Dragon Ball Z: The Complete Series

Sean Dibble

Five years have passed since the ending of Dragon Ball, and our hero Goku has grown up and now has a son named Gohan. The world has been at peace since the world tournament battle between Goku and Piccolo, and that’s the way Goku and his friends hope it will stay; but this peace will not last for long. Goku will face villains from out of this world, literal aliens, who come to destroy Earth in this series. Goku and his friends, the Z Fighters, must do all they can to save Earth and its populace.

(Characters from the Vegeta Saga)

The story of Dragon Ball Z is much different from its predecessor, Dragon Ball. Where Dragon Ball focused on adventure and storytelling, DBZ focuses more on fighting and, well... more fighting. For most people, this would be a negative, but I personally enjoyed all the action scenes (despite them making no sense on occasion.) One thing that DBZ had that Dragon Ball didn't was better villains, like Vegeta, Freiza, and Cell. These villains make the story much more compelling, as these three each make you think that there’s no way Goku can win. While Vegeta does eventually become an ally to the Z Fighters, the other villains aren’t so yielding.

Episode-wise, the story flows very well, for the most part. The story of Dragon Ball Z is made up of nine sagas with very little filler content. There is no lull in the story, unlike some other notable anime with a large amount of episodes that have come out long after Goku and his friends were around. What little filler there is isn’t particularly noticeable and you probably won’t realize that it’s filler unless you’ve been told beforehand such as the Garlic Junior saga and a few others that are really just more enjoyable parts to the overall story in a way.

(The two best Saiyans face off)

The characters in DBZ have their ups and downs. Following the events of Dragon Ball, Goku continues to be the strongest and Krillin can only be seen as a joke in terms of sheer power and fighting ability; however, he does compete with Yamcha for the title of Worst Human Character in DBZ. One thing I wish the show developers did differently was provide a greater backstory for Vegeta. He’s such an interesting character, but the show portrays him as a whiny crybaby. He arguably shouldn’t be stronger than the main character but Vegeta as he’s shown in DBZ is a mockery to those who enjoy his character and see just how hard he tries to stay at the top of his game. Though, despite my complaints about his character development, Vegeta does have some fantastic scenes. Among my favorite are his sacrifice against Buu, and his climactic and action-packed battles with Goku that pop up here and there.

One other part of the story, which I had some qualms with too, is the nature of Gohan and Goku’s power. You would think that, because Gohan is Goku’s son, Goku would be the more powerful of the two. While this is usually the case, there’s some inconsistency in their power levels. Gohan is generally seen as a wimp throughout much of DBZ, but during the Cell Saga he gains immense strength which rivals (or possibly even surpasses) that of his father. This is fine, and the son surpassing their father in terms of raw fighting power is seen in plenty of contemporary works, but the problem with DBZ’s representation of this concept is that they don’t follow through with it. Right after Gohan’s epic battle with Cell, he goes back to being the wimpy little kid he was beforehand.

(Gohan being a BA)

Even the animation has stood the test of time, and it’s still remarkably engaging several years later. I’ve seen this show close to ten times, and it’s one of my favorites. DBZ was the first anime I had seen and it made me fall in love with the genre. Since then, I’ve seen Bleach, One Piece, Fairy Tale, and many more; but DBZ continues to be one of my favorites, even with its flaws in timeline issues and poor character development. These flaws are small prices to pay for a fantastic storyline and hours upon hours of action-packed fight scenes. What Akira Toriyama has created with the Dragon Ball series is a legacy which few can hope to ever match. As a fan, I can honestly say that I hope Toriyama was sincere when he suggested DBZ might make a return in the future.

Good:

- Action, action, action: If you want an anime with plenty of action, DBZ certainly won’t disappoint.

- Decent storytelling: While it has its flaws, DBZ builds off of the quality storytelling practices used by its predecessor.

- Seamless flow: Each episode connects with admirable continuity, drawing the viewer in and engaging them one episode after another.

- Great show for beginning anime fans: DBZ is notorious as being one of the great gems of animation, and is a fantastic segue into more complex anime. Heck, I even know people who don’t particularly like anime who love DBZ. That should speak for itself.

Bad:

- Character development: Some characters, like Vegeta and Gohan, don’t have personalities or consistencies needed to make a powerful connection with the viewer, or simply don’t have personalities which suit their power levels.

- Some episodes simply don’t make sense: Even in the world of anime, episodes should make sense in the world which they’re built upon. For example, during the Freiza Saga, the planet Namek is supposed to be destroyed within five minutes. Several episodes occur within this timeframe, and I assure you that Namek could have blown up several times over by the time the events of these episodes have occurred.

Scully Rating: 8.9 out of 10

DBZ Abridged 44: Cell Reception

Zach Goodier

http://teamfourstar.com/video/tfs-abridged-parody-episode-44/

New DBZ Abridged is out, for all those who follow the series.  This episode, Cell continues to search for the Androids, devouring all in his path.  Meanwhile, Trunks, Piccolo, and Krillin begin to decide their next move, but Vegeta quickly arrives, very displeased with Piccolo's recent power boost ("The f#$%'s a 'Kami'?").  Trunks and Krillin quickly go back to Gero's lab to find the version of Cell from the current timeline, giving Krillin a chance to boast. Piccolo and Tien pursue Cell, who has moved into Nicky Town, and called in a request to the local radio station before taking a shot at being a radio DJ himself.

Here's a little preview of what's in store:

Splinter Cell: Blacklist

By: Robert Murphy

Hey guys, sorry that it’s been so long since I last had a post for you all but I was in need of some rest and relaxation but now I’m back with plenty to share in the coming weeks with video games, anime and more. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s just start off with a new game that I have been waiting for, for quite some time now and that game is Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Yes, Sam Fisher is back once again and God help you if you’re the ones he’s after because as fans of series will tell you, nobody messes with Sam Fisher. Since the last time we saw Sam things have changed, you’re no longer laying low and avoiding your stealth assassin ways, no in fact you’ll need them more than ever now that a group known as The Engineers have come to change the world in a radical way. Enter Same Fisher and the newly formed 4^th Echelon which features some old faces such as Grim (because it’s not a Splinter Cell game without her) and Charlie Cole, with a new face to the team Isaac Briggs. Together this small but powerful group is put to the task of taking out The Engineers and the threat they pose to the United States.

Now when we last saw Sam, he was kind of gruff and was giving off the scruffy old man angle in Splinter Cell: Conviction and he was taking down everything in his way with brute force and took a little less stealthy aspect to him. In Blacklist however, things are back in order and Sam returns to the shadows to take down the new threat set before him and his team so fans of the series will once more enjoy ducking and weaving all over the place. And duck and weave you shall as almost every mission comes with multiple venues and ways to move through patrolling guards and bad guys, whether it’s vents, ceilings or pipes, there’s an angle for whatever your preference may be. But of course this was all to be expect from a Splinter Cell game but if you do enjoy going loud in a situation and going in guns blazing then there is still that option. There is a wide array of weaponry to choose from and some of those come with quite a large bang to them so you can go on a murdering spree on a room of enemies rather than silently removing them one at a time. On the plus side as well, you are actually rewarded for this type of behavior along with being stealthy and lethally stealthy through the games mission scoring system that appears when you complete a mission. This rewards you points and cash for either going through the mission as a Ghost (non-lethal stealth), a Panther (lethal stealth) or Assault (loud and lethal), making an enjoyable experience, whatever your preference.

From here you can further customize Sam and your gear by purchasing weapon modifications for the wide assortment of guns you have to choose from and with those guns comes with a huge assortment of modifications to be made. From red dot sights to hollow point rounds, you’ll be dealing deadly damage throughout the campaign anyway you like. Then we also have the gadgets, remote cameras, noise makers, rotating robot drones, they’re all here for the taking to aid in your stealthy or not so stealthy play through of Blacklist. Nothing compares to the stunned look an enemy gets when he here’s a strange sound come from no-where and then suddenly he turns around and all his buddies are missing in action and the light of your goggles shine behind him. Then there’s Sam himself, whose appearance can be altered with a number of different outfits, each with their own unique traits an abilities that can improve your stealth, weapon handling and more.

As for the campaign itself, Sam and his team work on board of the Paladin, a large aircraft carrier that can also be further upgraded with cash given to Grim in between missions, this monolithic plane is base of operations for 4^th Echelon. From here you access your missions that across the globe and these missions vary from main story missions to side missions that are given to you by your team, to be done at your leisure for extra cash. Also you can talk to your team before and after each mission to see your stats, update your arsenal or get the new missions that I mentioned earlier. But if you want to bite into the main story, you can all go right ahead because it’s a good one, the “Blacklist” terrorist attacks on America features a very grounded and enjoyable experience. There aren’t over the top explosions or antics with this enemy, they’re quick, clean and precise and prove to be a challenge even for Sam, who after the last game, you’d think would be pulling an “I’m too old for this @#$%.” And this was my really big problem with the game because Sam is now somewhat different, he’s still an incredibly skilled, stealth fighter but his character is not the same Sam. This is because Sam’s gruff voice actor has been replaced this time around and replaced with a new more authoritative voice that says, “This is what’s happening, let’s get it done” and that’s it. Sam’s sarcastic and wittiness seems to have disappeared with this one, it didn’t kill the game for me but I do miss the voice work of Michael Ironside in this one.

Now onto the multiplayer, Blacklist features both co-op missions and an online mode that returns some classic features from previous games for all to enjoy. We have a throwback to the old days with the game mode Spies vs Mercs that puts you and your friends to a task of hacking a terminal while avoiding a group of mercs defending the area in a classic 2 v 2 or the new 4 v 4 mode that lets you customize your individual load out for added fun. Then there the other game modes such as Team Deathmatch which is self-explanatory and many other game types for you and your friends to either work together in or test your stealth skills against. Then we have the co-op aspect of the game, as you play through the game you’ll notice that missions from your team may have a co-op option so you and your friend or whoever can tackle a mission together, taking some of the load off Sam in solo play. But make sure you find yourself a friend with similar playing styles or you’ll end up trying to go stealthy while your friend charges in guns firing.

All in all, Splinter Cell: Blacklist has brought back the heavy stealth element that fans of the series have always loved about the series since day one but they’ve also incorporated more of a heavier action element for players who want to give up and just blow everything away. Not only this but players will gain points for going through the mission in the various different ways that you play, either being gun heavy, stealthy or a stealthy killer, it’s your choice. Also the game brings with it enjoyable multiplayer and co-op campaign missions alongside the short but sweet action of the single player campaign that’s laid before us. My issues with the game are nothing major that wouldn’t spoil anyone’s fun playing through this incredible game either, I don’t care for some of Sam Fisher’s new attributes, he looks so stiff and structured now and not like his old self but he’s still got the legendary skills that I know and love.

Good:

-Enjoyable campaign and story

-Equally enjoyable co-op and multiplayer for you and your friends

-Massively customizable arsenal, filled with gadgets, guns and more

Bad:

-The new Sam wasn’t for me but you guys decide for yourself on that one

Scully Rating: 9.0 out of 10