Games @lemmy.world simple @lemm.ee 1mo ago

Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero | Review Thread

Game Information

Game Title: Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero

Platforms:

Xbox Series X/S (Oct 10, 2024)
PlayStation 5 (Oct 10, 2024)
PC (Oct 10, 2024)

Trailers:

Developer: Spike Chunsoft

Publisher: Bandai Namco

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 84 average - 89% recommended - 27 reviews

Critic Reviews

8Bit/Digi - Stan Rezaee - 9 / 10

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is more than just a fighting game adaption, it’s a love letter to the iconic shōnen.

Checkpoint Gaming - Victor Tan - 8 / 10

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero captures the fighting experience of the franchise better than the previous fighting games. The graphics are amazing and hold up to the intense movements. Several opportunities to play online and offline mean there's always something to do and an opponent to test your mettle against. There are some combat kinks to work out and some features only appeal to the hardcore fanbase. But for anyone who has an interest in Dragon Ball, this is a game you must have.

ComingSoon.net - Tyler Treese - 9 / 10

Developer Spike Chunsoft hasn’t missed a beat and has delivered the best game yet in the Sparking! series.

FandomWire - Osama Farooq - 10 / 10

Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero truly is the ultimate Dragon Ball experience in gaming, helping the franchise take the modern current-gen leap and marking a triumphant comeback for Budokai Tenkaichi that will be remembered for a very long time.

Game Rant - Liam Ferguson - 8 / 10

It has some rough spots, but as a love letter to this franchise's heyday, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero hits hard where it counts.

Gamer Guides - Callum Self - 83 / 100

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is an excellent Dragon Ball game that delivers plenty of deliciously intense arena fights, with a great amount of content too. It feels familiar yet remarkable, but the performance issues are problems that need to be quickly rectified.

MonsterVine - Spencer Legacy - 5 / 5

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is an incredible comeback for the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The roster is packed, the gameplay is satisfying, and the breadth of content is impressive, to say the least. This is the Dragon Ball game so many have been waiting for, and I can’t wait to see what content we get throughout the game’s assuredly long life.

Press Start - Matthew Zimmari - 8.5 / 10

Picking right up where it left off with Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a return to form and a celebration of everything Dragon Ball. Reinvigorated with characters and transformations from Dragon Ball Super as well as your favourites from Dragon Ball Z, the game feels both brand new and classic as it brings fast-paced action and eye-popping graphics into the new generation. While some players may be frustrated or overwhelmed with the learning curve of the controls, the rewards lie in mastering your favourite characters, and crafting an experience that blends your imagination and classic Dragon Ball.

Pro Game Guides - Austin Manchester - 4.5 / 5

Featuring over 180 characters, limitless replay potential, and bombastic battle mechanics, Sparking! Zero is not only one of the year’s best games, but one of the best Dragon Ball games ever released.

Siliconera - Joel Couture - 8 / 10

I was pleasantly surprised with Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. It looks spectacular in motion and really captures the scope of the franchise’s wild fights. With its many counters, fast movements, explosive field effects, and incredible blast moves, it makes you feel like you’re fighting for your life against relentless enemies.

TechRaptor - Robert Scarpinito - 8.5 / 10

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is the ultimate Dragon Ball sandbox, giving you all the tools needed to satisfy your wild imagination. Filled with iconic fights, flashy animations, and delightful easter eggs, it's arguably the final form of Dragon Ball arena fighters.

The Nerd Stash - Julio La Pine - 9 / 10

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is not only the best fighting game of the series but also the best Dragon Ball game we've had in years. With a huge roster, top-notch visuals, and impactful combat, it will be hard for new and old players to put the controller down.

The Outerhaven Productions - Scott Adams - 4.5 / 5

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero evolves the Budokai Tenkaichi series into the modern era of gaming: Faster-paced fights, and more dynamic than it has ever felt before.

TheGamer - George Foster - 4.5 / 5

Its smart evolution of Budokai Tenkaichi’s combat, stacked and detailed roster, and near-endless amount of modes and features make it one of the best Dragon Ball games of all time and one that’s going to be nearly impossible to Toppo.

WellPlayed - Mark Isaacson - 8 / 10

As Dragon Ball games go, Sparking! Zero stands as one of the better translations of what it feels like to be a super powered hero, Goku or otherwise. It's not for everyone, but with a great set of modes and roster of characters, fans should find plenty to enjoy.

XboxEra - Genghis Husameddin - 8 / 10

DRAGON BALL Sparking! ZERO is a great 3D arena fighter. It’s got a sizeable roster, huge maps, and a fun combat system that I quite a bit of mileage out of over the weekend. A clumsy user interface and only one splitscreen map does suck the life out of the party a bit, but there’s still a great game here for Dragon Ball fans and arena fighter enthusiasts. ∎

2 comments

I have no interest in playing this game myself, but I've been watching a streamer go thorugh the story mode. The combat is whatever, probably good enough if you like this type of game. The story between all the fights is told absolutely horribly though. Lots of stuff just gets skipped over or mentioned in a single picture. Like suddenly Goku is Super Saiyan God, with no explanation or a character is dead.
- I guess this means it’s fan service and doesn’t intend to tell the stories to a new audience which is fair