Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero review: "The pinnacle of fanservice"

GamesRadar+ VerdictIntentionally prioritizing flashy fanservice over competitive play, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero provides the most complete series toybox yet. But, with simple enemy AI and repetitive fighting mechanics, it lacks the depth of its more serious competition to the point of becoming rote.Pros+A ridiculous amount of characters+Looks and feels like you’re in the anime+Robust customization and custom battle optionsCons-Poor AI rewards cheap, repetitive tactics-Not a whole lot to do if creating dream matches doesn’t hold your attention GamesRadar+ Verdict GamesRadar+ Verdict Intentionally prioritizing flashy fanservice over competitive play, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero provides the most complete series toybox yet. But, with simple enemy AI and repetitive fighting mechanics, it lacks the depth of its more serious competition to the point of becoming rote. Intentionally prioritizing flashy fanservice over competitive play, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero provides the most complete series toybox yet. But, with simple enemy AI and repetitive fighting mechanics, it lacks the depth of its more serious competition to the point of becoming rote. Pros+A ridiculous amount of characters+Looks and feels like you’re in the anime+Robust customization and custom battle options A ridiculous amount of characters Looks and feels like you’re in the anime Robust customization and custom battle options Cons-Poor AI rewards cheap, repetitive tactics-Not a whole lot to do if creating dream matches doesn’t hold your attention Poor AI rewards cheap, repetitive tactics Not a whole lot to do if creating dream matches doesn’t hold your attention Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. The fourth mainline installment of the previously dormant Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series, its surprise reveal came during last year’s Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour finals. But don’t get this long-awaited sequel confused with the likes of Dragon Ball FighterZ and its high-level tournament brethren. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is a decidedly unbalanced affair focused more on fanservice and spectacle, a mission statement made explicit with its massive playable cast of various Gokus, Gohans, and Vegetas, all of which are lovingly crafted with details large and small from the source material but would no doubt be a nightmare to develop for competitive viability. Rock The Dragon (Image credit: Bandai Namco) Fast FactsRelease date:October 11, 2024Platform(s):PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PCDeveloper:Spike ChunsoftPublisher:Bandai Namco Entertainment Fast Facts Release date:October 11, 2024Platform(s):PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PCDeveloper:Spike ChunsoftPublisher:Bandai Namco Entertainment Release date:October 11, 2024Platform(s):PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PCDeveloper:Spike ChunsoftPublisher:Bandai Namco Entertainment That said, you won’t get anywhere without first learning the basics of combat. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is surprisingly deep on a mechanical level, featuring a wide variety of attacks, counters, and movement options with which to replicate the fast-paced martial arts that serve as the foundation of the manga and anime series. However, the amount of information the tutorial throws at you – broken up into beginner, intermediate, and advanced lessons – is rather overwhelming at first, not to mention almost impossible to recall in the heat of battle without a decent amount of conditioning. Majin Buu, for example, can spend these points to stop an opponent in their tracks with Paralyze Beam or Sleep, regaining a big chunk of health in the process. Combine both skill points and ki charges to go beyond your limits, though, and you’ll enter Sparking Mode where you can use ki-powered moves for free and unleash each fighters’ devastating and cinematic Ultimate Blast technique. (Image credit: Bandai Namco) All these mechanics combine to give Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero an excellent sense of momentum. Characters zip around the massive stages, crashing into one another in the blink of an eye to trade skull-crushing blows before separating again to cautiously build towards more powerful attacks. It’s a joy to watch thanks to the game’s dedication to replicating the late Akira Toriyama’s distinct art style in Unreal Engine 5, but gameplay becomes a little rote as it codifies. Rather than struggle with the ins and outs of hand-to-hand combat, I found it easier to simply put distance between me and my enemy, ki charge as much as possible, wait until I had enough resources to enter Sparking Mode, perform a short combo into my character’s Ultimate Blast, and repeat. While human opponents will likely be more engaging, this cyclical strategy was enough to complete every single-player challenge the game threw my way. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero never asked more of me, so I was never compelled to diversify my tactics or really improve at all. Kamehameh-à la mode (Image credit: Bandai Namco) The real meat of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero – apart from the mountain of playable characters, of course – lies within the Episode and Custom Battle modes. Episode Battle allows you to select one character from a limited roster and relive their biggest fights from Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. Your actions can even alter major canon events. In Vegeta’s story, for instance, choosing to shake off Babidi’s mind control during the Majin Buu Saga spoils the weird little goblin wizard’s plans entirely, leading to a future where the eponymous pink menace is never revived and everyone kind of just gets on with their lives. None of these scenarios are all that noteworthy beyond surface-level “what if?” thought experiments, but they do provide a fun diversion from the well-trod official narrative (not to mention more opportunities to earn in-game currency for purchasing new characters and outfits). (Image credit: Bandai Namco) Looking for more?Want to catch-up on Dragon Ball itself?We’ve got the watch list to make sure you don’t miss a thing!Or in the mood for more anime games?Take a look at our list of what we consider to be the best. Looking for more? Want to catch-up on Dragon Ball itself?We’ve got the watch list to make sure you don’t miss a thing!Or in the mood for more anime games?Take a look at our list of what we consider to be the best. Want to catch-up on Dragon Ball itself?We’ve got the watch list to make sure you don’t miss a thing!Or in the mood for more anime games?Take a look at our list of what we consider to be the best. Custom Battle, on the other hand, allows the imagination of a Dragon Ball fan like myself to run riot. Here you can pit any of the 182 characters against one another, mixed and matched in one-on-one bouts or up to five-on-five in team duels. Special effects can determine the conditions that cause a particular combatant to transform or swap places with a teammate. Players can also build custom intros and outros to explain why their chosen characters are duking it out using a variety of pre-built scenes and dialogue options. While there are constraints, more than likely to avoid pushing the game past its soft Teen rating from the ESRB, the level of customization on display is still impressive. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is the pinnacle of fanservice. Its radically inclusive cast means diehards can look forward to playing with at least one of their favorite characters – unless they really like, I don’t know, King Piccolo’s son Tambourine or someone equally forgettable – and the Custom Battle mode should provide hours upon hours of creative fulfillment after finishing everything else the game has to offer. I haven’t kept up with Dragon Ball since the days of afternoon Toonami reruns, but more than once I found myself simply lingering on the main menu and watching my old friends interact. The care the developers took towards adapting this beloved franchise shines through in every punch, kick, and energy blast, and it’s this respect for the source material that, at the end of the day, makes many of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s shortcomings easy to overlook. Disclaimer CATEGORIESPS5Xbox Series XPC GamingPlatformsPlayStationXbox CATEGORIES More about dragon ball sparking zeroDragon Ball: Sparking Zero is one of the best-selling games in Bandai Namco history: “A nice surprise in a year that’s been kind of rough overall,” says analystSparking Zero is the best-selling Dragon Ball game ever released in the US and Bandai Namco’s biggest published title outside of Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3LatestI didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tastySee more latest► More about dragon ball sparking zeroDragon Ball: Sparking Zero is one of the best-selling games in Bandai Namco history: “A nice surprise in a year that’s been kind of rough overall,” says analystSparking Zero is the best-selling Dragon Ball game ever released in the US and Bandai Namco’s biggest published title outside of Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3LatestI didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tastySee more latest► More about dragon ball sparking zeroDragon Ball: Sparking Zero is one of the best-selling games in Bandai Namco history: “A nice surprise in a year that’s been kind of rough overall,” says analystSparking Zero is the best-selling Dragon Ball game ever released in the US and Bandai Namco’s biggest published title outside of Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3 More about dragon ball sparking zero Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is one of the best-selling games in Bandai Namco history: “A nice surprise in a year that’s been kind of rough overall,” says analystSparking Zero is the best-selling Dragon Ball game ever released in the US and Bandai Namco’s biggest published title outside of Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3 Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is one of the best-selling games in Bandai Namco history: “A nice surprise in a year that’s been kind of rough overall,” says analyst Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is one of the best-selling games in Bandai Namco history: “A nice surprise in a year that’s been kind of rough overall,” says analyst Sparking Zero is the best-selling Dragon Ball game ever released in the US and Bandai Namco’s biggest published title outside of Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3 Sparking Zero is the best-selling Dragon Ball game ever released in the US and Bandai Namco’s biggest published title outside of Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3 LatestI didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tastySee more latest► Latest I didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tasty I didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tasty I didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tasty See more latest► Most 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REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor 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review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”