Honestly, if you grew up with a PSP in your backpack, there was a specific sound that defined your childhood. It wasn’t just the startup jingle; it was the high-pitched whistle of a Saiyan being slammed through a mountain. We’re talking about Tenkaichi Tag Team PSP, a game that, on paper, shouldn't have been as good as it was. It arrived in late 2010 when the PSP was supposedly entering its twilight years, yet it managed to cram the chaotic, 3D essence of the PlayStation 2’s Budokai Tenkaichi 3 into a handheld that fit in your jeans pocket.
It’s weird. Most "portable" versions of big console fighting games are watered-down disasters. They usually cut the roster in half or simplify the mechanics until the game feels like a glorified calculator app. But Spike didn't do that here. They leaned into the hardware's limitations and somehow birthed the only game in the entire franchise that lets you do a 2v2 dogfight in a fully destructible 3D arena.
The 2v2 Gimmick That Actually Worked
Most people think "Tag Team" just means switching characters like in Marvel vs. Capcom. Nope. Tenkaichi Tag Team PSP actually put four fighters on the screen at the exact same time. It was total, unadulterated chaos. You could be busy whaling on Frieza while your AI partner (or a friend via Ad-Hoc) was off in the distance keeping Zarbon occupied.
The strategy changed completely. In the standard Tenkaichi games, it’s all about 1v1 execution. Here? You had to watch your back. There was this mechanic called the "W Impact" where you and your partner could basically sandwich an opponent and trigger a cinematic beatdown. It felt like watching the actual anime where Goku and Piccolo had to team up to take down Raditz. You weren't just a solo god; you were part of a tactical unit.
The lock-on system was the real hero here. Since you had two enemies to worry about, the game let you flick between targets. It was clunky at first—especially since the PSP only had one analog nub—but once it clicked, it felt like second nature.
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Why the Roster Still Holds Up in 2026
Look, we have Sparking! ZERO now with its 180+ characters, so the 70-ish characters in Tenkaichi Tag Team PSP might seem small. But context matters. For a handheld game in 2010? This was insane. It covered everything from the Raditz arrival all the way to the Kid Buu finale.
- The Heavy Hitters: All the Goku and Vegeta variants you’d expect, including the Majin forms.
- The Movie Villains: They even squeezed in Broly and Bardock, which were basically mandatory for any DBZ game to be taken seriously back then.
- The Fodder: Saibamen and Frieza soldiers were included specifically for the "Dragon Walker" story mode, making the world feel populated rather than just a series of menu screens.
One thing that kinda sucks—and fans still complain about this today—is the lack of GT characters. No SSJ4 Goku. No Omega Shenron. Spike clearly wanted to focus on the "Z" era, likely to keep the file size manageable for the UMD format. But honestly? The depth of the transformations made up for it. Being able to go from Base to SSJ3 mid-match without the game stuttering was a technical miracle for the PSP.
Dragon Walker: More Than Just a Menu
The story mode, called Dragon Walker, was basically a love letter to Budokai 3. You got an overhead map, you flew around, and you triggered encounters. It wasn't just "Fight 1, Fight 2, Cutscene." You had side objectives and hidden items.
It’s funny because modern games often struggle with making story modes feel like an adventure. They usually opt for a static list of fights. Tenkaichi Tag Team PSP tried to give you a sense of scale. Flying over to a tiny island to find a Senzu bean or stumbling into a "What-if" scenario felt like you were actually exploring the Dragon Ball world.
The Modding Scene is the Real Reason it's Alive
If you go on YouTube right now, you’ll find "Tenkaichi Tag Team 4" or "TTT Super" mods. The community for this game is borderline obsessive. Because the game’s engine is so similar to the PS2 classics, modders have spent the last decade injecting Dragon Ball Super content into the ISO.
You can find versions of this game running on emulators with Ultra Instinct Goku, Jiren, and Beast Gohan. The fact that a 16-year-old PSP game is the foundation for a modern-day Dragon Ball Super simulator tells you everything you need to know about how solid the core gameplay was. They didn't just build a game; they built a platform.
Is it Actually Better Than Shin Budokai?
This is the eternal debate among PSP owners. Shin Budokai: Another Road is a 2D fighter. It’s faster, more competitive, and arguably more polished. But Tenkaichi Tag Team PSP is a simulator.
If you want a "real" fighting game, you play Shin Budokai. If you want to feel like you're actually in an episode of the show—dashing through the air, charging Ki behind a rock, and firing a Kamehameha that can be seen from space—you play Tenkaichi. It’s less about frame data and more about the spectacle.
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What You Should Know Before Playing Today
If you're digging out your old 3000 model or firing up an emulator, keep a few things in mind:
- The Camera: It’s your biggest enemy. In 2v2 matches, the camera can get confused if everyone is flying in different directions.
- The Controls: The default layout uses the D-pad for vertical movement. It’s weird. You’ll want to jump into the options and see if a Type-B layout suits you better.
- The Visuals: On a real PSP, the models look great, but they have a slight "fuzziness" to the edges. On an emulator at 4x resolution, they look surprisingly sharp because of the cel-shading.
- No In-Game Facial Expressions: This is a weird quirk—the characters' faces are basically statues. They don't scream when they power up. It's a bit jarring at first, but you stop noticing once the explosions start.
Actionable Steps for the Modern Player:
- Emulation is King: Use PPSSPP. It allows you to map the camera controls to a second analog stick on a modern controller, which fixes the game's biggest flaw.
- Check the ISO Mods: Search for the "Tag Team All-Stars" or "Super" patches. They add hundreds of new moves and characters that the original developers couldn't include.
- Master the "Snap Transport": Don't just mash Square. Learn the timing for the vanish counters. It’s the difference between getting stomped by the AI and actually feeling like a Z-Fighter.
- Ad-Hoc via Pro Online: If you’re using an emulator, you can actually play the 2v2 mode online with people across the world. The 2v2 experience is 10x better with humans than with the sometimes-braindead AI.