Dragon Ball: Sparking Zeros Custom Battle Has Appeared Before In A Similar Game

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zeros Custom Battle Has Appeared Before In A Similar Game

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I can confidently say that the latest addition to the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, has truly outdone itself. Its Custom Battle mode is a testament to the power of fan creativity and the limitless potential of gaming.


The newest addition to the cherished Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series has been released, sparking excitement among many fans who are quickly diving into it. Known as Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, this game marks Spike Chunsoft’s return to their glory days of arena fighting, and the anticipation is evident in the impressive Steam game numbers for Dragon Ball prior to Sparking Zero’s release. It’s easy to understand why this title has taken over the Dragon Ball community, as its accurate representation of fights directly from the anime is unparalleled, and it offers a variety of modes to enjoy.

Key features encompass Episode Battles, Tournaments, online duels, and the Encyclopedia, yet Custom Battle could be the defining aspect of Sparking Zero. Over time, countless Dragon Ball fan-made stories have emerged, and while games like Budokai Tenkaichi and Sparking Zero mimic this with their “What If” scenarios, some believe that authentic Dragon Ball combat would reach new heights. Custom Battle achieves this, offering players an unprecedented level of control over both cinematics and dynamic fight conditions, setting a high standard for future imitators. It’s advantageous that Sparking Zero excels in this area, as another game had already established such a benchmark with a similar mode more than a decade ago.

Sparking Zero and Dissidia Final Fantasy Share Their Roots

The initial installment of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi was launched in October 2005, and its subsequent versions achieved tremendous success in the following years, namely 2006 and 2007. In 2008, a well-received fighting game from the Final Fantasy series made its debut. This time, it wasn’t Atari producing it but Square Enix. The game, Dissidia Final Fantasy, was in development for three years before its December release on PlayStation Portable. It originated during the creation of 2005’s Kingdom Hearts 2 and drew choreography ideas from the 2005 film Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children. Given that both games were developed around the same period, it’s easy to draw parallels between this epic multi-universe crossover of the Final Fantasy series and Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi.

Dissidia Was Already Inviting Budokai Tenkaichi Comparisons During Its Time

In essence, Dissidia Final Fantasy continued the dream match fanservice and high-quality presentation from Budokai Tenkaichi, infusing it with its unique RPG flavor. A 2011 sequel followed suit, known as Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy or Dissidia Duodecim. This game packed numerous additions and enhancements that made it a remake, sequel, and prequel rolled into one. Duodecim left an indelible mark alongside Budokai Tenkaichi 3, solidifying its place among the all-time greats in licensed arena fighters. However, it was surprising to many when these two titles would intersect again, especially considering the bonus content included in Duodecim.

How Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s Custom Battles Compare To Dissidia Duodecim’s Original Quests

In the updated version of Dissidia Duodecim, there are new elements called “Original Quests.” Remarkably, these share striking similarities with Custom Battles from Sparking Zero, despite a 13-year gap between their releases. Both games offer players the opportunity to construct custom cutscenes and battles with unique rules, win/loss conditions, and modified characters. Even the developers have provided examples of this, such as Dissidia’s Japan-exclusive Official Quests and Sparking Zero’s Bonus Battles.

Even Custom Battle and Original Quests’ Flaws Are Mirrored

In the game “Dissidia Duodecim”, while the Quests might not have offered much in terms of mid-battle triggers that change dynamically, they compensated with custom dialogue. However, the dialogue boxes were designed with Japanese Kanji characters in mind, making them too small and causing line breaks within words when translated to English letters. If more refined versions of the Custom Battle mode are developed in “Sparking Zero”, it would be better to have custom text instead of the numerous pre-made lines that players currently need to sift through. Both Original Quests and Custom Battles have their constraints, but it’s nice to see a game like “Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero” revive the “Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy” feature of encouraging user-generated content through a side mode.

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2024-10-15 21:04