DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO

My biggest issue with the game is the huge lack of impacts, i'm talking about every punch, kick, they don't look nor sound painful like in BT3 and especially super/ultimate attacks, while graphically beautiful they lack impact, and also lack the huge dome like explosions like in the anime. Doesn't have that Dragon Ball Z feeling to it(BT2 and BT3 had it)

I’ve loved Dragon Ball since I was a kid. I still remember watching the episodes on TV, waiting for the next fight, the next transformation, it was a huge part of my childhood. And when it comes to games, I spent a lot of time playing Budokai Tenkaichi 3 on the PS2 with my little brother, cousins, and even my dad. Those were some of the best gaming moments I had growing up. So playing Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO feels like going back to those times again. The game itself is amazing and really captures that classic Tenkaichi feeling. The combat is fast, flashy, and full of those over-the-top Dragon Ball moments. Seeing all the characters, transformations, and special attacks is pure nostalgia and fan service done right. But the game has some big issues. The biggest one is that it feels dead. There aren’t many people playing, so online can feel empty. It basically turned into one of those “play with friends at home” type of games, which is fun, but not ideal for a game at this price. Another problem is the meta. Everyone just uses the same strong characters, which makes matches feel repetitive and kind of boring after a while. It takes away a lot of the variety and fun you’d expect from a Dragon Ball game with such a big roster. Overall, Sparking! ZERO is an amazing game for Dragon Ball fans and a huge nostalgia trip. It really made me remember those days playing with my family. But the lack of players and the repetitive meta hold it back more than they should.

2010 was the year I was born. I wasn't able to experience the greatness that was the original Budokai Tenkaichi series as a kid. I played FighterZ, Kakarot, and Xenoverse 2, all amazing games in their own right. Dragon Ball Sparking ZERO is an amazing game that I'm very happy I got to experience. It's combat is so fun and mechanically skillful it beats Xenoverse's system with ease, and it's so much more fun and refreshing than FighterZ's. The characters in this game is so satiating compared to the base rosters of Xenoverse 2 and FighterZ characters from every (Toei) corner of Dragon Ball, the animes and the movies. It's amazing. It's content is probably the only place where this game lacks. The game modes given aren't as intuitive and satiating as they should be, the Episode battle mode is great and the what if scenarios are cool but a lot of them are way too difficult for the reward given. Not only this but it's just a png story mode, with select fights from the arcs with cutscenes that are shown super sparingly. Xenoverse 2's story was a lot better in the sense of cinematics and flow. Kakarot was obviously supposed to be super detailed in its story but Sparking Zero could've taken that and ran with it. I love this game for what it is, and what it could have been, this isn't the perfect Dragon Ball game ever, but it definitely comes close. As one who's been a Dragon ball fan for the majority of my life, this is a great love letter to the fans and people who like well thought out and fun fighting games.