- GamePro Goes Budokai
•I just received this month's issue of GamePro, and I had to open it as soon as I saw it due to the awesome cover: Goku about to nail Frieza in the face! So, I got to the feature section and read through a 3-page article about the game. Aside from some new, and very sweet screen shots, the article settles a few rumors and nagging questions that have been floating around.

It opened with, of course, what motivated the production of new DBZ games: the drewling millions who watch DBZ daily, especially those who were craving something more after the oddly popular, video game failure Dragonball GT: Final Bout.
Later, in a section called The Ki To Success (lol, clever), the game is basically described to have a fighting style "similar to that of Virtua Fighter or Street Fighter"-Chris Lundeen, associate producer of Budokai. Then it basically goes into details about the techniques and moves that we pretty much know everything about already.
Following this comes a section with yet another witty title: Take Your Piccolo. And it goes into an in-depth explanation of how Budokai has been designed to satisfy three audiences: young fans (little kids), older fans (typical college dorks and older), and finally non-anime lovers who are just looking for a good game. This game, unlike the previous two DBZ releases for GBA, will be focused on all audiences, rather than just children. Basically, the brute fighting will appeal to all audiences, while character development, story lines, and famous techniques will help die-hard older DBZ fans integrate with the game to a greater extent. DBZ was even described as a soap opera during the article lol, and that is why the series has such a wide range of age groups watching it.
After that, game controls. No, it won't be difficult to pull off outstanding combos and finishing moves. Meanwhile, players have the option of having the one and only Mr. Popo assist them in purchasing skill capsules. So, you'll be guided through character developement too.
Finally, the article discusses the base for Budokai, which is everyone's favorite crappy game --- Dragonball GT: Final Bout. This game, according to the writer, Four-Eyed Dragon, had an excellent concept, but the PS1 simply did not have the capability of supporting all of the necessary components. So, what we got was a game that was falling apart before it even hit shelves. But now, thanks to the PS2's superiority, the game has been built to the standards that DBGT: FB had been expected of.
Anyways, in my own opinion, this article certainly opened my eyes, and I suggest all of you find some way to read it (sorry, but I'm too lazy to type 3 pages of stuff for you guys lol). It connected alot of points together that helped me make sense of all the things we've been hearing about the game. And WOW, I have to emphasize the incredible graphics...the article displayed several screen shots that very accurately resembled scenes from the actual series...absolutely incredible 3-D animation. Now then...for some Q's and A's:

Why is Budokai only coming to the PS2?
-Only 2 of the 3 systems can support the engine used to run the game: PS2 and Gamecube. And most of Gamecube's users are young children, and Gamecube makes up a very small percentage of the consoles in American households, so production was only focused on the PS2.

I heard rumors that there will be hidden characters like Goten, Chibi Trunks, and Cell Jr. Are there?
-Well, yes and no. In the article, it mentioned Cell Jr. is a character in the game, but it dosen't specify if he will be playable, or if he'll only be computer-controlled in story mode. I did see a pic of the character selection panel with a character that looks alot like Goten, but I'm guessing it was actually Goku lol.

I've heard some rumors that the game developers added online play at the last minute. So, what's the real answer?
-No, online play will not be an option. Sadly, the game began developing over 2 years ago, when online play was just a pipe dream. And now it is too late to go back and reformat the entire game to introduce multi-console play.

Are more DBZ games currently in production?
-Not sure if they are in production, but Mike Cucciarella (producer of all of the current DBZ games) enthusiastically stated that many more games are on the way. So I am fairly confident that we'll hear about a new game within the next 6 months. He also pointed out that he checks message boards and major gaming and anime sites (like this one) for feedback, info, and concepts on how to improve upcoming games.

Can you fly in the game?
-In a sense, but overall not really. If your opponent hits you in an upward direction, you will go into the air, then slowly float back to the ground, but your opponent may dart at you in the air to continue fighting.

Since the game is totally in 3-D, will the graphics suffer?
-No, as already indicated, Budokai can basically be seen as THE improvement on Dragonball GT: Final Bout, and all of the problems have been fixed, including the graphics.

How closely related is the game to the actual series?
-Well, it covers all of the sagas from the arrival of Radditz to just after the Cell games at the WMA with Saiyaman and Spopovich of course. Meanwhile, the original FUNi voice actors have returned to dub their characters, plus original sound effects from the show. Also...clips from the actual show will be included, so you won't just see 3-D immitations of events from the series.


I hope this answered many of your questions, and if you have anymore, E-mail me or post a comment. Hopefully I can answer them with help from the article or from info I have gathered elsewhere.
-Latz

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• Posted: Friday, November 08, 2002 » Zero
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