Xbox 360, PS3; £40. Age 12+

This frenetic fighting game is based on Dragon Ball Z, the classic Japanese cartoon series. The premise of the game is that you control a wide range of plucky heroes and snarling villains who must battle it out man to man. The combat system is effective, albeit simple. Characters can blast energy beams at one another or soar high into the air, briefly pausing to exchange taunts and then close back in to trade furious blows.

Burst Limit looks great and successfully blurs the line between a video game and an animated film. The game covers only two chapters from the original Dragon Ball Z cartoon saga, but by punctuating the fights with close-ups and extra scenes of footage, it captures the melodrama of the series well. That said, in terms of sheer playability, Burst Limit would have sand kicked in its face by Tekken, the class-leading beat-’em-up game series.

Players beyond their mid-teens will, frankly, find this a bewildering, migraine-inducing experience; 12 to 15-year-olds, however, will be engrossed, whether duking it out alone or grappling with friends. For fans of Dragon Ball Z, Burst Limit is a must.

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