As a seasoned Dragon Ball fan who has spent countless hours immersed in the universe since its humble beginnings, I must say that the latest addition to the franchise, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, has left me both awestruck and slightly disillusioned.
The action-packed game, “Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO,” is now available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PCs globally. At the moment of writing, it has attracted more than 122,000 players simultaneously on Steam, establishing a new benchmark for both Dragon Ball games and fighting games on this platform. Critics have praised its gameplay, graphics, extensive character roster, and faithful representation of the Dragon Ball universe.
Absolutely, it’s not without its flaws. There are several areas that could use improvement, some of which detract from the overall enjoyment (such as aspects within Episode Battle), while others seem out of place given how well-crafted the rest of the game is. Additionally, there are characters missing that players would love to play as. Despite the fantastic experience it offers, here are ten things that Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO players often criticize.
Slideshow Scenes in Episode Battle
I really enjoyed re-experiencing some of Dragon Ball’s most memorable fights in Sparking! ZERO’s new story mode. Certain parts are done quite well, such as the conclusion of the Cell Games. However, enjoyment is often dampened by other sections that play out like a slideshow with occasional animation. It’s important to note that this isn’t intended to be a deep exploration of Dragon Ball’s story – even casual fans have already seen or read these events, whether it’s the initial broadcast of Dragon Ball Z, Kai, or even Super – but it still feels lackluster.
Lack of Narrative Voiceover in Slideshows
One factor that adds to the economical vibe of Episode Battle is the absence of a voiceover during slideshows. Typically, Dragon Ball Z concluded episodes with a narrator summarizing the events and hinting at the next episode. Including this feature in Episode Battle might have enriched the narrative experience for some players, while allowing others to swiftly progress. It’s unclear why Spike Chunsoft decided against including voiceovers, perhaps due to worries that players would simply skip them. However, providing an optional narration could cater to both groups of players effectively.
Episode Battle Length Discrepancies
Indeed, Goku serves as the main character in “Dragon Ball,” so it’s reasonable to assume that other characters’ standalone episodes might be less extensive. Nevertheless, it’s quite perplexing why some significant characters like Vegeta have their storylines truncated, especially considering their pivotal roles in “Dragon Ball Super.” In essence, Vegeta’s narrative arc seems to have been prematurely concluded.
In the Super series, Frieza’s narrative wraps up during the Buu Saga, which includes battles against Babidi, Dabura, Majin Buu (while he also distracts Kid Buu, potentially opening a distinct storyline), but no encounters with Beerus, Zamasu, or Goku Black. Nor does he take part in the Tournament of Destruction against Toppo for now. However, Frieza’s tale flourishes in Super, particularly through the Resurrection of F arc. As for more Episode Battles, they might expand in future updates, but that remains to be seen.
Missing Fights
In my gaming experience with Goku’s Episode Battle, I can’t help but feel that some crucial battles and character arcs were left incomplete. Most notably, the Tournament of Destroyers seems to have vanished altogether. While Goku does eventually engage Hit during the Tournament of Power, it’s disappointing not to witness other epic match-ups like Cabba versus Vegeta or even Beerus squaring off against his fellow Destroyers in a free-for-all, even if they were non-playable. On the positive side, Custom Battle mode is there, allowing us to try and reenact some of these missing battles ourselves.
Difficulty Spikes
It’s likely you’ve found out already, but engaging in Episode Battle on Normal setting can present some unexpectedly tough moments. The initial encounter with Oozaru Vegeta is particularly tricky given how swiftly he accumulates energy and the damage he inflicts. As for subsequent battles against characters like Goku Black, Zamasu, and Fused Zamasu in rapid succession, they can prove even more challenging. Believe it or not, some gamers have encountered troubles with the Ginyu Force too! Frankly, I’d say my survival in many fights was largely due to AI glitches and exploiting Sparking! Mode. It would be intriguing if Spike addressed these issues or fine-tuned the AI further.
Lackluster Branching Path Requirements
In the Episode Battle segments, referred to as Sparking! Episodes, we encounter alternate storylines that deviate from the established main narrative. For instance, Goku overpowering Cell and engaging Android 17, 18, and 16 on his lonesome, or Vegeta vanquishing Kid Buu only to confront Goku later, are some of these unconventional results. Additionally, scenarios such as Raditz being defeated without Goku’s self-sacrifice also fall under this category. These offshoot narratives offer numerous fascinating and surprising conclusions.
On your initial attempt, you might find it challenging as the rules aren’t explicitly stated. I’m open to finishing a character’s Episode Battle first, and then choosing whether to disclose their conditions or continue guessing. For now, it’s mostly a matter of estimation rather than knowing for sure.
Only 50 Slots in Edit Mode for Creations
Custom Battle is an impressive collection of tools that enables users to construct distinctive battles and share them with others within the community. It’s like being the director of a Dragon Ball episode, with the ability to include dialogues, camera angles, and more, along with the twist of offering various results based on who emerges victorious. Regrettably, it offers only 50 slots for saving creations. At this time, there’s no information available about whether the developer plans to increase this limit or offer a method to save creations offline to create more space. Although the limitation may not be an issue for players at present because the game has just been released, it could potentially pose problems in the future.
Custom Mode Filters and Manual Searching
Custom Battle greatly benefits from having additional filtering options when editing. For instance, imagine you’re creating a 2D Cut for a particular scene and wish to explore all the available possibilities. However, with approximately 254 scenarios to sift through, they are somewhat disorganized. Filters enable you to specify various aspects such as combat arcs (like melee combat), the number of fighters involved, and other relevant details, making it easier to find what you need.
If you’ve got a particular scene in mind that you’d like to find quickly without manually searching, your options are limited. You’ll have to endlessly scroll and cross your fingers that it appears. And let’s not forget about the tedious task of sorting through all the captions for dialogue. A search bar to locate specific scenes or dialogues would be a fantastic addition, along with more filters to narrow down the results.
Missing Playable Characters
It’s amazing how diverse playable characters in Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO make each Transformation and arc distinct. With a total of 182 characters, it’s impressive yet puzzling that certain characters like Great Saiyaman 2 (alias Videl), Supreme Kai, Super 17, Pikkon, and several others who were part of Budokai Tenkaichi 3, are noticeably absent.
Additionally, you’ll find some intriguing, less anticipated characters in the various storylines, who unfortunately cannot be played at this moment. However, Spike Chunsoft has only revealed characters from the upcoming titles, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and Dragon Ball Daima, as of now. So, we might be in for a few exciting surprises in the future.
PC Issues
If you’re using a PC to play games built with Unreal Engine 5, you might have encountered hiccups during shader compilation which can affect gameplay smoothness. Overcoming that issue, there’s the limitation of capping the gameplay at 60 frames per second and the lack of support for Ultrawide displays. While it may be too much to ask for Ultrawide display compatibility from Bandai Namco or Spike Chunsoft, smooth performance at higher frame rates on PC should be standard.
As a gaming enthusiast, I’d like to clarify that the opinions shared within this piece are my own personal perspectives. They may not align with or be endorsed by GamingBolt as a collective entity, so please keep that in mind while reading.
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2024-10-14 13:44