After 15 long years, the next entry in the Dragon Ball: Sparking! series is finally on the horizon. Better known as the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series in the English translation, the final installment DBZ: Sparking! Meteor or DBZ: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, is still one of the most sought after PS2 games of all time. That is why it’s difficult to pick up a copy of it for under $100 complete with the game case.
What We Know So Far
As it stands, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero has no official release date. The game was announced back in March with an official trailer dropped in December. It is expected to be released around Fall of 2024. The “Z” has been dropped from the name most likely as it is going to heavily feature other properties such as Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball GT. Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT were in the other games but the main focus was Dragon Ball Z. Additionally, this is the first game that will keep the Sparking! title for the English release instead of Budokai Tenkaichi 4.
Sparking! Zero will feature the largest roster in the series.
The trailer gives us glimpses of the new graphics as well as some new gameplay elements. There appears to be a new mechanic involving deflecting ki blasts such as the Kamehameha and Galick Gun. Destructible objects also appear to be more immersive, with much of the map being affected by attacks.
There has since been another trailer that shows some more gameplay mechanics that mostly remain unchanged, in addition to a few new ones. Many of the old voice lines appear to be reused as well. So far there has been a mixed reception about this. Many are glad the old nostalgic voice lines have returned, but others wish they had done something new and fresh. There’s also some errors with the original lines, such as Goku mispronouncing the Kaioken, which is present in the trailer.
Why the Others Stood Out
The Best Gameplay
Dragon Ball has more video game adaptations than most other series out there. The Tenkaichi series stands out as being the best in the eyes of many. The gameplay is fast past with a wider range of versatile movement, transformations true to the manga and show, and a wide range of moves and techniques suited to each character. This made the feel the most accurate to the anime and manga. It also included many staples of the series that haven’t been featured in other Dragon Ball games, especially up to that point. One specific example is beam clashes. If two characters used a beam attack at the same time it would result in a quick mini-game involving turning the analog stick. It also found a way to include techniques like Instant Transmission and Solar Flare, which hadn’t been implemented into games before.
Tenkaichi was the first game to feature some signature moves from the show.
Large Roster
Another reason these games are appreciated was the huge character roster included in them. While they focused predominately on Dragon Ball Z, they also included characters from Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball GT, and the movies. This means that many characters that have never been featured before, and some that haven’t been featured since. Some of these worked well like Hirudegarn. Other’s weren’t as fun and usually weren’t really used by players such as the Pilaf Machine.
Ways to Play
There are also a variety of different game modes to play. Like most Dragon Ball games there is a linear story mode. In addition like some other games, there is also the World Tournament mode. You are placed in a bracket against other characters in the game and compete for in game currency or a Dragon Ball. There are also unique ones where you need to battle 100 opponents who get progressively stronger. Or there is a mode where you train for ten days before fighting an opponent.
What Could Go Wrong
The newest trailer quelled a few of the concerns players had. Mainly in regards to the core gameplay living up to the original. The reuse of some of the old voice lines also cleared concerns that it wouldn’t pay tribute to the original. There are still a few problems that could rear their head, and some that may not even be realized until after release.
The New Roster
Perhaps the biggest issue is in regards to the character roster. The original roster had very few problems. The only real complaint was that boring characters such as General Blue and Dr. Wheelo would clog up the tournament brackets. Besides that, there was no real issue with at least having them in the game. However, there could be a new issue with the current state of the industry.
Back in 2007, when you bought Tenkaichi 3 the entire game was at your fingertips. But with the state of the gaming industry now, its rare that you buy a game and have the entire thing. Now, they can lock half of the characters, maps, ect. behind paywalls and DLCs. Dragon Ball FighterZ is a prime example of that. Some of the most desired character such as Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta were characters that you needed to pay for. The average price for a fighter was also $5.00, which is a lot for just one character. And when you take into consideration Dragon Ball Diama is releasing next year, there will be plenty of characters they can add for DLCs.
While many players are willing to pay the price as long as they get all of the characters, even that may not be the case. Early leaks appear to show that characters the are so far, exclusive to the Dragon Ball Super manga, will not appear in the game. This means not only will main antagonists, Moro and Granolah not appear in the game, but much sought after transformations such as Black Frieza and Ultra Ego Vegeta will be absent as well. While this is only a leak as of right now, early looks at the roster seem to confirm this.
Characters like Ultra Ego Vegeta are not set to appear.
New Art Style
While only a small margine, a few fans have complained about the graphics as well. The graphics for the other Tenkaichi games looked like the character models were pulled straight from the anime. The new graphics though look particularly CGI. This is the same as some other recent games such as FighterZ and Kakarot. Ironically, this style is almost identical to the newest movie, Dragon Ball Super: Superhero. Looking anywhere online shows that most prefer the old Dragon Ball Z style however. Generally, this is a small group of critics, and most are fine with the game’s appearance.
No Split Screen
There is also a rumor that there will be no local multiplayer. This means you won’t be able to relive the good old days of split screen with your siblings or friends.
What to Hope For
Thankfully, the potential problems, aside from the graphics, are currently just speculation. And the newest trailer has shown that they are at least paying some homage to the original games. Despite long awaited manga characters not being in the game, thankfully it will feature a large roster. And obviously, this is the first Sparking! game to feature online multiplayer. While the status of other game modes is currently unknown, it’s safe to assume that tournament and story mode will be featured.
Even though there’s some worries, It’s still nice to see a sequel after all these years to such a beloved series.
