Dragon Ball FighterZ 2018
Log Status
Completed
Playing
Backlog
Wishlist
Rating
Time Played
--
Days in Journal
1 day
Last played
January 14, 2019
Platforms Played
GOTY 2018 - NUMBER SEVEN
Video version
I never look forward to this. Having to talk about why a fighting game is good. It’s nice then that I can deflect on something else here – This is an anime license. Let’s talk about Dragon Ball.
In the west, Dragon Ball Z is pure dork stuff. It’s embarrassing to be into it. To the layman, it’s dumbguy anime at its purest – muscley screaming guys constantly shooting energy beams through massively stretched out fights, and the stakes are irrelevant thanks to the existence of cure-all magical wishes and boundless physical limitations. To anime fans, it’s something you’re supposed to grow out of. Cheap, commercial, shallow pandering to sell toys. It’s something I love though.
JRPG fans will know, from Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger, that there’s a real charm to Akira Toriyama’s work, and if you watch (or preferably, read) Dragon Ball from the start, you’ll appreciate that. The early stuff blends old-world Chinese folk stories with farcical sci-fi concepts, incredibly detailed vehicles and monsters, robots and ancient demons threatening the lives of dusty old men and talking animals. Z relentlessly raises the stakes at every opportunity, with massive plot twists and baddies who can blow up planets with minimal effort. It laughs at the notion of jumping the shark. Dragon Ball Z gets on the shark and rides it through space. It’s something I’ve got tremendous affection for.
Dragon Ball FighterZ might be best videogame adaptation ever made. Not only does it capture the intensity and limitless boundaries of the series’ fights, it contextualises them within the structure of a fighting game so solid it rivals Street Fighter. I also like the controversial implementation of characters from the newer Super series, as I really like Beerus. Sadly, it also features some of the last voice work from the late Hiromi Tsuru, who played Bulma – A character who’s been with the series from the start. I’m just glad her work could be captured by such a good product.
The game is beautiful, building on the engine Arc System Works developed for Guilty Gear Xrd. In regular gameplay, the character models pass for high-quality sprites, with animation focused on cool key frames and high impact movement. The occasional camera shifts reveal that each character is actually a full cel shaded 3D model though, and the engine lends itself to wild super moves that recreate Akira Toriyama’s memorable framing and poses. I don’t think there’s been a better looking anime game, and the talent behind its design means the visuals shine even on the Switch.
FighterZ implements ideas from Dragon Ball Z in its mechanics. You can charge ki, launch characters into the air, warp behind them, lock into fast-paced fist-fights and of course fire off big kamehamehas and do-donpas. Each character’s fighting style has been carefully considered for their utility and distinctiveness, meaning even canonically weak characters like Yamcha, Tien and Nappa have appeal within a roster that includes Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Hit.
Maybe the most crucial Dragon Ball element in the game is its pace. There’s few fighting games as fast as FighterZ, and it feels all the more fun and rewarding for it. Breaking combos with well-timed counters and warps, and juggling opponents into your attacks doesn’t only feel exciting, but true to the imagination and wit that underlies the series’ fights.
I’ve played my fair share of Dragon Ball games in my time, but this is the first one that I’d recommend regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of the original property. Goldeneye was a good laugh in multiplayer, the old 16-bit Disney games were often terrific, but Dragonball FighterZ feels worthy of the scene that’s formed around it. It’s also getting new people to discover the classic series, which might be the mark of a great game license. Dragon Ball is a series as old as the Famicom, but it’s taken this long to make a game that really let fans feel like they were part of its fights. I hope Arc Sytem Works and Bandai Namco support it for a long time. Long enough to get Taopaipai in there, certainly.
Video version
I never look forward to this. Having to talk about why a fighting game is good. It’s nice then that I can deflect on something else here – This is an anime license. Let’s talk about Dragon Ball.
In the west, Dragon Ball Z is pure dork stuff. It’s embarrassing to be into it. To the layman, it’s dumbguy anime at its purest – muscley screaming guys constantly shooting energy beams through massively stretched out fights, and the stakes are irrelevant thanks to the existence of cure-all magical wishes and boundless physical limitations. To anime fans, it’s something you’re supposed to grow out of. Cheap, commercial, shallow pandering to sell toys. It’s something I love though.
JRPG fans will know, from Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger, that there’s a real charm to Akira Toriyama’s work, and if you watch (or preferably, read) Dragon Ball from the start, you’ll appreciate that. The early stuff blends old-world Chinese folk stories with farcical sci-fi concepts, incredibly detailed vehicles and monsters, robots and ancient demons threatening the lives of dusty old men and talking animals. Z relentlessly raises the stakes at every opportunity, with massive plot twists and baddies who can blow up planets with minimal effort. It laughs at the notion of jumping the shark. Dragon Ball Z gets on the shark and rides it through space. It’s something I’ve got tremendous affection for.
Dragon Ball FighterZ might be best videogame adaptation ever made. Not only does it capture the intensity and limitless boundaries of the series’ fights, it contextualises them within the structure of a fighting game so solid it rivals Street Fighter. I also like the controversial implementation of characters from the newer Super series, as I really like Beerus. Sadly, it also features some of the last voice work from the late Hiromi Tsuru, who played Bulma – A character who’s been with the series from the start. I’m just glad her work could be captured by such a good product.
The game is beautiful, building on the engine Arc System Works developed for Guilty Gear Xrd. In regular gameplay, the character models pass for high-quality sprites, with animation focused on cool key frames and high impact movement. The occasional camera shifts reveal that each character is actually a full cel shaded 3D model though, and the engine lends itself to wild super moves that recreate Akira Toriyama’s memorable framing and poses. I don’t think there’s been a better looking anime game, and the talent behind its design means the visuals shine even on the Switch.
FighterZ implements ideas from Dragon Ball Z in its mechanics. You can charge ki, launch characters into the air, warp behind them, lock into fast-paced fist-fights and of course fire off big kamehamehas and do-donpas. Each character’s fighting style has been carefully considered for their utility and distinctiveness, meaning even canonically weak characters like Yamcha, Tien and Nappa have appeal within a roster that includes Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Hit.
Maybe the most crucial Dragon Ball element in the game is its pace. There’s few fighting games as fast as FighterZ, and it feels all the more fun and rewarding for it. Breaking combos with well-timed counters and warps, and juggling opponents into your attacks doesn’t only feel exciting, but true to the imagination and wit that underlies the series’ fights.
I’ve played my fair share of Dragon Ball games in my time, but this is the first one that I’d recommend regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of the original property. Goldeneye was a good laugh in multiplayer, the old 16-bit Disney games were often terrific, but Dragonball FighterZ feels worthy of the scene that’s formed around it. It’s also getting new people to discover the classic series, which might be the mark of a great game license. Dragon Ball is a series as old as the Famicom, but it’s taken this long to make a game that really let fans feel like they were part of its fights. I hope Arc Sytem Works and Bandai Namco support it for a long time. Long enough to get Taopaipai in there, certainly.