Bandai Namco has released a new extended gameplay showcase for Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, showing off how the fourth mainline installment in the Budokai Tenkaichi series plays, as well as some more of the characters you'll get to experience.
The showcase is hosted by Sparking! Zero producer Jun Furutani, who reminds fans of the game's announcement back in December, as well as its most recent trailer, which shows off the iconic rivalry between Goku and Vegeta.
Appropriately enough, it's those two who provide the focus for the gameplay showcase, so if you feel like you haven't seen enough of Goku and Vegeta beating seven Dragon Bells out of each other, you're in luck.
We then get to watch a largely unedited fight between the two of them play out just as it would in the game, and it looks pretty much exactly as you'd expect, translating the epic pace and speed of Dragon Ball fights into a 3D combat space.
Goku emerges victorious from the fight (because of course he does), and Furutani-san then reappears to explain some of the mechanics we've just seen.
According to Furutani-san, the goal for Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero was to create "an enjoyable, dynamic 3D-action battle experience" that captures the iconic elements of Dragon Ball.
As such, iconic elements from the series, such as the rush attack combo system, the high-speed Dragon Dash, and the counter system, all make a return from previous Budokai Tenkaichi games.
Of course, there are a few new features to look forward to; Sparking! Zero will retain the core mechanics of the series, but will also include a number of new ones to "better express the high-speed and authentic battles" unique to Dragon Ball.
Furutani-san goes into detail regarding four of these new mechanics, the first of which is an increase in the basic movement speed. He says the movement is now as fast as dashing in previous games, and that a new dash move will make you move even faster, opening up new strategic options.
A new Skill Count system allows you to use unique actions during combat; the Revenge Counter and Super Perception abilities must be activated in this way, and they grant access to unique counters that ratchet up the drama of the fight.
The last new mechanic about which we get to hear is the Vanishing Assault system, which lets you "approach an opponent instantly", presumably to keep the pace of the fight up.
Finally, Bandai Namco shows off a trailer showcasing some of the characters you'll get to play as. Here are all of the new additions to the roster in the latest trailer:
- Super Trunks
- Dyspo
- Kakunsa
- Master Roshi (Max Power)
- Nappa
- Burter
- Toppo
- Jeice
- Super Saiyan Kale (Berserk)
- Super Saiyan Broly (Full Power)
- Hit
As you can see, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is shaping up to be the definitive fighting game in the Dragon Ball series, and there are a number of characters yet to be revealed as well. No release date has been revealed as of yet, so watch this space for more info.
