Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero Reviews
Sparking! Zero is everything Dragon Ball fans will have wanted, but it's also just a blast for those unbothered by its extensive fan-service.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a final flash from the past, sometimes to a fault, but the feeling of traveling back to a simpler time when games didn’t have to be balanced or competitive to be fun is still a good one.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is the best Dragon Ball game we've had since the PS2 and a generous love letter to Toriyama's classic series.
It has some rough spots, but as a love letter to this franchise's heyday, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero hits hard where it counts.
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.
Intentionally prioritizing flashy fanservice over competitive play, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero provides the most complete series toybox yet. But, with simple enemy AI and repetitive fighting mechanics, it lacks the depth of its more serious competition to the point of becoming rote.
The frenetic fighting Dragon Ball fans expect is here, but it's marred by an overall shallow experience with more repetition than revolution.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a game that many fans have wanted for fifteen years, and while it was delivered to us, it does feel like it is lacking in some areas. There are issues with the camera and combat at times, but the game is still fun, flashy and over the top like fans deserve. Fans may also find newer stories missing somewhat frustrating, with some story arcs missing at launch or otherwise unavailable until a further date. Out of the box, this is still a solid game with a huge cast of characters and a ton of optional content available to the player. This was made for the fans of Dragon Ball and might not end up being for everyone.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is a wonderful and unique fighting game that fans will love, but it takes a lot of dedication to learn how to play.
Dragon Ball: SPARKING! Zero is the video game that all Budokai Tenkaichi fans wished for. Visually its battles are stunning, and it plays at a pace that can be as frantic as a Dragon Ball battle from the anime. There's also a bunch of characters and game modes that will keep it alive for quite some time, especially the Custom Battle mode. Sadly, the Story Mode is quite lacking. It has some good ideas but they are executed pretty badly. There's clearly some unfulfilled potential there.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
As a modern successor and sequel to the classic PS2 era Budokai Tenkaichi trilogy, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a great time for Dragon Ball fans. You'll have to ease yourself into the controls, but once it clicks it's a lot of fun to explore the full roster and smash anime characters together.
The Dragon Ball experience reaches a new level with this game. Spectacular on its surface and deep when we delve into it, it is a dream come true for fans.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero delivers thrilling fights, but its disjointed story mode doesn't hold up its end of the bargain.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is undeniably one of the best games based on Akira Toriyama's series. With an engaging story mode that includes intriguing what-if scenarios, a combat system that's easy to learn but challenging to master, a massive character roster, and impressive attention to detail, Spike Chunsoft has created a must-have for Dragon Ball fans. If you've ever wanted to be Goku and scream your heart out before unleashing secret techniques, this is the game for you.
There are definite issues with gameplay and overall presentation, but between how much it refines the work of its predecessors and every stellar new addition to the gameplay, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is an excellent addition to the Budokai Tenkaichi franchise that more than justifies the long wait for its release. Whether someone grew up with the older games or is jumping into the style for the first time, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero will be plenty of fun to play, and it’s bound to go down as one of the best Dragon Ball games of all time.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is an impressively robust celebration of all things Dragon Ball. It's just about as bombastic as arena fighters get, and while the game could do a much better job of teaching players the ropes, there's a technical depth to combat that makes the learning curve feel incredibly rewarding. Boasting a colossal character roster and some of the best anime-based visuals in gaming, Sparking! Zero is an absolute blast.
I’m having so much fun with Sparking Zero. It’s essentially everything I want in a Dragon Ball game. There’s more than enough content to keep you busy at launch, but it’s exciting to think about what Spike Chunsoft will add down the road.
Dragon Ball Sparking Zero! is truly the Budokai Tenkaichi 4 fans were waiting for. There are some UX issues and the lack of cross-play is a bummer (as for the split screen local versus available only in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber), but really, who can complain about the game overall?
Review in Italian | Read full review
If you’re looking for the technical depth of a Street Fighter or a Virtua Fighter, this is not the game for you. Instead, what “Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero” does is serve up a fun fighting game that emulates the over-the-top action of Akira Toriyama’s magnum opus. In that sense, the game is akin to a wish come true for fans after amassing seven Dragon Balls in their hands.
Dragon Ball Sparking Zero is a worthy heir to the Budokai Tenkaichi genre, because it offers us spectacular clashes, based on a "manageable depth" and suitable for players of all abilities.
Review in Italian | Read full review