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File:Sparking jp box.jpg

The original Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! cover.

The Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series, originally published as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! (ドラゴンボールZ Sparking!, Doragon Bōru Zetto Supākingu!) in Japan, is a series of fighting games based on the anime and manga Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama. Each installment was developed by Spike, while they were published by Namco Bandai in Japan and Atari in all other countries.

Origin of name

The "Sparking!" in the Japanese title references both the first and last word in the first opening theme to the Dragon Ball Z anime series, "Cha-La Head-Cha-La," performed by Hironobu Kageyama. However, the opening theme to the game is the TV series' second opening, "We Gotta Power" (featured in the Japanese version; the English version includes a different, non-vocal song), which is also sung by Kageyama.

The "Budokai Tenkaichi" title of the North American version is a rearranged version of Tenkaichi Budokai (天下一武道会, Tenka'ichi Budōkai, roughly "Strongest Under the Heavens Martial Arts Tournament"). In the series, the Tenka-ichi Budôkai is a gathering of fighters in a competition for glory, fame, and prize money.

The game is not considered a part of the Budokai series of games, despite its misleading title. In addition to a completely different game engine, the game was developed by an entirely different company (Spike as opposed to Dimps). The game is also titled differently from the rest of the Budokai series in Japan. Were it a true Budokai game, it would have been Dragon Ball Z 4 in Japan. Speculation on the English re-title is that Atari chose to market the game as part of the Budokai series in order to capitalize on a pre-existing market of fans already familiar with said game series. The English version also uses a great deal of sound effects and background music made for the Budokai series.

Localization differences

Further confusing fans in North America, Atari's domestic release of the game does not feature the same music found in the original Japanese version. While Sparking! features actual music from Dragon Ball Z (and two other pieces from the Dragon Ball franchise and Dragon Ball GT where appropriate) as composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi, the American release of the game features recycled music from the Budokai series (composed in Japan by Kenji Yamamoto).

While no official explanation was ever given for the musical differences, as FUNimation Productions did not use the original Japanese score in their "reversioning" of the TV series for an English dub (though they did indeed use it for their English dub of the original Dragon Ball TV series), it can be assumed that contractual issues came into play.

Gameplay

Super Saiyan Goku using the Kamehameha against Hirudegarn in Budokai Tenkaichi 3.

The games are quite different from the often-compared Budokai series; they use a "behind-the-back" camera perspective. Also different from the Budokai series (and more of a throw-back to games from the Super Famicom era), each form is treated as its own character, with varying stats, movesets and fighting styles, similar to Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors while the free roam element is similar to Dragon Ball Z: Sagas. In battle, players can build up their Ki bar to execute various techniques such as the Power Guard, which reduces the damage characters take by 1/4. The Ki bar can also be used to use moves referred to as Blast 2s. Every character has a unique set of Blast 2s that allow the character to use special moves such as Ki blasts and physical attacks. Characters also have a bar called a Blast Stock that allows players to use techniques called Blast 1s. Blast 1s usually have a supportive effect such as allowing characters to regain health or immobilize the enemy. Players can also use a Blast Stock to power up into a mode known as Max Power Mode. Max Power Mode makes the character that initiated it faster, stronger, and able to use moves that are exclusive to the mode. One of these moves is the Ultimate Blast which is usually the most powerful move a character has, though use of an Ultimate Blast immediately ends Max Power Mode.

Game Modes

The story mode of the series (called Z Battle Gate, Dragon Adventure, and Dragon History in each installment, respectively) progresses similarly to the story modes in previous games. Players can select battles from different sagas and proceed through the story of Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball GT, and even several Dragon Ball Z films. The Dragon Balls can be acquired through story mode by destroying the environment in battle; however, the player can only keep the Dragon Ball they find if the battle is won. Each installment features several "what-if" battles and scenarios; for example, the Tenkaichi 1 strory mode features modes where the player takes control of a villain and uses the character to defeat the hero, while the Tenkaichi 2 story mode has modes where Raditz and Zarbon essentially team up with the Z Fighters for one reason or another. Several levels of the Tenkaichi 2 story mode also feature cutscenes shown either before or after the fight of the level takes place. The Tenkaichi 3 story mode has cutscenes integrated into the battles themselves that are activated by hitting a certain button. These can be transformations, character changes, automatic attack use, or something as simple as a conversation.

Similar to the same mode in the Budokai series, the player can enter a World Tournament and try to win their way to the top. There are three levels of the basic tournament and a Cell Games mode (which is hosted by Cell). Since characters can fly, characters can leave the perimeter of the arena, but will be called for ringout if they touch the ground. There are no restrictions to the Cell Games mode, but the last match of the Cell Games mode is always against Perfect Cell. In Tenkaichi 1 winning the tournaments gave players a Z-Item prize while in Tenkaichi 2, players would receive money which in turn would be used on Z-Items. The World Tournament mode could be played with several entrants, but if there is more than one human player, no prize would be awarded. Other features in the game includes more combo attacks or character specific combos, the Blast Combos, and the Z Burst Dash. The additional combo attacks will be able to help chain in more attacks for more damage and longer combos. The Blast Combo is the normal combos however by inputting the another button into the attack will allow you to use a blast attack for extra damage. Depending on the moves of the character you might not be able to use this feat such as Videl or Hercule. The Z Burst Dash is much faster and more evasive version of the of the Dragon Dash. It allows the user to get behind the opponent at high speeds for either a strike or to avoid a blast 2 attack. The drawback to this technique is that it will rapidly drain you of energy.

History

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, originally published as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! (ドラゴンボールZ Sparking!, Doragon Bōru Zetto Supākingu!) in Japan, is the first installment in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The game is available only on Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in Japan on October 6 2005, North America on October 18 2005, and Europe on October 21 2005. It is now a Greatest Hits title.

The game features 56 playable characters and 16 stages for battle. However, this game is the only one in the series to not allow in-game transformations.

Despite not featuring the original Japanese music, the American release of the game allows for selectable English (FUNimation Productions cast) and Japanese voices, while retaining the English-language written dialogue (as adapted from Steven J. Simmons' translation from the original Japanese version's script). However, there are known bugs in the American version of Budokai Tenkaichi that cause pieces of English and Japanese spoken dialogue to cross over into whichever selection the player is using at times.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, originally published as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! NEO (ドラゴンボールZ Sparking! NEO, Doragon Bōru Zetto Supākingu! Neo) in Japan, is the second installment in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The game is available on both Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's Wii. The PlayStation 2 and Wii versions have different dates of release. It was released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan on October 5 2006, Europe on November 3 2006, North America on November 7 2006, and Australia on November 9 2006. The Wii version had slightly later releases; it was released in North America on November 19 2006, Japan on January 1 2007, Europe on March 30 2007, and Australia on April 5 2007. It is now a Greatest Hits title, like its predecessor. Though originally confirmed as being a launch title in North America for the Wii, some stores started selling the Wii version on November 15 2006. An issue of V-Jump listed January 2007 as the release date for the Japanese version of the Wii release. The game originally featured 129 characters and 16 stages, though the Japanese and PAL Wii versions came with five additional characters and an extra stage as compensation of their late releases.

Some additionally great bonus material within the game was the special story modes specifically given to Zarbon and Raditz, whom were attentively treated particularly well with their own game modes, unlike any other characters. One element of Tenkaichi 2 that is absent from Tenkaichi 1 and Tenkaichi 3 is that the story mode allows the player to fly around the Earth, which was also featured in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, originally published as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! METEOR (ドラゴンボールZ Sparking! METEOR, Doragon Bōru Zetto Supākingu! Meteo) in Japan, is the third installment in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The game is available on both Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's Wii. The game was released in Japan on October 4 2007, in North America on November 13, 2007 and in Europe on November 9 2007 (on PlayStation 2, the Wii version's release date is December 3 2007 in North America, October 4 2007 in Japan, and February 15 2008 in Europe).

Tenkaichi 3 features over 162 characters, the largest character roster in any Dragon Ball Z game, as well as one of the largest in any fighting game. Ryo Mito once stated that the game would feature never-before-seen characters made exclusively for the game, although the only exclusive characters were the saiyans turning into big apes. Gamestop offered an exclusive version with a bonus DVD containing the top 10 television series battles as voted by fans on the release date.

Several new notable features include: Battle Replay, night and day stages, the Wii's online capability, and Disc Fusion. Battle Replay allows players to capture their favorite fights and save them to an SD card to view later on. Night and day stages allow for more accurate battles in Dragon Ball History, as well as the ability to transform into a Great Ape by using the moon. There are also several other time differences, such as dawn and afternoon. Not all stages provide different times. You can also change the aura of your character. The Wii version features online multiplayer capability, the first game in the series to have such a feature. Players can fight against anyone from around the globe with a ranking system showing the player's current standing compared to anyone else who has played online. As compensation for the lack of online, Spike has added a new "Disc Fusion System" to the PlayStation 2 version. Inserting a Tenkaichi 1 or Tenkaichi 2 disc during play unlocks Ultimate Battle or Ultimate Battle Z, modes featured in the respective games needed to unlock them. The game also supports 480p for both the Wii and the PlayStation 2 versions.

Other features in the game includes more combo attacks or character specific combos, the Blast Combos, and the Z Burst Dash. The additional combo attacks will be able to help chain in more attacks for more damage and longer combos. The Blast Combos are normal combos used in the game, however by inputting the another button into the attack will allow you to use a blast attack for extra damage. Depending on the moves of the character you might not be able to use this feat such as Videl or Hercule. The Z Burst Dash is much faster and more evasive version of the Dragon Dash. It allows the user to get behind the opponent at high speeds for either a strike or to avoid a blast 2 attack. The drawback to this technique is that it will rapidly drain you of energy.

Playable characters

Each character in the series is based on their anime counterparts, their seiyū and voice actors also taking part in the development of the game whenever possible to allow the best interactivity. Each character has attacks and fighting styles more or less derived from the source material, i.e. Goku's Kamehameha and Vegeta's Galick Gun. Certain fighters transform during battle, these transformations usually make the transformed character more powerful via a more powerful moveset, and in some cases, increases in health. In-game transformations cannot occur in Budokai Tenkaichi.

With each installment, all the old characters from the previous game are carried over to the new one and new characters are added to the roster. For simplicity reasons, the table below will show the characters introduced in the original installment, and in the next section only the new characters in the succeeding game. All characters will also be referred to as they appear in the most recent installment in the series.

Reception

Critical reaction for the Budokai Tenkaichi series has been mixed. Numerous reviews praised the game's high fighter count and detailed cel-shaded graphics, as well as the high amount of fan service to Dragon Ball Z fans. Some people, however, have taken issue with the game's complex controls. Mark Bozon at IGN said, "The sheer speed and complexity of the controls may turn some people off, but the general combat will eventually come down to two buttons, making the game amazingly easy to learn, but nearly impossible to fully master."

The PS2 version of Tenkaichi 2 received the 'Best Fighting Game of the Year' award from X-Play and the Wii version of the game also received a four out of five from X-Play. The game magazine Famitsu gave the PS2 version of Tenkaichi 3 a 32 out of 40, while the Wii version received a 33 out of 40. IGN awarded both versions of Tenkaichi 3 an 8 out of 10, with their only complaints being the comparatively underwhelming story mode (in comparison to Tenkaichi 2), gimmicky Disc Fusion and the lagging Wi-Fi.

External links

• Official Budokai Tenkaichi series website Template:Jp icon