I’ve never been a huge fan of the Dragon Ball Z series. For some reason, it never clicked with me as much as some other anime I watch regularly. Not to say it’s not good, it’s just not in my regular rotation. I also haven’t played much of the previous games, since they haven’t been very good. Atari has upped the ante with Burst Limit and made a game that everyone should play, even if you don’t like anime.

Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit is a fighting game, but it provides a story. I know, that’s not something you’re used to see in a fighting game. Each stage pits you against another foe that stands in your way. What exactly is that story? We’re not sure from the demo, but it already seems cool. What really pulled me in, though, is the great graphics (it seriously looks like you’re playing the show) and the very solid gameplay.

The fighting mechanic in Burst Limit is top notch. The game is fast paced and you need a decent strategy to win, especially on the higher difficulties. You can’t just run out on offense, the block button is key to surviving each fight. There are a lot of attack options, mapping to the the three face buttons and the left shoulder/trigger buttons as well. You block with the A (Xbox 360) or X (PS3) button and can use the Right Bumper or R1 to transform and the Right Trigger or R2 to pursuit your enemy. It’s a very simple control scheme that lends well to both button mashers on the easier difficulties and fighters who wish to strategize on the harder settings.

The fights last a decent amount of time, around 3-5 minutes each, which is a pleasant flipside to the 90 second of less battles in most fighting games. Certain actions during the battle will trigger different cutscenes, and your goal is to see them all. You’re graded on how many cutscenes you see and how many different and effective fighting moves you perform. On my first run through the demo, I got two S ratings in my fights on Normal. I believe the rankings go up to SS, but I can’t confirm at the moment.

If you haven’t tried the demo, it’s under 500mb, so what are waiting for? This looks to be one of, if not the best Dragon Ball Z game out there. Even if you don’t like anime or DBZ, the fighting mechanic alone is worth the price of admission. If you preorder at Gamestop, you get a cool t-shirt and some nice bonus extras (PS3 gets a Dragon Ball Z Blu-Ray Feature: Dead Zone and Xbox 360 gets Dragon Ball Z Season 1: Episodes 1-7). Head on down and drop some cash to get this one or hit up the links to order. The game ships June 10th, so get ready to fight.