And that's where things start to fall apart. As it turns out, the differences between multiple characters are slight, and for the most part, mainly cosmetic. Each character has the same moveset and uses the same button combinations for the same moves. Sure, one character may have a stronger energy attack and a weaker physical attack while another suffers the opposite condition, or one character may have a slightly different super attack, but this doesn't have any bearing on the actual gameplay. As a result, once you're tired of one character ...you're basically tired of the whole cast.

Per most fighting games, there's a system of checks and balances behind most of the attacks here. Weak energy attacks can be deflected by a physical attack, guards can be broken by throws, and so forth. However, and again, per most fighting games, players can safely ignore that system and just mash the attack buttons to win most fights. In fact, the only fights that really require the use of actual strategy are the Branch fights in Story mode that dictate a certain outcome or method of defeat in order to unlock additional fights.

Unfortunately, though Story mode makes it quite apparent which matches offer branching paths, the game doesn't come out and inform the player of the conditions required to unlock these paths. Players are instead left to discover the conditions themselves, which can be repetitive and frustrating. Even worse is when the player eventually discovers what they must do but can't fulfill that objective, such as when I was required to defeat the members of a team in a specific order and manner. But when the computer absolutely refused to switch to the character I needed to defeat first, the challenge grew more frustrating than fun.

The temptation of button-mashing is heightened by timing issues. The R trigger has multiple uses, each depending on the button combination: double-tapping the D-Pad and then hitting R results in a Homing Dash, the combination of R and A performs a powerful energy shot, while just hitting R on its own recharges a character's attack energy. However, the timing of the R trigger can be a bit wonky, so when players may want to perform a Homing Dash, they may instead end up recharging their attack energy. When this happens, it's not a feeling of "Oh! I just need to practice!" but rather "Gee, it's rather annoying that this game’s circumventing my attempts to use an actual strategy."

For a licensed game, Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2 isn't all that bad, but it also isn't that great. Despite a cast of over 30 characters, the part where each character uses the exact same moveset means things get tedious rather quickly. And except for the Branch fights that require a certain degree of strategy or patience, most fights can be beaten using the exact same button-mashing techniques as the fight before. Dragon Ball Z fans will certainly enjoy the varied cast of characters, not to mention the various branches of Story mode, but everyone else will be bored within a half-hour. Chalk this one up as yet another licensed game where the only people who will care are fans of the license, not gameplay.