DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 3 will be one of the Wii's first true online games. Although Atari wasn't willing to go into great detail when asked in what capacity it would go online, we do at least know that there will be head-to-head fights. That's an exciting prospect even if you don't very much care for the anime, because it's a sign that third party Wii online games are coming.

The nunchuk controls all aspects of character movement in this 3D fighting game. The analog stick moves your character around, the C Button raises your altitude, and the Z Button lowers it. Flicking the nunchuk will cause you to dash in whatever direction you're currently moving or towards your opponent if you are not moving. Characters move fast—so fast the camera had a hard time keeping up with my motions—but this isn't too big of a deal because of how the over-the-shoulder camera angle always keeps your opponent in sight. On top of that, once you get close enough to each other it's pretty easy to lock on to each other and engage in some hand-to-hand combat.

The A and B Buttons handle the kicks, punches and other physical attacks. Most combos can be performed by just mashing on the A Button, which takes the skill out of close-up battles. However, if you manage to land a large enough combo and send your foe flying, the strategy game begins. You can
(a) rush in and get some more free damage while your opponent is recovering,

(b) unleash a special move to get a moderate amount of extra damage, or

(c) charge up your chi meter as high as you dare to give yourself the chance to later unload a devastating super special move, which can take off a giant chunk of your opponent's health meter in the process.

If you decide to perform the special attack, holding down any direction on the Wii remote D-Pad will prompt you to start the remote motion needed to pull it off. A little icon in the bottom corner of the screen will show you how to hold and move the nunchuk and remote, so there's no confusion over what do to. It was really easy for me to pull off a Kamehameha Wave or Spirit Bomb while playing as Goku without any additional instruction.

Finding a safe spot to charge your meter also looks as if it will be a key to victory. As already mentioned, you can safely do this after you score a knockdown on your opponent. However, you also might be able to charge a few bars by hiding amongst the level's terrain. The levels I saw had a lot of nooks and crannies to zip around and duck behind. The arenas were pretty large as well, so if you got far away enough from someone you could charge your chi meter out in the open. The desert locale in particular stuck out in my mind for using a terrific-looking focus blur effect as the background disappeared into the horizon. The camera position also helps to make the game look pretty impressive.

From what I played at the show, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 looks as if it'll be a nice continuation of the franchise. The addition of online features is sure to be something fans of the series will like, too. And I suppose it doesn't hurt to have a selection of over 150 characters, complete with transformation variations. That's a lot to look forward to!