Summary
Dragon Ballis one of, if not the most popular anime in the world. So it goes without saying that most of the games released since the series' inceptionhave shared in that popularity, allowing fans to take part in the intense action of a fight between other-worldly beings firsthand.
However, the series has been running for a long time, having gained fans across the globe a little later in its lifetime. As such, there are a good number of games that never left Japan, or simplynever made it to the United States. What follows is just a handful of those games.
5Dragon Ball: Dragon Daihikyō
Dragon Daihikyōis a rather simplistictop-down shoot-em-up game. Players would fly through the sky on their Nimbus cloud in search of the legendary dragon balls, keeping enemies at bay with their power pole while trying to satiate Goku’s canonically bottomless stomach to keep his power up.
This game was one of a small number that were released for Epoch’s Super Cassette Vision. It was a system that had a wildly short lifespan of 3 years, meaning that many of its games, includingDragon Daihikyōwould do little butfade into obscurity.
4Dragon Ball Z: Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku
This game was released in two parts; Earth Chapter and Space Chapter respectively. Both were based on the OVA of the same name that was releasedearlier that same year, and featured animations directly from it. Players interact with the game like a choose-your-own-adventure story, whether that be by selecting dialogue options or completing various quick-time events.
Frankly, the Playdia was a flop. Coupling this with the fact thatShin Saiyajin Zenmetsu Keikakuwas already released in a more simple, televised format, meant that there really was no reason for gamers to spend their hard-earned cash on eitherthe console or the game. That being said, if fans had yet to experience this story within theDBZmythos, it certainly wasn’t a bad way to do it.
3Dragon Ball Z: Idainaru Son Goku Densetsu
The TurboGrafx-16 was by far one of the less popular consoles of its time, particularly because it was going up against the likes of the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis. This means that many likely missed one of the more comprehensiveDragon Ballgames that were released for the system,Idainaru Son Goku Densetsu.
Densetsufunctions as a “greatest hits” of Goku’s big battles, spanning across theDragon Ballseries, having players experience everything from his battle with Mercenary Tao, all the way to his demise at the hands…or rather thebig bloated body of Cell. Plus, players are able to relive these legendary bouts with as many cinematic bells and whistles the system can throw their way.
2Dragon Ball Z: Shin Butōden
As far as sequels of anime-based fighting games go,Shin Butōdenis as straightforward as it gets. Being the last in a series of fairly popular games, it borrows assets and cutscenes from them, while also rehashing part ofthe classicDBZstory.
Of course, for many, this isn’t a bad thing, especially when the game, and in particular, the sprites, manage to present characters from the entirety ofDBZin awesome detail. There are also a wealth of modes to enjoy, including a Mr. Satan mode, seeing players place bets on CPU Vs. CPU matches, and uses various button inputs to ensure their side’s victory.
1Dragon Ball
With the simple title ofDragon Ball,the expectation was probably that this game would be an epic retelling of the belovedDragon Ballstory. Well, it’s definitely a retelling, but with gameplay that may not have been what people expected, especially after years ofmore traditional fighting games.
But that’s because this game is a remake ofDragon Ball 3: Gokuden, and as such, is a card game through and through. From moving about the world (presented as a game board), to dispatching foes, everything is done by way of the player’s shuffled deck of cards. Of course, this type of game allows for some incredible detail in just about every screen that players are greeted by.
