The Tormenting Treatment of DBZ Games

Wizardworks. A division of Infogrames, the people who own the gaming license to DBZ. Now it has been well documented that there is an extremely high chance that the DBZ game they create will surpass everything in terms of crappyness. Planet Namek and our own DBZGT Legacy have both given opinions and thoughts on the matter saying how much they dreaded the release of what they suspected would be a terrible game. Unfortunately I am fairly confident that this is accurate.

How well will the DBZ game sell when it is released? Ludicrously well, but not because of any sort of quality, oh no, but because it is a well-known and very popular franchise. Final Bout was a good example of this, with many console owners being prepared to pay extra for shipping and chips, and all the other technical gear required to play it. Another comparatively lame game, but it’s DBZ so it sells.

I may sound extremely cynical in saying all of this, and already condemning it before it’s release, but let’s face it guys, we’ve seen the screenshots and they’re anything but pretty. Those of you who haven’t, imagine a hippo in a tight, skimpy dress with excessive amounts of make-up on, and you’re half way there.

Has there ever been a good DBZ computer game though? Tough question, but the answer is a definite yes, with the excellent ‘Hyper Dimension’ and the addictive ‘Legend of The Super Saiyan’ being the top dogs in that particular category. The same applies to various other TV show spin offs such as the occasional Star Wars game, and a couple of good Indiana Jones ones. It’s not impossible to make a good game from something that is on TV, but it’s rarely accomplished all the same.

I sound like I’m blabbering on incessantly, and admittedly I am a little, but I’m getting to my point. It was only in my last editorial that I mentioned at how FUNi were becoming better at handling the DBZ situation and undeserving of all the criticism they were receiving. After seeing the way they’re handling Bid For Power though, I’m going to have to take my kind words back.

A mod with excellent potential has been put in very real danger of being cancelled, despite some incredibly hard work and ludicrous amount of time being put into it. It was looking like becoming an amazing game, and just glancing at the screenshots anyone could tell that it was going to be an instant hit.

FUNi gave an order to temporarily halt the proceedings way back in December of 2000, which was over half a year ago. Why? It’s not like the mod, an add-on to Quake 3, is possibly going to stunt the sales of the Wizardworks game, considering how it would have been released years before the DBZ game even reached the second phase of development! Whoever ordered that BFP be stopped, you’re a moron.

It’s not definitely over though, there’s still a tiny glimmer of hope as the BFP project hasn’t officially been cancelled. Hopefully it’ll be able to get released, and seeing how it isn’t a profitable game, but rather completely free and available to all, there shouldn’t be too many more legal problems.

I hate the situation at the moment, I really do. It’s looking like Wizardworks are going to release a totally lame, third-rate game, whilst something that looked quite promising with great potential may not be able to gain the go-ahead from the legal guys at FUNi. I have to say I sincerely hope that BFP is released, as the developers have come too far, and worked too hard to be forced to give up now. FUNi can’t go cancelling every mod that looks like it has potential, that’s just petty. As things stand though, they are a powerful corporation with the rights to eliminate all competition, and they no doubt will do for a long time to come. I hate you FUNi, and I hate you Wizardworks.