The Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series, originally published as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! (ドラゴンボールZ Sparking!, Doragon Bōru Zetto Supākingu!) in Japan, is a series of fighting games based on the anime and manga Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama. Each installment was developed by Spike, while they were published by Namco Bandai in Japan and Atari in all other countries.
Origin of name
The "Sparking!" in the Japanese title references both the first and last word in the first opening theme to the Dragon Ball Z TV series, "CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA," performed by Hironobu Kageyama. However, the opening theme to the game is the TV series' second opening, "WE GOTTA POWER!" (featured in the Japanese version; the English version includes a different, non-vocal song), which is also sung by Kageyama.
The "Budokai Tenkaichi" title of the North American version is a rearranged version of tenkaichi budōkai (天下一武道会, roughly "Strongest Under the Heavens Martial Arts Tournament"). In the series, the Tenka-ichi Budôkai is a gathering of fighters in a competition for glory, fame, and prize money.
The game is not considered a part of the Budokai series of games, despite its misleading title. In addition to a completely different game engine, the game was developed by an entirely different company (Spike as opposed to Dimps). The game is also titled differently from the rest of the Budokai series in Japan. Were it a true Budokai game, it would have been Dragon Ball Z 4 in Japan. Speculation on the English re-title is that Atari chose to market the game as part of the Budokai series in order to capitalize on a pre-existing market of fans already familiar with said game series. The English version also uses a great deal of sound effects and background music made for the Budokai series.
Localization differences
Further confusing fans in North America, Atari's domestic release of the game does not feature the same music found in the original Japanese version. While Sparking! features actual music from Dragon Ball Z (and two other pieces from the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT where appropriate) as composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi, the American release of the game features recycled music from the Budokai series (composed in Japan by Kenji Yamamoto).
While no official explanation was ever given for the musical differences, as FUNimation Productions did not use the original Japanese score in their "reversioning" of the TV series for an English dub (though they did indeed use it for their English dub of the original Dragon Ball TV series), it can be assumed that contractual issues came into play.
Gameplay
The games are quite different from the often-compared Budokai series; they use a "behind-the-back" camera perspective. Many fans say that the games feel like a combination of the Budokai series and the game engine from Dragon Ball Z: Idainaru Dragon Ball Densetsu for Sega Saturn and PlayStation. Also different from the Budokai series (and more of a throw-back to games from the Super Famicom era), each form is treated as its own character, with varying stats, movesets and fighting styles, similar to Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors while the free roam element is similar to Dragon Ball Z: Sagas. In battle, players can build up their Ki bar to execute various techinques such as the Power Guard, which reduces the damage characters take by 1/4. The Ki bar can also be used to use moves referred to as Blast 2s. Every character has a unique set of Blast 2s that allow the character to use special moves such as Ki blasts and physical attacks. Characters also have a bar called a Blast Stock that allows players to use techniques called Blast 1s. Blast 1s usually have a supportive effect such as allowing characters to regain health or immobilize the enemy. Players can also use a Blast Stock to power up into a mode known as Max Power Mode. Max Power Mode makes the character that initiated it faster, stronger, and able to use moves that are exclusive to the mode. One of these moves is the Ultimate Blast which is usually the most powerful move a character has, though use of an Ultimate Blast immediately ends Max Power Mode.
Game modes
The story mode of the series (called Z Battle Gate, Dragon Adventure, and Dragon History in each installment, respectively) progresses similarly to the story modes in previous games. Players can select battles from different sagas and proceed through the story of Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball GT, and even several Dragon Ball Z films. The Dragon Balls can be acquired through story mode by destroying the environment in battle; however, the player can only keep the Dragon Ball they find if the battle is won. Each installment features several "what-if" battles and scenarios; for example, Budokai Tenkaichi features stories where the player takes control of a villain and uses the character to defeat the hero, while Budokai Tenkaichi 2 has modes where Raditz and Zarbon essentially team up with the Z Fighters for one reason or another. Budokai Tenkaichi 3 takes the "what-if" idea even further, allowing the player to essentially create their own story. The story changes depending on who wins and loses. Furthermore, cutscenes have been integrated into the battles themselves.
Similar to the same mode in the Budokai series, the player can enter a World Tournament and try to win their way to the top. There are three levels of the basic tournament and a Cell Games mode (which is hosted by Cell). Since characters can fly, characters can leave the perimeter of the arena, but will be called for ringout if they touch the ground. There are no restrictions to the Cell Games mode, but the last match of the Cell Games mode is always against Perfect Cell. In Tenkaichi 1 winning the tornaments gave players a Z-Item prize while in Budokai Tenkaichi 2, players would receive money which in turn would be used on Z-Items. The World Tournament mode could be played with several entrants, but if there is more than one human player, no prize would be awarded.
History
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, originally published as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! (ドラゴンボールZ Sparking!, Doragon Bōru Zetto Supākingu!) in Japan, is the first installment in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The game is available only on Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in Japan on October 6 2005, North America on October 18 2005, and Europe on October 21 2005. It is now a Greatest Hit title.
The game features 90 playable characters and 11 stages for battle. However, this game is the only one in the series to not allow in-game transformations.
Despite not featuring the original Japanese music, the American release of the game allows for selectable English (FUNimation Productions cast) and Japanese voices, while retaining the English-language written dialogue (as adapted from Steven J. Simmons' translation from the original Japanese version's script). However, there are known bugs in the American version of Budokai Tenkaichi that cause pieces of English and Japanese spoken dialogue to cross over into whichever selection the player is using at times.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, originally published as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! NEO (ドラゴンボールZ Sparking! NEO, Doragon Bōru Zetto Supākingu! Neo) in Japan, is the second installment in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The game is available on both Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's Wii. The PlayStation 2 and Wii versions have different dates of release. It was released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan on October 5 2006, Europe on November 3 2006, North America on November 7 2006, and Australia on November 9 2006. The Wii version had slightly later releases; it was released in North America on November 19 2006, Japan on January 1 2007, Europe on March 30 2007, and Australia on April 5 2007. It is now a Greatest Hits title, like its predecessor. Though originally confirmed as being a launch title in North America for the Wii,[1] some stores started selling the Wii version on November 15 2006. An issue of V-Jump listed January 2007 as the release date for the Japanese version of the Wii release. The game originally featured 129 characters and 16 stages, though the Japanese and PAL Wii versions came with six additional characters and an extra stage as compensation of their late releases.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, originally published as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! METEOR (ドラゴンボールZ Sparking! METEOR, Doragon Bōru Zetto Supākingu! Meteo) in Japan, is the third installment in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The game is available on both Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's Wii.[2] The game was released in Japan on October 4 2007,[3] with plans of a North American release on November 13, 2007[4] and a European release sometime in Winter.[5]
Budokai Tenkaichi 3 features 161 characters, the largest character roster in any Dragon Ball Z game, and 35 stages. Ryo Mito once stated that the game would feature never-before-seen characters made exclusively for the game,[6] though no such thing has been confirmed or even mentioned a second time as of the game's release.
Several new notable features include: Battle Replay, night and day stages, the Wii's online capability, and Disc Fusion. Battle Replay allows players to capture their favourite fights and save them to the hard drive to view later on. Night and day stages allow for more accurate battles in Dragon History, as well as the ability to transform into a Great Ape by using the moon. There are also several other time differences, such as dawn and afternoon. Not all stages provide different times. The Wii version will feature online multiplayer capability,[2] the first game in the series to have such a feature. Players can fight against anyone from around the globe with a ranking system showing the player's current standing compared to anyone else who has played online. As compensation for the lack of online, Spike has added a new "Disc Fusion System" to the PlayStation 2 version. Inserting a Budokai Tenkaichi or Budokai Tenkaichi 2 disc during play unlocks Ultimate Battle or Ultimate Battle Z,[2] modes featured in the respective games needed to unlock them.
Playable characters
Each character in the series is based off their anime counterparts, their seiyū and voice actors also taking part in the development of the game whenever possible. Each character has attacks and fighting styles more or less derived from the source material, i.e. Goku's Kamehameha and Vegeta's Galick Gun. Certain fighters can also achieve greater power by transforming in the middle of battle, enhancing their power and health and altering their movesets. In-game transformations cannot occur in Budokai Tenkaichi. Furthermore, certain groups of fighters also have abilities, or the lack thereof, exclusive only to that group. For example, each form of Buu is able to slowly regenerate their health over time.
With each installment, all the old characters from the previous game are carried over to the new one and new characters are added to the roster. For simplicity reasons, the table below will show the characters introduced in the original installment, and in the next section only the new characters in the succeeding game. All characters will also be referred to as they appear in the most recent installment in the series.
Reception
Critical reaction for Budokai Tenkaichi 2 has been mixed. Numerous reviews praised the game's high fighter count and detailed cel-shaded graphics, as well as the high amount of fan-service to Dragon Ball Z fans. Some people, however, have taken issue with the game's complex controls. Mark Bozon at IGN said, "The sheer speed and complexity of the controls may turn some people off, but the general combat will eventually come down to two buttons, making the game amazingly easy to learn, but nearly impossible to fully master." Many have said that the game is a "DBZ fan's wet dream," with VGRC.net stating "non-DBZ fighting game fans might even want to give it a spin as well." The game received the 'Best Fighting Game of the Year' award from X-Play, which is surprising since most Dragon Ball Z games (as well as anime games in general) are rated from mediocre to poor in their ranking system. The only notable exception is Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 which received a four out of five. The Wii version of this game also received a four out of five from X-Play.
The Playstation 2 version of Budokai Tenkaichi 3 received a 32 out of 40 from the game magazine Famitsu. The Wii version received a 33 out of 40.[9]
References
- ^ http://wii.ign.com/articles/743/743961p1.html
- ^ a b c Roper, Chris (2007-07-12). "E3 2007: Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 Hands-on". IGN. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Official Japanese Budokai Tenkaichi 3 trailer (Windows Media Player required).
- ^ "Who's Making Games For Nintendo Systems? Everyone!". Nintendo. 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "European release date". Retrieved 2007-10-07.
- ^ Detwiler, Ray (2007-08-27). "Exclusive Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 Interview". Wii-volution. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q http://www.imagehack.eu/uploads/f81f1e3624.jpg
- ^ a b "Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! METEOR - Character list, page 1". 2007-06-26. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ http://www.the-magicbox.com/game20070927.shtml
External links
