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Back to the beginning with Dragon Ball: Origins
If you've been admiring the footage of Dragon Ball DS, then perk up: it's headed outside Japan this winter. According to a press release from Atari, the game will hit U.S. shelves in November under the title Dragon Ball: Origins, with Europe to follow in December. We expect a few people will peeking under a certain skirt around the holidays. We've got new screens, too! Check 'em out below. Look now and get bonus character portraits, just because we care.%Gallery-28185%
Dragon Ball DS trailer doesn't disappoint its audience
We were pretty impressed with the trailer for Dragon Ball DS at first. Not just because the game's 3D graphics are so impressive, but because we thought we were witnessing the first Dragon Ball DS media not to feature Bulma lifting her skirt. We thought this for one minute and twenty-three seconds. We get it, Banamco! It's a famous scene from Dragon Ball, and it makes a clever use of the DS screens, and also it's good for pervs. Move on! Speaking of moving, the game continues to look really awesome -- fast-paced and action-packed in a way that the real Zelda games never were [Via NeoGAF]
Comically ill-divided Dragon Ball screens
Sometimes, DS screenshots just don't look quite right. They're often a little rough around the edges -- even with games that look fantastic in motion -- but worse, the split between the screens sometimes ends up in odd places if a developer is trying to use both screens to tell a story. That happens a lot in these Dragon Ball DS screens, sometimes to comic effect ... so often, in fact, that it seems like it was done on purpose, particularly when it results in images like the one to the right.Check out the full set in the gallery below. They're just begging to be adapted into a game of a different sort.%Gallery-28185%
Gonk! New Dragon Ball DS screens arrive
Courtesy of Famitsu, we're treated to new screens of Namco Bandai's Zelda-like Dragon Ball DS game, and they're GONK-heavy. It seems that every time Goku strikes an enemy, a GONK sound effect appears. Is that just one GONK per combo, or does each hit meet with its own GONK? Dragon Ball DS has two GONKing combat modes: hand-to-hand, in which Goku can carry out five-hit combos and activate the Kamehameha wave by rubbing the screen with the stylus; and staff, in which Goku can manage multiple enemies with his magical extending staff. Both combat modes are controlled with the stylus.
Namco Bandai serves up weird Dragon Ball DS screens
While it's pretty easy to translate Dragon Ball Z into video games in which nothing happens but spikey-haired glowing dudes fighting and growling at each other in the air, its predecessor, Dragon Ball, featured all kinds of weird stuff. For example, the big noodle-serving/fighting guy here is actually a shape-shifting pig who saves the world later by wishing for panties.A stylus-controlled adventure in the wacky Dragon Ball universe sounds infinitely more appealing than playing another game about Goku floating in the air and "powering up." Dragon Ball DS will be out in Japan on September 18; no announcements have been made elsewhere.
Namco Bandai wished for a good-looking Dragon Ball game
Maybe the company completed a journey for the mystical Dragon Balls and summoned the Eternal Dragon, because short of magical intervention, it would be hard to create what Dragon Ball DS has become: a licensed Dragon Ball action-RPG that looks really, really great. It's Goku: Phantom Dragon Ball, basically.Even in scans, the sharp 3D graphics come through, and the stylus controls seem enjoyable. Shown above: the maneuver for performing the Kamehameha: scratching back and forth quickly across the screen, then slashing forward -- all while brightly colored kana spell out the signature halting "ka-me-ha-me-ha."If this successfully rips off the Zelda style, players could be in for a good time. We're excited -- if only because we're pretending it's a stylus-controlled Dragon Power remake.
Namco Bandai throws Dragon Ball onto the DS
Recent V-Jump scans reveal that a Dragon Ball game is in the works for the DS. While we don't have many details on the game, it's going to be an action/adventure title that delves into the background of the Dragon Ball saga. We also know that the controls will be similar to those in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, as the player will use the stylus to perform actions and lead Goku around the screen. From what we saw in the tiny scan screens, the game looks to be shaping up pretty nicely. We've never been too into Dragon Ball ourselves, but if we were, we'd be over 9,000 kinds of excited right now.
Virtually Overlooked: Dragon Power
There is no way Dragon Power could have been good. It's a collection of awful components that amounts to more awfulness than the (negative) sum of its repulsive parts. Bandai (strike one, amirite) created a Dragon Ball game in 1986 (i.e. before third parties were really making decent games), and then, for whatever reason, decided to bring it to the American market. The problem, of course, was that in the mid-'80s, nobody in the U.S. had any idea what the hell Dragon Ball was. We had yet to even enter the "$20 for two episodes on a VHS tape" phase of anime fandom, much less the "Dragon Ball on cable" phase. So Bandai did what must have seemed like the logical thing: they didn't release the game hacked out all the recognizable Dragon Ball parts.What was left was a licensed anime game with no license -- and, therefore, no reason to exist.
Finally, a Dragon Ball Z game for 360
To say that the anime series Dragon Ball Z has remarkably long legs is a bit of an understatement. Considering the series was officially ended over ten years ago and they're still making games based on it ... well, words fail us. This was back when SEGA still had a console in the race. Hell, the N64 and wasn't even available by the time the series was over, and the original Playstation had only been available for a month in Japan. The point is, you see, Dragon Ball Z is old. It is, however, apparently still popular enough to create a 360 game based on it. Entitled Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, it looks to expand on the fighting formula set by the Budokai series. It uses cel-shaded graphics and it looks pretty damned good. At times, the trailer is nearly indistinguishable from the original series. If you're a Dragon Ball fan, you'll probably want to keep your eye on it.
Dragon Ball Online headed to 360?
We know you are out there Dragon Ball fans, please stand up for the following rumor. Dragon Ball Online, a MMO based on the Dragon Ball franchise, has previously been confirmed for a PC release in 2008 ... but it's looking like the game may come to the 360. QJ.net un-earthed a job posting over on the Japanese GameJob website looking for a C++ programmer with MMO experience to work on an Xbox 360 version of DBO. This could seemingly be taken as confirmation of an Xbox 360 version, but we also have to take into consideration where it would be released. It's entirely possible that the game would be coming to the 360, but end up being a Japan exclusive release. No matter, we love our rumors and know a Dragon Ball MMO would be huge on the Xbox platform. Anyone want to preorder already?
Take this! New Dragon Ball Z footage
Take this! Take this! My playthrough of the upcoming Dragon Ball Z game didn't really have sound, and maybe that was a good thing. No matter how fun the game may end up being, the repetitive voiceovers in this new gameplay video will certainly irritate anyone. Watch the video, and tell me: don't you want to punch Trunks in the face?
NYCC: Hands-on with Dragon Ball Z
New York Comic Con had a great deal of games based on anime franchises. But, they were all on the DS. The one game that I had to play was the upcoming PSP Dragon Ball Z game. I got a chance to talk to some representatives from Atari and I had a blast. As you can see in the embedded video above, the graphics are quite smooth, and the presentation is quite sleek. The "Another Road" mode offers an original story for DBZ fans to appreciate. Load times? Minimal. The controls were incredibly accessible, creating for fast, fun battles.The game looks to be quite ideal for on-the-go play. I wonder if it'll feature enough depth to satisfy hardcore gamers. Also, with my relative lack of inexperience with DBZ games, I have to admit, I'm not exactly sure how much Another Road expands upon the franchise. Can it feel fresh, considering how it's Atari's 26th DBZ game? We'll find more closer to its March 20th release.
Shin Budokai: Another Road might be the best DBZ yet
Atari loves releasing Dragon Ball Z games. Year after year, another fighter appears in the DBZ universe, and while they tend not to be awful, they're not all too memorable either. Shin Budokai: Another Road is the latest addition to the DBZ fighter genre, and if IGN's glowing preview is to be believed, it looks to be a heck of a lot better than the original Shin Budokai.The controls appear to have been improved upon greatly, and the story mode should be a treat for DBZ fans: it's a "what if" storyline that chronicles an alternate path the story would've taken if Trunks had risen to power differently.IGN also has some new videos of the game in action. Otaku can prepare to get their blond wigs out on March 20th.
New Dragon Ball screens emerge
Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai: Another Road was just announced last week, but screens have already come out. The Magic Box just put some screens up and the game is looking quite similar to the last PSP DBZ title. You don't have to believe me though, view the screens for yourself! Just remember, looks aren't everything. Screens after the jump ...
New Dragon Ball Z game announced
It looks like our previous story about a new DBZ game on the way was right. IGN is reporting that Dragon Ball Z fans can look forward to another installment in the Shin Budokai series. Atari's Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai: Another Road will add more than 50 new fighting skill and ultimate attacks, a new storyline that deals with Future Trunks and his fight agains Majin Buu. The title will have available characters from all of the Dragon Ball anime worlds. The title is due out in March. I bought the first Dragon Ball Z game on the PSP and had quite a bit of fun with it. I didn't care for the plot though, so hopefully the plot is improved in this sequel. Either way, the DBZ games remain some of the best anime fighters on the market. Are there any readers that are excited like me about Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai: Another Road?
EA Replay 2 & more DBZ on the way?
The Magic Box is reporting that Gamestop listed EA Replay 2 and Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai Another Road coming out soon for PSP. The EA Replay 2 had a release date of February 19th for $29.99, but when I checked the Gamestop site the listing was no longer there. The release for Dragon Ball Z is listed as March 20th for $39.99 and that page is still up. While Gamestop often lists incorrect release dates for games, they don't typically list games that don't end up eventually hitting store shelves. So there's a good chance PSP owners will get more time with EA and Goku soon. Until then, we'll just have to wait for someone to collect all the Dragon Balls and wish these games into existence.
Square Enix (almost) bares all at Jump Festa
1UP has again braved the bands of manga-fiending young'ns to investigate the happenings at this year's Jump Festa jumpoff. While all major Japanese publishers (and Microsoft) were present, Square Enix was reppin' in full force, offering playable versions of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP), and Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (both for DS). Trailers for additional titles were also on display (see embedded videos below). In a private theater, Square Enix previewed more new footage from its upcoming 2007 lineup, including a glimpse at Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3). The montage concluded with a brief flash of an armored man, grimacing as he stood on what appeared to be a battlefield. The teaser shot was followed by the words: "And something new coming in 2007."
Japanese software sales chart, Oct. 2-8: The Gundam Strikes Back
The last time a PSP title was this high in the Japanese software sales chart, it was SD Gundam G Generation Portable, and it was the fastest-selling PSP game to date. And now it's Gundam Battle Royale's turn at trying to upset Nintendo's DS games, which Andrew predicted more than a month ago. Is the guy psychic or something? 1. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (PS2) - 263,897 / *NEW* 2. Pokemon Diamond (DS) - 254,080 / 1,074,127 3. Pokemon Pearl (DS) - 212,193 / 980,881 4. Gundam Battle Royale (PSP) - 64,986 / *NEW* 5. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) - 40,114 / 3,233,793 6. Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Kounin: KanKen DS (DS) - 38,799 / 84,091 7. Minna no Tennis (PS2) - Sony - 32,962 / 416,507 8. Final Fantasy III (DS) - Square Enix - 30,418 / 781,713 9. Brain Training 2 (DS) - Nintendo - 26,600 / 3,288,248 10. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS) - Nintendo - 22,787 / 3,305,244 While Gundam Battle Royale's sold less than half of what SD Gundam G Generation Portable (155,634) sold in its first week, it was still enough to capture the fourth spot. It seems the Japanese eat up these Gundam games faster than my fat uncle Johnny at Thanksgiving. Has Sony finally found its PSP cashcow? Hmmm.
