DB: Sparking Zero Marks Spike Chunsoft and Budokai…

It took over a decade, but Dragon Ball has finally returned to one of its most popular video game series. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero marks the revival of the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii’s Budokai Tenkaichi games by Spike, now Spike Chunsoft, and that series’ veterans and newcomers are both overjoyed. In terms of raw Dragon Ball Z fight simulation, nothing else held a candle to Budokai Tenkaichi back in the day, and the same goes for its extremely diverse and niche pick-filled roster. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's roster didn't share the same priorities, but its gameplay and mode selection nail the Dragon Ball experience.

Even in a sea of great modern Dragon Ball titles, it's still nice to bring back what worked the best in older fans’ youth. A story mode full of "what if" Dragon Ball scenarios for players to stumble across, lots of things to unlock and buy from the in-game shop, and even new sights for Budokai Tenkaichi's content, like a fully-featured online mode and Custom Battles, are all part of Sparking Zero’s package. Sparking Zero has been a glorious return to form, but it's not just the game that’s trying its hardest.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero and Spike Chunsoft’s Background, Explained

Spike, Chunsoft, and their post-2012 self, Spike Chunsoft, develop and publish a wide variety of games, and one of their better-known series is their collaborations with Bandai Namco on Shonen Jump properties. After Dimps completed its Budokai trilogy in 2004, Spike took over in 2005 with Budokai Tenkaichi. Lasting from 2005 to 2007, with the PSP spin-off Tenkaichi Tag Team in 2010, the Budokai Tenkaichi trilogy was a successful third-person follow-up to the traditional fighting game-inspired Budokai games, and all of them remain in high esteem today.

Where Spike and Budokai Tenkaichi’s Reputations Diverged

Dimps and Spike continued contributing to the Dragon Ball franchise alongside their other projects, with Dimps eventually producing the smash-hit Dragon Ball Heroes and Dragon Ball Xenoverse lines in the 2010’s. Spike’s trajectory couldn't fly straight under the weight of its biggest success, however. 2009’s Dragon Ball: Raging Blast was considered a decent, if scaled-back follow-up to Budokai Tenkaichi 3, but Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 launching in 2010 with more problems was a bad sign. Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi contributed the first create-a-character to console Dragon Ball games in 2011, but was otherwise written off as quickly as Raging Blast 2.

Spike Chunsoft Had A Rough Journey Back To Its Star Arena Fighter

2012 marked Spike’s merger with Chunsoft, and the release of Dragon Ball Z: For Kinect. A Kinect game flopping is no surprise, but now reads as the kick-off for the free-fall Spike Chunsoft’s licensed arena fighters were about to enter. J-Stars Victory VS was released in Japan in 2014 with a localized re-release in 2015, and One Piece: Burning Blood followed in 2016. Both games have their fans, but are agreed to embody many of the worst pitfalls anime arena fighters suffer from, on top of furthering Ultimate Tenkaichi’s odd pivot toward more realistic textures and lighting.

What Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Could Mean For Spike Chunsoft’s Future

Finally, Spike Chunsoft and Bandai Namco hit rock bottom with Jump Force in 2019 and One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows in 2020. These games were poorly received enough that Spike Chunsoft’s confirmation as a Budokai Tenkaichi revival developer was a cause for concern. Fortunately, Spike Chunsoft pulled up from its nosedive just before its last big hit was besmirched. Bandai Namco likely helped ensure Sparking Zero lived up to Budokai Tenkaichi's Japanese name, but it's still astounding how much of a dramatic turnaround from Spike Chunsoft’s last arena fighter Sparking Zero is. With any luck, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero redeemed Spike Chunsoft’s name enough that it isn't an instant red flag on future licensed fighting games.