After 17 years, we’re finally getting a new instalment in the beloved Budokai Tenkaichi franchise with Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. For a certain age of Dragon Ball fan, the Budokai Tenkaichi series are the peak of anime-inspired fighting games, which let you live out the epic battles from Akira Toriyama’s iconic series with fast-paced, high-energy gameplay and a huge character roster (personally, Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is my favourite).
But, like we said, it’s been a while – Budokai Tenkaichi 3 was released back in 2007 for the PS2. There have been plenty of Dragon Ball fighting games released since then as well, to varying degrees of quality and success, including the Xenoverse series, Kakarot and Fighterz – the latter of which is the new gold standard for Dragon Ball fighting games.
So when Sparking Zero was announced last year, it was a welcome surprise. If you didn’t know, the Budokai Tenkaichi series is known as Dragon Ball: Sparking in Japan, so this new instalment is the first entry to maintain it’s original name internationally. In other words, Zero is more or less Budokai Tenkaichi 4, in everything but name.
Staying true to the previous entries, Sparking Zero boasts a massive roster of 164 characters, along with a few familiar gameplay modes. There’s Episode Battle which will let you play through the stories of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super as various characters. Similar to previous Budokai Tenkaichi games, certain stages will also give you the option to diverge from the canon story events to create what-if scenarios. There’s also the Custom Battle mode, which as its name suggests, will let you create unique fight scenarios by tweaking difficulty levels, victory conditions and other settings.
Local split-screen multiplayer is available, because it wouldn’t be a Budokai Tenkaichi game if you and your mates aren’t screaming at each other from opposite ends of your couch. However, it’s limited to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber stage only, which is pretty disappointing. Still, this is shaping up to be one of the most hyped releases of 2024.
Here’s everywhere you can preorder Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero for cheap ahead of its release in October.
Where can you get Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero for cheap?
The physical console version of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is set to retail for $119.95 in Australia, but you can pick it up for $99 if you preorder it through Big W or Mighty Ape. After that, the next cheapest prices from from Amazon Australia and The Gamesmen, which are offering the title for $109.95.
There are Deluxe and Ultimate editions of the game, but these are only available digitally through the Microsfot and PlayStation stores. With the Deluxe Edition, you’ll score a Season Pass, three days Early Access, an exclusive new character, and an early unlock for six characters. The Ultimate Edition includes all of this, plus the Ultimate Upgrade Pack and the Ultimate Edition Bonus, the latter of which will let you summon Super Shenron.
Here’s where you can preorder a cheap copy of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero in Australia:
- Big W: $99 (PS5 | Xbox)
- Mighty Ape: $99 (PS5 | Xbox)
- Amazon Australia: $109.95 (PS5 | Xbox) + free shipping
- The Gamesmen: $109.95 (PS5 | Xbox)
- JB Hi-Fi: $114 (PS5 | Xbox)
- Microsoft Store: $114.95 (Standard) | $159.95 (Deluxe) | $179.95 (Ultimate)
- PlayStation Store: $114.95 (Standard) | $159.95 (Deluxe) | $179.95 (Ultimate)
- EB Games: $119.95 (PS5 | Xbox)
If you’re a PC gamer, here’s where you can buy Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero:
- Fanatical: $94.15 (Standard) | $133.75 (Deluxe) | $147.83 (Ultimate)
- Steam: $99.95 (Standard) | $144.95 (Deluxe) | $159.95 (Ultimate)
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero will be released in Australia on October 11 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Image: Bandi Namco
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