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GAMING FEATURE

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• Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is out Oct 11

Fighting on and on and on and on… Elsewhere, there have been quite a few variations on the different games and styles throughout the history of Dragon Ball in gaming. The original Budokai series is a 2D fighter akin to Mortal Kombat , there’s the Butoden series of fighters on Nintendo’s DS and 3DS, the Raging Blast series on the PS3/360, and a multitude

Given that there have been nearly 50 different Dragon Ball games, it might get a little confusing when it comes to first getting into the franchise. So, here’s a breakdown of some of the biggest entries to date, as well as a brief look at the latest release, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero , which hits this month. Words Michael Caverzan

of standalone games as well – not to mention the countless appearances of Dragon Ball characters in many crossover games, such as Jump Force and J-Stars Victory VS+ , to name just two. Sparking! Zero: What’s happening? This brings us up to the release this month of Sparking! Zero , which is part of the Budokai Tenkaichi series. ‘Sparking!’ is the Japanese name for the franchise, and this release marks the first time that the series has adopted its original name in markets outside of Japan. It’s a 3D, arena-based fighter that has an absolutely overloaded number of playable characters, so you’re guaranteed to have your favourite in there. Sparking! Zero will also feature content and cutscenes from Super , as well as the upcoming series Daima , which sees Goku and company shrunken down to child size. Another exciting feature is a reactionary environment – as your battles go on, the arena will change according to the destruction that’s been

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot: The story so far The most recent, and perhaps most memorable, outing is Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot . It’s easily the biggest game that the series has seen, covering mainstay hero Goku (he’s been fighting bad guys since the first series in 1984!), and his companions' journeys throughout the story of the Dragon Ball Z anime. It’s a long and winding road that encapsulates what is best loved about the series in the heart and charm of the characters, alongside thrilling and epic battles with ever-growing power levels. DLC rounds out the game with storylines taken from the more popular films and even some of the Dragon Ball Super saga, which takes place after the story of Dragon Ball Z and raises the stakes even further – seeing Goku do battle with gods and legends alike.

FighterZ also delivers a completely original story that has several links to Super , meaning this is a fully rounded out package and one of the best fighting games, period. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 - Multiverse of madness! Then there’s Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 . A dark power is fracturing the universe that we know and love, destabilising the timeline and rewriting history. Here, you play as a custom character that fights alongside the heroes of Dragon Ball.

wrought. Characters are capable of incredible feats of speed and strength that stay true to the anime, including blink-and-you’ll miss-them kicks and punches, beam attacks, and planet-razing ultimate attacks. Given all of this, it’s clear

Over 66 million Dragon Ball video games have been sold to date worldwide. DYK?

Dragon Ball FighterZ: You’re pretty strong!

There’s an insane amount of customisation here as well, and each race that you play as has different abilities and quests unique to them. You can even play as the super-powerful race of Saiyans, from which both Goku and his rival Vegeta descend, and claim their transformation abilities as your own. This game is huge in single player alone, but also features a robust online component that includes PvP and raid modes.

that Sparking! Zero is really shaping up to be a fantastic entry into the gaming canon of the Dragon Ball franchise, capturing the aesthetics, thrills, narrative, and sense of scale that the

Another recent, but no less important, entry in the various franchises is Dragon Ball FighterZ , developed by Arc System Works, true veterans of the fighting game genre. Possibly the best looking Dragon Ball game, FighterZ delivers the intense battles that the developers are known for, alongside the expansive roster and top-tier graphics.

series is known for. If you grew up alongside the PlayStation 2 era of games, chances are you’ll be familiar with the Budokai Tenkaichi series, so Sparking! Zero is absolutely one to look out for.

18 OCTOBER 2024

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