Super Dragon Ball Z
Encyclopedia
Super Dragon Ball Z is a cel-shaded
3D fighting video game, based on the manga
Dragon Ball written by Akira Toriyama
. It was originally released in Japanese (December 22, 2005) and European (2006) arcades running on System 246 hardware, and later for the PlayStation 2
(Japan: June 29, 2006; US, July 18, 2006; AU, July 28, 2006). The game was developed by Crafts & Meister, headed by Noritaka Funamizu
(a former Capcom fighting game producer who worked on the Street Fighter
series and Darkstalkers). The game features 18 playable characters, destructible environments, and a game engine geared towards fans of more traditional fighting games.
The game sold 95,082 units in the first week of its release in Japan (placing its rank at #2 in the software sales in Japan for that week, second only to Nintendo
's New Super Mario Bros.
). The game received a rating of 4.5/5 from GamePro
, as well as Editor's Choice, a 7.3/10 from GameSpot
, and another 7.4/10 from IGN
, along with Runner Up for "Best Fighting Game on the PS2 at E3".
Note that this parallels the phrase 超サイヤ人 sūpā saiyajin, in which the kanji 超 chō is written with furigana that directs the reader to pronounce the word as スーパー sūpā.
, SNK
, etc. games of the 1990s.
"Fireball motions
" and their ilk provide the majority of special move inputs, along with "dial-a-combos" (as seen in Mortal Kombat 3
and the Tekken series) for closer, hand-to-hand combat. Some characters (Goku
, Gohan
, Vegeta
, Trunks, etc.) have brief power-ups into their Super Saiyan forms. Characters have "super moves", throws, juggles, dashes, etc. that can trace their roots back to these earlier 1990s games.
's training room.
. This is a remix of the first Dragon Ball Z TV opening theme, released as a CD single in 2005 with variations of it and the second opening theme, "We Gotta Power", also included on the seven-track CD (Sony Music / Team Entertainment, KDSD-74).
The score of the game features at least two remixes of background music composed for the Dragon Ball Z TV series by Shunsuke Kikuchi
. Other pieces are newly composed for this game. All pieces are upbeat, blippy-techno style.
. Color schemes, art styles, and even loading screens are all nods to the original Japanese tankobōn run of the series. For example, the orange on Goku's gi is not in the saturated shade of vermilion depicted in the TV series; images on the main menu are significant colored images from the manga
; loading screens mirror the original Japanese tankobōn cover art; sound effects are written out during battle when an excessively-hard hit connects; etc.
, the original author of the manga, was consulted to design an updated Mecha Frieza for the home release of the game. This updated design includes a large rocket-launcher on his right shoulder, a grenade launcher on his left shoulder, packs of explosives on his belt, and razor explosives down the length of his tail.
have made a few alterations to their North American version of this release. The opening song, "Cha-La Head-Cha-La (2005 ver.)" has been replaced with an unknown techno instrumental similar to Bruce Faulconer
's work. Also, the Japanese manga-style sound effects have been altered to an English translation, apparently to help with the translation of the game. Finally, there is no option for the Japanese voice actors, which completely contrasts the previous North American releases of Sparking!, Budokai 3 (GH), and even the PlayStation Portable
's Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai. The PAL version has the same opening song and manga-style sound effect translations as the US version, but alternatively retains the Japanese voice actors with no option to change to the English cast (similar to the release of the PAL version of Budokai).
However, there would seem to be one optional Japanese voice actor from Atari left in. Jouji Yanami is evidently one of the unlockable "Narration" voices for the game, even credited in the "Original Mode" ending sequence. Despite this, there is no slot for his voice in the unlockable Narrator wishes, so this may have just been left in by accident.
The game was released at retail price of $40 and is the 6th DBZ game to be released in North America on the PlayStation 2
console (7th counting the release of the Greatest Hits Budokai 3). But overall, other than the alterations mentioned above, nothing is removed/cut from the game. The Dr. Slump
character, Suppa Man, is even retained in the "Eastern Capital" level.
Super Dragon Ball Z is one of three games packaged together and released as Dragon Ball Z Trilogy. The other two games in the bundle are Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi and Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2.
Cel-shaded animation
Cel-shaded animation is a type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make computer graphics appear to be hand-drawn. Cel-shading is often used to mimic the style of a comic book or cartoon. It is a somewhat recent addition to computer graphics, most commonly turning up in video games...
3D fighting video game, based on the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
Dragon Ball written by Akira Toriyama
Akira Toriyama
is a Japanese manga artist and game artist known mostly for his creation of Dragon Ball in 1984. Toriyama admires Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and was impressed by Walt Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which he remembers for the great art...
. It was originally released in Japanese (December 22, 2005) and European (2006) arcades running on System 246 hardware, and later for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
(Japan: June 29, 2006; US, July 18, 2006; AU, July 28, 2006). The game was developed by Crafts & Meister, headed by Noritaka Funamizu
Noritaka Funamizu
, sometimes credited as Poo, is a Japanese video game designer formerly employed by Capcom, best known for his involvement in the development of several Capcom fighting games...
(a former Capcom fighting game producer who worked on the Street Fighter
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...
series and Darkstalkers). The game features 18 playable characters, destructible environments, and a game engine geared towards fans of more traditional fighting games.
The game sold 95,082 units in the first week of its release in Japan (placing its rank at #2 in the software sales in Japan for that week, second only to Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's New Super Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros.
is a side-scrolling platform video game published and developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. The game was released in North America and Japan in May 2006 and in Australia and Europe in June 2006...
). The game received a rating of 4.5/5 from GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
, as well as Editor's Choice, a 7.3/10 from GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
, and another 7.4/10 from IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, along with Runner Up for "Best Fighting Game on the PS2 at E3".
Name
The official name of the game continues to come under debate, despite it being written and literally spoken aloud within the game. When the game was initially announced, all that had been released was a title, and primarily on English-language websites. A logo for the game was later released, which spelled out the title as 超ドラゴンボールZ chō doragonbōru zetto. However, the furigana below the 超 chō reads out スーパー sūpā (or the English word super). Since furigana is intended to provide a pronunciation of the kanji, whether or not it is an accurate "translation" of that word, this would be the correct pronunciation.Note that this parallels the phrase 超サイヤ人 sūpā saiyajin, in which the kanji 超 chō is written with furigana that directs the reader to pronounce the word as スーパー sūpā.
Immediately Playable Characters (Arcade & Home Versions)
- Goku
- VegetaVegetais a fictional character and antihero in the Dragon Ball franchise created by Akira Toriyama. Vegeta first appeared in the manga chapter #204 first published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on December 19, 1988, and in episode 5 of its anime adaptation Dragon Ball Z...
- Future Trunks
- Teen Gohan
- Krillin
- Android 18
- Frieza
- CellCell (Dragon Ball)is a fictional character and villain in the Dragon Ball universe created by Akira Toriyama. The character was created as a main antagonist in the series, after the studio responsible for the publication of the material he wrote was dissatisfied with Toriyamas previous concepts for enemies to the...
- Chi-Chi
- PiccoloPiccolo (Dragon Ball)is a fictional character from the Dragon Ball manga, authored by Akira Toriyama. Piccolo was first introduced as the reincarnation of the evil Piccolo Daimao in chapter #167 first published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on April 4, 1988, making him a demon and archrival of the primary...
- Android 16
- Android 17
- Fat Buu
Unlockable Characters (Home Version Only)
- Ultimate Gohan
- Videl
- Mecha Frieza
- King Piccolo
- Majin Vegeta (Always in Super Saiyan 2)
Gameplay
Shifting away from the gameplay of recent series such as the Dragon Ball Z / Budokai and Sparking! / Tenkaichi games, Super Dragon Ball Z brings its style back to a more traditional formula made famous with the CapcomCapcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
, SNK
SNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
, etc. games of the 1990s.
"Fireball motions
Hadouken
Hadouken may refer to:* Hadouken , a special attack in the Street Fighter series* Hadouken!, an English new rave band formed in 2006...
" and their ilk provide the majority of special move inputs, along with "dial-a-combos" (as seen in Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game developed by Midway and released in 1995, first as an arcade game. It is the third game in the Mortal Kombat series...
and the Tekken series) for closer, hand-to-hand combat. Some characters (Goku
Son Goku (Dragon Ball)
Goku, known as in the English-language manga and original Japanese-language version, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball franchise created by Akira Toriyama. He is loosely based on Sun Wukong, a central character in Journey to the West...
, Gohan
Son Gohan
is a fictional character from the Dragon Ball universe created by Akira Toriyama as a protagonist for the media franchise, which consists of a series of manga, anime, soundtracks, movies, television specials, video games, and other collectibles...
, Vegeta
Vegeta
is a fictional character and antihero in the Dragon Ball franchise created by Akira Toriyama. Vegeta first appeared in the manga chapter #204 first published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on December 19, 1988, and in episode 5 of its anime adaptation Dragon Ball Z...
, Trunks, etc.) have brief power-ups into their Super Saiyan forms. Characters have "super moves", throws, juggles, dashes, etc. that can trace their roots back to these earlier 1990s games.
Original
A basic arcade mode, in which the player can use either a normal, or custom character to fight their way through 7 opponents (receiving a Dragonball for each victory) and gain experience on the way.The 6th opponent will be Freiza and The 7th opponent will always be Cell.Z Survivor
A "survival" mode in which the player fights various opponents for as long as their health remains above zero. Battles all take place in the world tournament ring (with the same background music each time), and last a single round. If the player wins the round, they play a "roulette"-style game in which their selection endows them with items such as additional experience, extra health, Dragon Balls, etc. If using a custom character, the player will gain experience.Training
A mode where the player can perfect their skills against a computer opponent of their customization (non-moving, responsive, etc.). Battles take place within VegetaVegeta
is a fictional character and antihero in the Dragon Ball franchise created by Akira Toriyama. Vegeta first appeared in the manga chapter #204 first published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on December 19, 1988, and in episode 5 of its anime adaptation Dragon Ball Z...
's training room.
Versus
A standard two-player versus mode. Players may use either the default characters or their own custom versions from either memory card slot.Shenron Summon
Upon collecting seven Dragon Balls with a custom character, the player may enter this mode to summon Shenron. The player may then wish for various items, such as additional attacks, unlockable characters, etc. After making a wish, the Dragon Balls disappear and must be recollected in another game mode.Customize
The player may set up "custom" characters to battle with. These characters will gain experience from fighting, which allows them to learn new special attacks, raise statistics, etc. There are 30 available slots for custom characters. Custom characters may be used in Original, Z Survivor, Training, Summon Shenron, and Versus modes.Option
A standard series of options menus that allows the player to control key assignments, volume levels, saving, loading, etc.Music
The opening theme for the Japanese version is "Cha-La Head-Cha-La (2005 ver.)" as performed by Hironobu KageyamaHironobu Kageyama
is a Japanese musical artist prominent in the soundtracks for anime, video game, and tokusatsu productions. He is sometimes called Kami by his fans. Kageyama got his big break at age 16, as lead singer of the pop group Lazy. By the early '80s, the band split and Kageyama went solo...
. This is a remix of the first Dragon Ball Z TV opening theme, released as a CD single in 2005 with variations of it and the second opening theme, "We Gotta Power", also included on the seven-track CD (Sony Music / Team Entertainment, KDSD-74).
The score of the game features at least two remixes of background music composed for the Dragon Ball Z TV series by Shunsuke Kikuchi
Shunsuke Kikuchi
is a prolific Japanese composer from Hirosaki. He specializes in incidental music for media such as television and film.Active since the early 60s, he has been one of Japan's most highly demanded film and TV composers, working principally on tokusatsu and anime productions for children, as well as...
. Other pieces are newly composed for this game. All pieces are upbeat, blippy-techno style.
Presentation
The game's theme throughout its presentation is that of the mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
. Color schemes, art styles, and even loading screens are all nods to the original Japanese tankobōn run of the series. For example, the orange on Goku's gi is not in the saturated shade of vermilion depicted in the TV series; images on the main menu are significant colored images from the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
; loading screens mirror the original Japanese tankobōn cover art; sound effects are written out during battle when an excessively-hard hit connects; etc.
Mecha Frieza
Akira ToriyamaAkira Toriyama
is a Japanese manga artist and game artist known mostly for his creation of Dragon Ball in 1984. Toriyama admires Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and was impressed by Walt Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which he remembers for the great art...
, the original author of the manga, was consulted to design an updated Mecha Frieza for the home release of the game. This updated design includes a large rocket-launcher on his right shoulder, a grenade launcher on his left shoulder, packs of explosives on his belt, and razor explosives down the length of his tail.
International Versions
As it would seem, AtariAtari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
have made a few alterations to their North American version of this release. The opening song, "Cha-La Head-Cha-La (2005 ver.)" has been replaced with an unknown techno instrumental similar to Bruce Faulconer
Bruce Faulconer
Bruce Faulconer is a composer and the primary author of the music featured in the Funimation English dub of the popular anime Dragon Ball Z...
's work. Also, the Japanese manga-style sound effects have been altered to an English translation, apparently to help with the translation of the game. Finally, there is no option for the Japanese voice actors, which completely contrasts the previous North American releases of Sparking!, Budokai 3 (GH), and even the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
's Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai. The PAL version has the same opening song and manga-style sound effect translations as the US version, but alternatively retains the Japanese voice actors with no option to change to the English cast (similar to the release of the PAL version of Budokai).
However, there would seem to be one optional Japanese voice actor from Atari left in. Jouji Yanami is evidently one of the unlockable "Narration" voices for the game, even credited in the "Original Mode" ending sequence. Despite this, there is no slot for his voice in the unlockable Narrator wishes, so this may have just been left in by accident.
The game was released at retail price of $40 and is the 6th DBZ game to be released in North America on the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
console (7th counting the release of the Greatest Hits Budokai 3). But overall, other than the alterations mentioned above, nothing is removed/cut from the game. The Dr. Slump
Dr. Slump
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology comic Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1980 to 1984 which were collected into 18 tankōbon volumes...
character, Suppa Man, is even retained in the "Eastern Capital" level.
Super Dragon Ball Z is one of three games packaged together and released as Dragon Ball Z Trilogy. The other two games in the bundle are Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi and Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2.