Dragon Ball Z: Sparkling! ZERO is set to arrive soon — October 11, 2024. With its release just a few months away, many fans are eagerly awaiting the release of this game and the homage it will pay to the beloved Budokai Tenkaichi series of the Dragon Ball video games. Taking fans back to the era of the late 2000s, this video game series held a special place in the hearts of many. From its action-packed combat system to its long list of characters and abilities, the series brought back many players’ favorite parts of the Dragon Ball the universe to the fingertips of his fans.

On Spark! ZERO‘s was initially revealed in its trailer, it was also speculated that it would be named Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4. This was the case until it finally consolidated its own identity, adopting the new name “Dragon Ball: “Spark! ZERO.”“This announcement has sparked a lot of mixed feelings within the community, causing both shock and excitement about what the new game means for the IP as a whole. That being said, what is it about the game that has drawn so many fans to it over all the others? Dragon Ball games to hold the Budokai Tenkaichi a series in such esteem?

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi Game Features

Budokai Tenkaichi and its impressive team

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As many fans know, Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi had some of the best features to set it apart from all the others Dragon Ball video games. Although many real-life gaming features have played a significant role in the growing popularity of this game, The undeniable aspect that made fans fall in love with the series was the sheer size of the character roster. Witnessing this list of characters was nothing short of astonishing for anyone. Dragon Ball fan at the time.

Boasting a character roster of over 100 characters to choose from, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 left almost no room for surprise or boredom when it came to who to play next. While competition with this size of roster is a concern for many for Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! ZERO, many would still like to see this game return. The series featured many characters from all over the world. Dragon Ball franchise, including Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Zand the very controversial Dragon Ball GT.

The games also continued to include characters from several beloved films that the series had accumulated over time, such as Tapion, Janemba, Cooler, and many others. At the end of its life in Budokai Tenkaichi 3 The series has even continued to breathe new fresh air into the already vast universe by offering players unique “what if” versions of characters like the many never-before-seen great ape forms of various Saiyans like Raditz, Nappa, and more.

The Amazing Transformations of Budokai Tenkaichi

The freedom of evolving gameplay

THE Dragon Ball Budokai Tenkaichi The series not only gave players access to one of the most intimidating character rosters in the franchise, but it also gave them the chance to fully explore one of the key features that makes the IP what it is: transformations. As any fan of Dragon Ball Be aware that the series itself is not exempt from the various transformations undergone by many characters throughout the universe. This series of games was no stranger to this fact.

Through Budokai Tenkaichi series, Players were given the freedom to use their character transformations mid-battle, whenever and however they wanted.just like in the series. However, when it came to transformations, this game made an unprecedented effort and did the fandom a great service. In this series, transformations were accompanied by a complete change of the character’s kits by swapping old abilities for new ones and completely changing the combo chains.

Characters like Goku, Vegeta, and Frieza, known for their many forms, could change depending on which version players chose. This allowed players to access multiple evolution paths throughout their battles. This gameplay feature worked well for the game, adding a layer of enhanced evolution to a Dragon Ball a video game that was very popular with players, fully realizing their power fantasies.

Budokai Tenckaichi’s Fidelity to the Source Material

The power of precision

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THE Dragon Ball Z: Budokia Tenkaichi The series’ faithfulness to its source material is undoubtedly what made this series stand out from all the others. Being known for its accuracy, almost to a questionable degree, many players often question whether or not this was a good thing for the game. Nevertheless, this choice for the level of accuracy, regardless of how it affected the gameplay, was something that really made it stand out among the many others Dragon Ball video game titles.

One of the most relevant demonstrations of this precision in the game is certainly the particular way in which the power disparities between the many characters are represented. In this game series, the characters are divided into many different “strength” levels, just as accurately as in the beloved anime/manga.. Characters like Super Saiyan Gogeta would have a completely different power level than a character like Saibaman. The same power difference would be devastating if they had met in the series.

The first major difference in each character’s “strength” can be seen in a character’s base health levels, with some having several extra bars than others. This level of precision would also apply to how much Ki a character started with, how much they could have, and even the decision of whether or not the character would flinch when hit. All of these aspects and more worked in tandem to make the Budokai Tenkaichi series one of the most canonically faithful games to the source material.

And Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO ?

Living up to the hype around Budokai Tenkaichi

With anime fighting games currently popping up left and right, (Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash, Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles, BLEACH Rebirth of Souls)”, it is not surprising that one of the most beloved Dragon Ball The game series would make a comeback now.”Dragon Ball: Sparkling! ZERO”, although brandishing its own new name, is a continuation, “resuming the legendary gameplay of the Budokai Tenkaichi series and elevate it to whole new levels,” as stated on Bandai Namco official websiteThat being said, the game found itself with some big challenges to overcome.

While many fans are eager to finally see their favorite DBZ the series are coming back to the general public, There are some who remain cautious and do not have too many illusions. With this game being an arena fighting game, many fans remain undecided on their opinion on the format. As was the case with the anime’s last arena fighting game, “Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash“, and its rapid drop in hype, many are afraid to put the same level of excitement behind the new Dragon Ball game.

However, even in the presence of this fear, many continue to announce the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series as the games that gave rise to the popularity of the “anime arena fighter” subgenre in the first place. Many gamers may remember the Dragon Ball Budokai Tenkaichi series being one of their first experiences with the subgenre and return to it with pure nostalgia. This only reinforces some of the many fans’ anticipations for the coming of Dragon Ball Z: Sparkling! ZERO and it will be interesting to see how the game plays out from here.

What can players expect with Sparking! ZERO?

How does it compare to the Budokai Tenkaichi series so far?

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So far, a lot has been confirmed about the game by Bandai Namco itself and by the various creators who have had access to early versions of the game. While there are many new features in Dragon Ball Z: Sparkling! ZERO something the fanbase has been more than happy to anticipate, something many will be happy to hear is that the game will indeed retain its large roster of characters with a confirmed number of 164.

Fighters of the most current generation of DBZ, Dragon Ball Supercan be seen throughout the roster, such as Hit, Dyspo, Kefla, and many more. While it’s not yet certain if all of these slots will be filled upon release, this image has generated a lot of excitement among fans who are eager to get their hands on one of the biggest new playable characters Dragon Ball lists to date.

The game also confirmed many original combat features as well as a few new ones. Returning original features include beam battles, vanishing attacks, the Sonic Sway dodge mechanic, and of course, transformations. The many new combat features making their way to the game include a grab clash (activated when both characters attempt to grab at the same time), a Ki blast deflection mechanic, and a new “Revenge Counter” feature that allows players to counter in the middle of combos and break free.

All of these new features, in tandem with the old ones, will add several new layers to the combat that are sure to excite fans of Budokai Tenkaichi combat. This and many other additional features will be available with Dragon Ball: Spark! ZERO and many players will be eagerly and cautiously awaiting its release on October 11, 2024.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

The third entry in the Spike-developed Budokai Tenkaichi series, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is a 3D fighting game that pits characters from across the Dragon Ball, Z, and GT canon against each other in super-powered battles across several recognizable environments from the series.

Platform(s)

PS2, Wii

Released

November 9, 2007

Developer(s)

Point

Publisher(s)

Namco Bandai, Atari

ESRB Certificate

How long to beat

12 hours

Develop