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Media tie-ins are as common a vice as any in the gaming world, and any franchise highly regarded or well-respected will be sure to get the treatment. While it's true such tie-ins with movies, TV or anime may not fare as well in quality because of the unconscious emphasis by the developers on the tie-in part rather than the game, some instances like Dragon Ball Z have such an established formula that performing a less-than-admirable job on the source material would be downright difficult. With the series powering up to its third installment, does the game land enough direct hits to merit a worthy opponent?

It's easy to start firing off the better points of Tenkaichi 3, though its hard to say how much of the material will fascinate non-fans of the series. Being well-versed in DBZ (take that how you will) as I watched it through most of my childhood, I am aware of the ins and outs and otherwise peculiar nature of the show. With the show's longevity came the rather convoluted character relations and rationales within the DBZ universe, and all of this is taken advantage of by the game to the highest referential value. Those who have little to no knowledge of the source material may be left scratching their heads at why everyone is shouting all the time. But it would do to stick around, as the game provides more than just ample DBZ fan service. It offers a solid fighting engine and a slew of new features and a thorough set of unlockables.

The basis of any good DBZ episode is really about everyone beating the crap out of each other in the most over-the-top, fast-paced manner of ridiculous proportions possible. The games series has always made good by not only making practice mode abundantly clear in existence, but by having the controls easy to manipulate with simple combos. The catch, of course, is that beyond the basics, you have a rather deep arsenal from which to choose with a vast room for improvement in your fighting mastery; players with any level of skill should find their comfort zone with a little time.

For anyone not familiar with the games, the combat is largely aerial, providing a rather loose feel in how fast, how far and how high you can move on any of the great many battlefields with destructible environments. Along with the depth offered by the vertical dimension, anyone with the right leverage and the tactical upper hand can morph their abilities around the situation at hand, and ultimately hit your opponent. Quick grapples and useful throws are thrown into the mix as well, and when linked together with quick blasts or powerful blast stocks, they expand the fatal ways to outsmart and outmaneuver opponents.

The Wii version makes the control scheme even better, with the three entirely different control methods accessible — the Gamecube controller, the classic controller and (of course) Wii remote controls to provide the ultimate in pantomiming wet dreams for any avid fan. You may still look ridiculous doing the Kamehameha, but now it does damage beyond that to your reputation as a grounded individual.

I used the Wii-mote throughout my time with this title. While I found control with the Gamecube controller adequate, I enjoyed the little level of additional immersion using the Wii-mote. Character specials must be mimicked for best execution, and the struggle system is triggered when both combatants perform similar moves and must go wild with the controller to emerge victorious. A Z-burst dash system is a useful innovation, adding another layer of speedy evasion to the fighting. Carefully timed use of the Wii-mote's dash motions allow you to to recover from a brutal attack or rush an opponent at the cost of rapid energy. This trick lets you better dodge attacks and sets you up for a terrific number of combos with which to gain the upper hand.

I felt a strangely satisfying sense of suspense when trying to power up, especially in competition with the other fighter doing the same. Trying to get that combo off by having your meter finish before the other guy is exciting when one thinks about how many different ways you can counter. As projectiles in energy attacks are fast and many, on top of dodging capabilities, Z countering, step in attacks, and with teleportation present, it's really difficult to express how many different facets of battle you have at your disposal.

The combat has so many nooks and crannies that you would wonder if they had any time to include a character roster of the same caliber. This, of course, is easy to pull off with DBZ, as you can't have an series with more than 400 episodes and not have a few characters to throw around. With over 150 characters to choose from, with different forms, transformations and fusions, any fan will be sure to find and use their favorite characters in any number of different ways. It's important to note a wise move taken with the default character list: the game starts with a rather large majority already unlocked, so that anyone wanting to get right to the ass kicking will be more than happy with those available.

What's interesting to note is that while people who have spent enough time with the series know a contest between SSJ Vegito against a first-form Cell would provide a hilarious two seconds of battle (with three hours of bad taunting and needlessly withheld power), the game really tries to provide a good ground for all characters to start on. Some in the selection will be better-equipped, but Tenkaichi 3 tries to go the extra mile to provide some traction between such stacked battles by letting the balanced system of counters and combination attacks be beneficial to any one character with a player who knows how to use them. Overall, this is an extra step towards providing a useful roster of power beyond just the saiyans themselves. A special exception is the Z evolution, which provides large advantage to any character — and the incredibly unnecessary power a DBZ fan might will be craving.

The Z evolution continues in Tenkaichi 3 to add even more options for honing the power of your fighters. Throughout the different modes, you will gain Z points to purchase Z items. Each character possesses a certain ability limit, which can be reached through the use of Z items. These can include health increases, strength and defense boosts, and they can provide an assortment of different ways to increase each characters power levels. This can result in making any of the characters more than formidable — perhaps to the point of becoming just downright nuts in fighting ability. A good portion of the customization lends itself well to developing new ways to fight and further pushing the limits of how many different ways you can make the fight yours. This makes the sky the limit in terms of what I could only comment on as a great nod to replayability.

Dragon History is the campaign mode in the game, not only providing every major (and even secondary and tertiary battles) in the series, but containing enough detail to not only include quotes from the episodes, but also to make it possible to reproduce the way the battles took place. The game grants enough leeway so that if you would rather just pummel the crap out of everyone without going through the canon strokes and sequential mucky muck, it's perfectly acceptable. There is a challenge mode with a great many different match ups to test your wits, as well as a sim mode that I found to be a nice change of pace. Strategy and a small amount of character management are needed, as you try to train, explore and rest in ten in-game days to get to the next fighter. It all takes place on one screen, so while it's not open world, it provides a rather simple layout with a cool concept.

Replay mode offers a way to record any of the fights you have with a quick decision after the match, but it provides little camera control to make the fight truly cinematic. I would have liked more editing options, but the fact that it's included is a good hint towards a hopefully more-epanded option in another installment. The online multiplayer provided also is a first for the series, with rankings as well as a capable quick match system to further the online play. Though the experience seemed good in my initial games (at 3 a.m. mind you), with more time invested into the online game during more regular hours, I found an almost begrudgingly slow online experience. It shows that this is the first game in the series to go online; whether it's the downfalls of the Wii's online capabilities or if the game just couldn't particularly impress with the first promise of networked multiplayer is beyond me. Any regular hours that will be poured into DBZ's online will only be by the most patient fans. A shame, really.

There's really not a lot to complain about with the game, even including visuals, as they take on cel-shaded graphics but fit perfectly within the confines of the DBZ universe and its style. I imagine the only people who would be disappointed with the game on any level are those who would not enjoy a more competitive experience or those who aren't big fans of DBZ. The game in one word is extensive, and Tenkaichi 3 can only benefit for it. There's a ton of content packed into the experience, and it will not let anyone down in terms of things to do when playing. The game deserves any bit of praise I give it, even if it's shouting at the top of its lungs while I'm doing it. Anyone looking for another good game on the Wii, look no further.