewing for us back then and nearly everyone I knew watched the series. I still remember how our Taekwondo instructor told us to not worry about missing a particular episode because Gohan isn’t turning Super Saiyan yet. I also remember how a friend was disgusted with how Frieza skewered Krillin. And then there’s how my basketball buddies and I crashed a friends’ place just to catch the latest episode after we’re done playing.

A memorable and meme-staple scene featuring Yamcha

So many memories recreated wonderfully with some additional details. There are even a few easter eggs that plenty of hard core fans will spot. For instance, there’s a quick part that has something to do with Launch and you get this scene.

The game is aware of Akira Toriyama’s memory gap

Launch is a character that was introduced in the original series but was noticeably missing in DBZ. When asked later on why she was barely present, Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama said he simply forgot about her. It’s little details like these that I’m sure hardcore fans will appreciate.

Wish granted for DBZ fans

There’s no denying it, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is the ultimate fan service video game. As an RPG, it’s… alright. There is nothing here that’s ground-breaking and some aspects of the game need improvement.

Standoff. Goku faces Vegeta for the first time

Regardless, it still makes for a very enjoyable experience for DBZ fans — which I suspect is a massive number of people given how Bandai Namco is able to come out with a new game almost every year.

Epic rivalry

If you’re curious about Dragon Ball and are only vaguely familiar with it, then this might not be for you. But for hardcore fans who can’t get enough of this cultural phenomenon, this game is like getting hit with a Kamehameha of fan service.

Gaming

Stage Tour is resurrecting your Rock Band childhood

You can rock the guitar, the drums, or vocals to your favorite songs.

Published

August 26, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

A new Witcher 3 DLC, a new Final Fantasy VII, Mega Man, Rayman, and Crazy Taxi. What year is it again? With games as nostalgic as these coming out, there’s one game that can complete the circle: Rock Band. Now, resurrecting an era of rhythm games, Stage Tour will have you playing the guitar, the drums, or vocals in a star-studded game with a lot of iconic tracks.

For those who played through the classic Guitar Hero or Rock Band, Stage Tour needs no introduction. However, if you’re new to the scene, the game simply puts you into the shoes of a rock band. You can wield a guitar, a set of drums, or a microphone. And yes, the game comes with a customized controller for each instrument.

As for the soundtrack, you can rock and jam to a lot of the catchiest songs from yesteryear to today including titles from BABYMETAL, Paramore, Slipknot, The Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, Black Eyed Peas, Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Metallica, Walk the Moon, and Olivia Rodrigo.

Stage Tour launches on December 10 for all major platforms like PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Switch 2. You can also grab their official accessories through their site, but they do cost a pretty penny.

Gaming

HoYoverse’s Nodusfall looks like nothing they’ve ever made before

But it looks so similar to Elden Ring or Dark Souls.

Published

August 26, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

There’s a certain aesthetic you’ll always expect whenever you see HoYoverse mentioned. Touting long-standing hits like Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero, the publisher’s games often have bright and appealing aesthetics, bolstered by highly attractive characters to get you into the gacha groove. However, for the first time, HoYoverse is trying something completely different: Nodusfall, an action RPG that looks and feels like Elden Ring.

Revealed at today’s gamescom, Nodusfall teases a deeply fantastical setting focusing on Weavers taking on ferocious monsters and divine entities. Players will be able to take on these challenges with, based on the trailer, four players. Each player can wield an assortment of weapons including a greatsword, a regular sword, a bow, and magic. The trailer also teases spells that can transform the player into a divine being themselves.

As for the enemies, they have a strangely striking resemblance to other games you might have played before. One is a grizzled warrior who beheads a giant lion, something that’s shockingly identical to Hoarah Loux in Elden Ring. Another rides a dragon, similar to the Nameless King from Dark Souls 3.

Comparisons aside, Nodusfall is an impressive transformation for HoYoverse. Since forever, the publisher thrived on anime aesthetics, highlighted these days by the godly trilogy of Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero.

HoYoverse hasn’t revealed the release date of Nodusfall just yet, but we’re excited to see it in action.

Gaming

Mega Man: Dual Override shows off new gameplay

Proto Man joins Mega Man

Published

August 26, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

Capcom has unveiled the first gameplay trailer for Mega Man: Dual Override, giving fans an extended look at the next mainline entry in the classic action-platformer series.

Revealed during Gamescom Opening Night Live, the trailer showcases new gameplay mechanics, bosses, playable characters, and more. Mega Man: Dual Override is set to launch in 2027.

The game will be available on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store.

Proto Man joins the fight

For the first time in a mainline Mega Man game, Proto Man returns as a playable character alongside the Blue Bomber.

Proto Man has his own abilities and playstyle. This gives players two distinct ways to approach the game’s challenges.

The trailer also introduces the new Override system. It lets robots temporarily push their abilities beyond their normal limits.

There is a catch, though. Once Override runs out, the player’s performance will temporarily drop. Players will need to choose when to activate the boost and manage its drawbacks.

Build your own playstyle

Mega Man: Dual Override also introduces a Custom Chip system.

Players can install Custom Chips to give Mega Man and Proto Man additional abilities. These include rapid-fire attacks, a protective shield bubble, hover capabilities, and more.

Players can mix and match different chips to create combinations that suit their preferred playstyle.

The trailer also introduces Twinkle Girl, one of eight new Robot Masters. She attacks with dazzling, firework-themed abilities.

As in previous games, defeating Robot Masters lets players acquire their abilities and turn them into special weapons.

New weapons and familiar faces

Special weapons remain an important part of Mega Man’s arsenal. However, they consume energy with every use, making resource management important.

The trailer shows off one new weapon that unleashes a powerful charge attack. It can also function as an aerial dash, giving players another mobility option.

Fans also spotted a familiar face in the trailer. Astro Man from Mega Man 8 briefly appears during the footage.

Capcom has not confirmed whether Astro Man will play a larger role in the game. It also teased the possibility of more classic Robot Masters returning.

Mega Man: Dual Override is now available to wishlist on the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, and Steam.