Common Sense Media Review
By Christopher Healy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Game's storyline is more mature than the TV show's fans.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Dragon Ball Origins 2
What's It About?
DRAGON BALL ORIGINS 2 is a sequel to last year's prequel, Dragon Ball Origins -- and yet another chapter in the long-running Dragon Ball saga. It continues to tell the story of the early years of Goku, the young monkey-tailed warrior who hunts the world for coveted, legendary power orbs called Dragon Balls. In the first prequel, he learned of the Dragon Balls and began his search. He continues his hunt here, battling evil folks along the way in order to prevent the bad guys from finding the orbs first and using their power for no good.
Is It Any Good?
Dragon Ball Origins 2 is one of the better Dragon Ball video games to date. There's a lot of frantic martial arts action, a nice exploration element with hidden treasure chests to search for, exciting boss battles, and a good tutorial method that allows you to learn nuanced controls as you advance through the story. It's the Dragon Ball game that many fans of the popular cartoon series have probably been waiting for -- which is ironic as this game is too violent and suggestive for the show's main fan base. The overly mature content, though, is housed entirely within the storytelling cut scenes; so what you've actually got here is an E10+ action game buried in a T-rated story.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in games. The worst violence happens during scenes that the player can't control. Since the actual gameplay is not as bad as the story scenes, does that make the game better for younger kids?
Families can also discuss how they feel about the portrayal of Bulma, the main female character in the game. Is her depiction stereotypical of the way girls are often portrayed in video games or anime?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo DS , Nintendo DSi
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Namco Bandai
- Release date : June 22, 2010
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
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