E3 2017 - Dragon Ball FighterZ Preview

Published: June 14, 2017 2:30 PM /

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dragon ball fighterz goku vegeta

Whoever at Bandai Namco greenlit the idea of a Dragon Ball 3v3 2D fighting game built in the Guilty Gear Xrd engine deserves a promotion. I think most fighting game (or Dragon Ball) fans got excited about the game as soon as it got leaked (and moreso when the trailer dropped at MicroSoft's press conference), but I'm more than happy to confirm that the game plays as good at it looks. During our press appointment with Bandai Namco, we sat down and tried out a variety of games—more on other great titles like Ni no Kuni II and Ace Combat 7 later—but for me, Dragon Ball FighterZ was undoubtedly the star of the show.

I can't say I'm the biggest Dragon Ball fan. I did watch Dragon Ball Z when I was a kid, and I absolutely loved playing The Legacy of Goku 2, but I'm a casual fan at best. However, I absolutely LOVE Arc System Works fighting games, and Dragon Ball FighterZ seems like no exception. The game was fast-paced, had an emphasis on aerial combos, and was simultaneously simple enough for even casual players to learn how to play (at least with the demo I played, no characters required more than a quarter-circle input in order to let loose a special attack), while also having enough depth that I can see hardcore fighting game fans loving it too. 

I can't gush enough about the game's artstyle. The level of detail in both the character animations and their reactions on the stages themselves absolutely blew me away whenever I saw them; while watching another outlet duke it out on Namek I couldn't help but notice that the trees in the background reacted to the velocity of the characters attacks, and both the stage's floor and buildings in the background got decimated by some of the character's especially brutal attacks. If nothing else, the game is absolutely as fun to watch as it is to play, and at least from where I'm standing leaves Dragon Ball FighterZ as one of if not the best looking game on the show floor.

Dragon Ball Fighterz releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in Early 2018. A closed BETA is forthcoming this summer.

If you want to know more about this and other announcements happening at E3 then be sure to check out our E3 2017 Coverage Hub.

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James Galizio TechRaptor
| Former Staff Writer

Former Staff Writer for TechRaptor, technology and games in particular have been my passion my whole life, and to contribute to the industry has been my… More about James