The latest entry in the belovedDragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichiseries has arrived, and a lot of fans are eagerly jumping into it.Dragon Ball: Sparking Zeromarks Spike Chunsoft’s return to its arena fighter glory days, and its efforts are paying dividends with record-settingDragon BallSteam game numbers beforeSparking Zerois even out. It’s not hard to see why this title has dominated theDragon Ballfandom, as its precise simulation of fights ripped straight from the anime is second to none, and it has a robust set of modes to boot.
Highlights include Episode Battle, Tournaments, online versus, and the Encyclopedia, but Custom Battle could form the core ofSparking Zero’s legacy. Lots ofDragon Ballfanfiction has been made over the years, and whileBudokai TenkaichiandSparking Zeroemulate it with their “What If” scenarios, some feel like officialDragon Ballfighting would be on another level. Custom Battle does just that, and the amount of control it gives players over both their cutscenes and dynamic combat conditions has set the bar high for future imitators. It’s good thatSparking Zeroexcelled here because another game already set that bar with a similar mode over a decade prior.
Sparking Zero and Dissidia Final Fantasy Share Their Roots
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi’s first entry was released in October 2005, with its sequels finding great success in 2006 and 2007. 2008 got an acclaimed licensed arena fighter of its own, but this time from theFinal Fantasyfranchise instead.Dissidia Final Fantasyhad been in developmentat Square Enix for three years by its December release on the PlayStation Portable, springing from an idea during the development of 2005’sKingdom Hearts 2, while taking choreography inspiration from the 2005 filmFinal Fantasy 7: Advent Children. Thanks to that timeframe, it’s not hard to also compare this high-flying multiversalFinal Fantasycrossover toBudokai Tenkaichi.
Dissidia Was Already Inviting Budokai Tenkaichi Comparisons During Its Time
Effectively,Dissidia Final Fantasycarried onBudokai Tenkaichi’s dream match fanservice and high-quality presentation with its own RPG spin. It eventually got a 2011sequel of its own titledDissidia 012 Final Fantasy, a.k.a.Dissidia Duodecim, which brought so many additions and improvements that it was a remake, sequel, and prequel, all in one package.Duodecimensured it would be remembered alongsideBudokai Tenkaichi 3as one of the all-time licensed arena fighter greats, but no one could have expected these two names to cross paths again, especially through a bonusDuodecimthrew in.
How Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s Custom Battles Compare To Dissidia Duodecim’s Original Quests
Dissidia Duodecim’s new features include “Original Quests,” and, somehow, they are the spitting image ofSparking Zero’s Custom Battles despite the 13-year gap between them. Both allow players to assemble cutscenes and fights with special rules, win/loss conditions, and altered characters, and there were even developer-made examples in the form ofDissidia’s Japan-exclusive Official Quests andSparking Zero’s Bonus Battles.Sparking ZeroandDuodecimpermit sharing and editing other players’ content online, and despite Quests’ opening and ending cutscenes just being dialogue boxes, they can be spruced up to compete withSparking Zero’s in-game stills.
Even Custom Battle and Original Quests’ Flaws Are Mirrored
WhatDissidia Duodecim’s Quests lacked in dynamic mid-battle triggers, they made up for with custom dialogue. Unfortunately,Dissidia’s dialogue limits were set with Kanji in mind instead of English letters, so every box ends up too small and with line breaks during words. That said, ifSparking Zero’s Custom Battle inspires more focused takeson the mode, custom text would be preferable to the thousands of pre-made lines players currently have to sort through. Both Original Quests and Custom Battles have their limits, but encouraging player-made content through a side mode is rare, so it’s good thatDragon Ball: Sparking Zerogave thisDissidia 012 Final Fantasyfeature another chance.
