It took over a decade, butDragon Ballhas finally returned to one of its most popular video game series.Dragon Ball: Sparking Zeromarks the revival of the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii’sBudokai Tenkaichigames by Spike, now Spike Chunsoft, and that series’ veterans and newcomers are both overjoyed. In terms of rawDragon Ball Zfight simulation, nothing else held a candle toBudokai Tenkaichiback 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 theDragon Ballexperience.
Even in a sea of great modernDragon Balltitles, it’s still nice to bring back what worked the best in older fans’ youth. A story modefull of “what if"Dragon Ballscenariosfor players to stumble across, lots of things to unlock and buy from the in-game shop, and even new sights forBudokai Tenkaichi’s content, like a fully-featured online mode and Custom Battles, are all part ofSparking Zero’s package.Sparking Zerohas 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 itsBudokaitrilogy in 2004, Spike took over in 2005 withBudokai Tenkaichi. Lasting from 2005 to 2007, with the PSP spin-offTenkaichi Tag Teamin 2010, theBudokai Tenkaichitrilogy was a successful third-person follow-upto the traditional fighting game-inspiredBudokaigames, and all of them remain in high esteem today.
Where Spike and Budokai Tenkaichi’s Reputations Diverged
Dimps and Spike continued contributing to theDragon Ballfranchise alongside their other projects, with Dimps eventually producing the smash-hitDragon Ball HeroesandDragon Ball Xenoverselinesin the 2010’s. Spike’s trajectory couldn’t fly straight under the weight of its biggest success, however. 2009’sDragon Ball: Raging Blastwas considered a decent, if scaled-back follow-up toBudokai Tenkaichi 3, butDragon Ball: Raging Blast 2launching in 2010 with more problems was a bad sign.Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichicontributed the first create-a-character to consoleDragon Ballgames in 2011, but was otherwise written off as quickly asRaging Blast 2.
2012 marked Spike’s merger with Chunsoft, and the release ofDragon 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 VSwas released in Japan in 2014 with a localized re-release in 2015, andOne Piece: Burning Bloodfollowed 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 furtheringUltimate 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 Namcohit rock bottom withJump Forcein 2019 andOne-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knowsin 2020. These games were poorly received enough that Spike Chunsoft’s confirmation as aBudokai Tenkaichirevival 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 ensureSparking Zerolived up toBudokai Tenkaichi’s Japanese name, but it’s still astounding how much of a dramatic turnaround from Spike Chunsoft’s last arena fighterSparking Zerois. With any luck,Dragon Ball: Sparking Zeroredeemed Spike Chunsoft’s name enough that it isn’t an instant red flag on future licensed fighting games.
