Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, released in Japan as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking!, is a series of fighting games based on the anime and manga Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama. Each installment was developed by Spike for the PlayStation 2, while they were published by Namco Bandai Games under the Bandai brand name in Japan and Europe and Atari in North America and Australia from 2005 to 2007. The second and third installments were also released for the Nintendo Wii. Atari's PAL distribution network was absorbed into Bandai Namco Partners and Bandai Namco has also handled publishing in North America for future Dragon Ball Z games since 2010, effectively ending Atari's involvement. The trilogy was followed by Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team, released in 2010 for the PlayStation Portable and , released in 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Origin of name
The "Sparking!" in the Japanese title references the last lyric found in the chorus of the first opening theme to the Dragon Ball Z anime series, "Cha-La Head-Cha-La", performed by Hironobu Kageyama. However, the opening theme to the first game is the TV series' second opening, "We Gotta Power", which is also performed by Kageyama.The "Budokai Tenkaichi" title of the North American version is a rearranged version of Tenkaichi Budokai. In the series, the Tenka-ichi Budōkai.
Despite its title, the "Budokai Tenkaichi" series is not a continuation of the series. In addition to a completely different game engine, the game was developed by an entirely different company. The series are also titled differently from the Budokai series in Japan. Were they true Budokai games, the first game in the series would have been Dragon Ball Z 4 in Japan. Speculation on the English re-title is that Atari chose to market the game as part of the Budokai series in order to capitalize on a pre-existing market of fans already familiar with said game series. The English version also uses the background music made for the Budokai series.
Localization differences
The English release of the game does not feature the same music found in the original Japanese version. While Sparking! features actual music from Dragon Ball Z as composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi, the American release of the first game features recycled music from the Budokai series.Gameplay
The games are quite different from the often-compared Budokai series; they use a "behind-the-back" third-person camera perspective. Also different from the Budokai series, each form is treated as its own character, with varying stats, movesets and fighting styles, similar to ' while the free roam element is similar to '. In battle, players can build up their Ki gauge to execute various techniques such as the Power Guard, which reduces the damage characters take by 1/4. The Ki gauge can also be used to use moves referred to as Blast 2 skills. Every character has a unique set of Blast 2 skills that allow the character to use special moves such as Ki blasts and physical attacks. Characters also have a self-recharging numeric gauge called Blast Stock that allows players to use techniques called Blast 1 skills. Blast 1 skills usually have a supportive effect such as allowing characters to regain health or immobilize the enemy. Players can also power up into a mode called Max Power Mode normally by building up their Ki beyond full at the cost of Blast Stock bars. Max Power Mode makes the character that initiated it faster, stronger, and able to use moves that are exclusive to the mode. One of these moves is the Ultimate Blast which is usually the most powerful move a character has, though use of any Blast 2 skill or the Ultimate Blast immediately ends Max Power Mode.Game modes
The story mode of the series progresses similarly to the story modes in previous games. Players can select battles from different sagas and proceed through the story of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and even several Dragon Ball Z films. The Dragon Balls can be acquired through story mode by destroying the environment in battle; however, the player can only keep the Dragon Ball they find if the battle is won. Each installment features several "what-if" battles and scenarios; for example, the Tenkaichi 1 story mode features modes where the player takes control of a villain and uses the character to defeat the hero, while the Tenkaichi 2 story mode has modes where Raditz and Zarbon essentially team up with the Z Fighters for one reason or another. Several levels of the Tenkaichi 2 story mode also feature cutscenes shown either before or after the fight of the level takes place. The Tenkaichi 3 story mode has cutscenes integrated into the battles themselves that are activated by hitting a certain button. These can be transformations, character changes, automatic attack use, or something as simple as a conversation.Similar to the same mode in the Budokai series, the player can enter a World Tournament and try to win their way to the top. There are three levels of the basic tournament and a Cell Games mode. Since characters can fly, characters can leave the perimeter of the arena, but will be called for ringout if they touch the ground. There are no restrictions to but the last match of the Cell Games mode is always against Perfect Cell. In Tenkaichi 1 winning the tournaments gave players a Z-Item prize while in Tenkaichi 2, players would receive money which in turn would be used on Z-Items. The World Tournament mode could be played with several entrants, but if there is more than one human player, no prize would be awarded. Other features in the game includes more combo attacks or character specific combos, the Blast Combos, and the Z Burst Dash. The additional combo attacks will be able to help chain in more attacks for more damage and longer combos. The Blast Combo is the normal combos however by inputting another button into the attack will allow the player to use a blast attack for extra damage. Depending on the moves of the character, the player might not be able to use this feat such as Videl or Hercule. The Z Burst Dash is much faster and more evasive version of the Dragon Dash. It allows the user to get behind the opponent at high speeds for either a strike or to avoid a blast 2 attack. The drawback to this technique is that it will rapidly drain the player of energy. The player can fuse characters to make a better character but some characters can not be fused. The player also has the opportunity to upgrade characters.
Games
''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi'' (2005)
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, originally published as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! in Japan, is the first installment in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The game is available only on Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in Japan on October 6, 2005, North America on October 18, 2005, and Europe on October 21, 2005. It is now a Greatest Hits title.The game features 64 playable characters in 90 forms and 10 stages for battle. Players can fight across the Earth Wasteland, the Earth Rock Area, Planet Namek, the Islands, the City Ruins, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, the Cell Games Arena, the Mountain Road, the World Tournament Arena, and Kami's Lookout.
Despite not featuring the original Japanese music, the American release of the game allows for selectable English and Japanese voices, while retaining the English-language written dialogue. However, there are known bugs in the American version of Budokai Tenkaichi that cause pieces of English and Japanese spoken dialogue to cross over into whichever selection the player is using at times, specifically Super Saiyan 4 Goku lacking an English dub audio clip after defeating Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta and Super Saiyan 1 Future Trunks lacking an English audio clip for his super finishing move, Finish Buster, though other examples may also apply.
''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2'' (2006)
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, originally published as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! Neo in Japan, is the second installment in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The game is available on both Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's Wii. The PlayStation 2 and Wii versions have different dates of release. It was released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan on October 5, 2006, Europe on November 3, 2006, North America on November 7, 2006, and Australia on November 9, 2006. The Wii version had slightly later releases; it was released in North America on November 19, 2006, Japan on January 1, 2007, Europe on March 30, 2007, and Australia on April 5, 2007. It is now a Greatest Hits title, like its predecessor. Though originally confirmed as being a launch title in North America for the Wii, some stores started selling the Wii version on November 15, 2006. An issue of V-Jump listed January 2007 as the release date for the Japanese version of the Wii release. The game originally featured 100 characters in 136 forms and 16 stages, though the Japanese and PAL Wii versions came with five additional characters and an extra stage as compensation of their late releases.Some additional bonus material within the game was the special story modes specifically given to Zarbon and Raditz, whom were attentively treated particularly well with their own game modes, unlike any other characters. One element of Tenkaichi 2 that is absent from Tenkaichi 1 and Tenkaichi 3 is that the story mode allows the player to fly around the Earth and Planet Namek, which was also featured in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3. Also during cutscenes more than two characters can be seen on the screen which is more than the other two.
In character selection there is a minor glitch in one of the character's name.
''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3'' (2007)
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, originally published as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! Meteor in Japan, is the third and final installment in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The game is available on both Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's Wii. The game was released in Japan on October 4, 2007, in North America on November 13, 2007 and in Europe on November 9, 2007 for the PlayStation 2.Tenkaichi 3 features 98 characters in 161 forms, the largest character roster in any Dragon Ball Z game at release, as well as one of the largest rosters in a fighting game. Ryo Mito once stated that the game would feature never-before-seen characters made exclusively for the game.
Several new notable features include: Battle Replay, night and day stages, the Wii's online capability. Battle Replay allows players to capture their favorite fights and save them to an SD card to view later on. Night and day stages allow for more accurate battles in Dragon Ball History, as well as the ability to transform into a Great Ape by using the moon. There are also several other time differences, such as dawn and afternoon. Not all stages provide different times. The player can also change the aura of their character. The Wii version features online multiplayer capability, the first game in the series to have such a feature. Players can fight against anyone from around the globe with a ranking system showing the player's current standing compared to anyone else who has played online. As compensation for the lack of online, Spike added a new "Disc Fusion System" to the PlayStation 2 version: inserting a Tenkaichi 1 or Tenkaichi 2 disc during play unlocks Ultimate Battle or Ultimate Battle Z,, modes featured in the respective games needed to unlock them. The game also supports 480p for both the Wii and the PlayStation 2 versions.
Other features include more combo attacks or character specific combos, Blast Combos, and the Z Burst Dash. The additional combo attacks will be able to help chain in more attacks for more damage and longer combos. The Blast Combos are normal combos used in the game, however by inputting another button into the attack will allow the player to use a blast attack for extra damage. Depending on the moves of the character the player might not be able to use this feat such as Videl or Hercule. The Z Burst Dash is a much faster and more evasive version of the Dragon Dash. It allows the user to get behind the opponent at high speeds for either a strike or to avoid a blast 2 attack. The drawback to this technique is that it will rapidly drain the player of energy. Also to charge up all their energy, the player must have one blast one stock filled up to power up to the very limit.
''Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team'' (2010)
Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi Tag Team was released on August 2010 by Bandai Namco. The game features two on two fights, excluding one on one fights. It is the only Dragon Ball game to feature 2v2 fights. The dragon walker mode features the original story of Dragon Ball Z. In battle selection, there is Battle 100 where you'd fight many teams, including Vegito and Gogeta. Free Battle, you can fight any team of your choice.Characters
Goku
Vegeta
Vegeta
Majin Vegeta
Kid Gohan
Teen Gohan
Adult Gohan
Ultimate Gohan
Future Trunks
Teenage Trunks
Kid Trunks
Goten
Piccolo
Krillin
Tien Shinhan
Chiaotzu
Yamcha
Videl
Super Vegito
Super Gogeta
Bardock
Gotenks
Raditz
Nappa
Saibamen
Cui
Zarbon
Dodoria
Reccome
Burter
Jeice
Guldo
Captain Ginyu
Frieza
Frieza soldier
Dr.Gero
Android #16
Android #17
Android #18
Android #19
Cell
Cell Jr
Demon King Dabura
Majin Buu
Super Buu
Evil Buu
Kid Buu
Broly
Later on the ppsspp app, it was the 2nd most played game, nearly 3,900,000 plays over the later 7 years.
It's cousin Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi was the last game made on the series.