After more than a decade of inactivity, the Dragon Ball: Budokai Tenkaichi series finally returned in 2024 with the release of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. This 3D fighting game, which was developed by Spike Chunsoft and published by Bandai Namco, is one of the most ambitious installments in the franchise yet. It has a total of 182 playable characters, which is more than double the amount that the first Dragon Ball: Budokai Tenkaichi game on the PS2 had. In addition, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero features 12 unique stages and more than 140 different Ultimate Blast attacks.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has been a massive success for publisher Bandai Namco. It received largely positive reviews from both critics and fans, and had more than 122,000 concurrent players when it was released on Steam. On top of all that, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero sold 3 million copies in a single day across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and became the third best-selling Bandai Namco game of all time in the United States, behind only Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring. Even though the excitement surrounding Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has simmered down a bit, the game's popularity should be enough to convince Bandai Namco to make a sequel to another iconic Dragon Ball fighting game.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Mod Adds Daima Transformation to the Game
Dragon Ball: Daima finally made a fan-favorite Super Saiyan transformation canon, and modders are now adding it to Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Proves There's Still an Audience for a Sequel to Dragon Ball FighterZ
Dragon Ball FighterZ is One of the Highest-Rated Dragon Ball Games Ever
Like most anime adaptations, video games based on the Dragon Ball franchise have historically received poor reception from professional outlets. Some installments in the series have been regarded fondly by fans, such as Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku 2, and Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2, but they have usually received mixed-to-positive review scores at best. One of the few recent Dragon Ball games that bucked that trend, though, was Dragon Ball FighterZ.
Developed by Arc System Works, the Japanese studio behind Double Dragon and Guilty Gear, Dragon Ball FighterZ is a Bandai Namco-published 3v3 fighting game that was released for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2018. Despite seeming like a traditional anime fighting game on the surface, it is rather unique for a game of its caliber. The game's 2.5D art direction is incredibly faithful to the Dragon Ball Z anime, and its team-based gameplay feels like an interesting hybrid between the Marvel vs. Capcom games and Guilty Gear.
Just like Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Dragon Ball FighterZ was a runaway hit. It scored a 94% critic approval rating on OpenCritic and an 87/100 score on Metacritic. Dragon Ball FighterZ also sold 2 million copies in a single week, and ended up becoming the most concurrently-played fighting game on Steam, at least at the time of its debut. DB FighterZ has widely been regarded as not only one of the best Dragon Ball games of all time, but also one of the best fighting games ever made.
Dragon Ball FighterZ’s Steam concurrent player count record would later be beaten by other heavyweights in the fighting game genre, like Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6 and, of course, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero.
Arc System Works and Bandai Namco Should Team Up Again to Make Dragon Ball FighterZ 2
Despite Dragon Ball FighterZ's success, there has been little-to-no news about a potential sequel for the game, let alone any future patches. Aside from a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S port that was released in February 2024, the game has received very few major updates in the last couple of years, as Arc System Works has largely moved on to other projects, such as Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising and Guilty Gear Strive. Although these games are widely beloved, it would be great if Arc System Works and Bandai Namco gave their attention back to Dragon Ball FighterZ in the future and made a proper sequel to the game. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero proved that there is still a massive audience for high-quality Dragon Ball fighting games, so a follow-up to Dragon Ball FighterZ would most likely sell like hotcakes.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 86%
- Released
- October 11, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Spike Chunsoft
- Publisher(s)
- Namco Bandai
WHERE TO PLAY
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO takes the legendary gameplay of the Budokai Tenkaichi series and raises it to whole new levels. Become a super warrior and experience the earth-shaking, limit-breaking power of DRAGON BALL battles!
Unleash the strength of over 180 fighters from DRAGON BALL Z, DRAGON BALL Super, DRAGON BALL GT, and selected DRAGON BALL movies, all in the base game! Each character comes with their own signature abilities, transformations, and techniques.
Make the destructive power of the strongest fighters ever to appear in DRAGON BALL yours!
Engage in heart-pounding, high-speed 3D battles that stay true to the anime and video game series, with breathtaking visuals and authentic combat moves like beam clashes, rush attacks, movements too quick for the eyes to see, and planet-razing ultimate attacks.
Challenge other players online to test your skills, or sit down with friends offline to hone your skills exclusively in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber! Fight your way to become a champion across various tournament modes and victory conditions.
Conquer the action-packed battles from the beloved original story, or discover and unlock new encounters for your favorite Z-Fighters and more. Relive your favorite moments from the series through cutscenes you can experience from the perspectives of eight characters!
Recreate your favorite battles from throughout the DRAGON BALL story, or set up your dream story battle with your favorite characters! Share your creations with other fans and experience the battles brought to life by imaginations around the world.
- Genre(s)
- Fighting, Action
