Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has disappeared from the Xbox store. Some fans say that they've been unable to access the store page for a few days now, with no explanation as to why it's been taken down.
24.03.2024 - 13:25 / thegamer.com
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's official website has been updated with an age rating from the ESRB, which supports the idea that it might launch in 2024.
Ever since it was announced that Dragon Ball fans would finally be getting their wish to Shenron granted with a new Budokai Tenkaichi game, there's been one big question on everyone's mind - when will it launch? That's sadly something that's been hard to gauge, as there have been multiple rumours suggesting it could be released in 2024 or, more depressingly, be saved until next year.
Although the official Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero trailers and website have usually been incredibly unhelpful at determining when we'll get our hands on the game (that Wishlist Now message will be the bane of my existence until we know the proper date), that's finally changed following the release of the most recent trailer.
As pointed out by Twitter user janemba8000, the official website for Sparking Zero has been updated to include an official age rating from the ESRB, which reveals that the game will be rated T for Teen. That's very standard for a Dragon Ball game and nothing super noteworthy, but the fact it's been given an age rating is a good sign for the game launching this year.
Up until now, Sparking Zero has been shown with a "Rating Pending" from the ESRB, but the fact that it's been given one indicates that it's mostly content complete, or at least that the developers are sure of what's going to be in the game and have submitted it for review. We still don't know where it's at in its development cycle, but the rating does seem to hint that it's in a good place and isn't too far from launching.
The ESRB rating also indicates that Sparking Zero will feature "Blood" on its characters, which could just refer to the battle damage that we've already seen plenty of, but could also hint at less censorship for moments like Goku taking a Special Beam Cannon to the chest.
That doesn't mean that Sparking Zero is going to be released in the next few months like some fans are hoping, but it does at least make 2024 seem more likely than 2025. My personal guess is that we'll either see it launch in October like every other Budokai Tenkaichi game, or in November for Dragon Ball's 40th anniversary.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has disappeared from the Xbox store. Some fans say that they've been unable to access the store page for a few days now, with no explanation as to why it's been taken down.
The action-packed matches of can end spectacularly, but the most hype comes from activating a Dramatic Finisher to end a game. When you get a K.O. on your opponent and meet certain conditions, you can trigger a cutscene to play referencing an iconic moment from the anime series. From Goku's first defeat of Frieza on Namek to Yamcha's unfortunate demise, there are many Finishers to see.
The developers of Dragon Ball FighterZ have stated a big fix will be coming to the game to address the issues introduced with its new rollback netcode. Near the end of February, a new update for Dragon Ball FighterZ added rollback netcode to almost all versions of the game, with the Switch version being the only exception. Dragon Ball FighterZ's PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions were released the same day as this update. While the rollback netcode was meant to improve the online environment of Dragon Ball FighterZ, fans have found the update has broken the game instead.
The past five years have been great for anime and gaming fans when it comes to theme parks. First, in March 2021, the Nintendo World part of Universal Studios Japan opened, welcoming fans of Mario and more into a fun playground. Then, in November 2022, the Studio Ghibli theme park opened, letting fans of the beautiful movies step inside of them and experience them firsthand. Nintendo World is in Osaka, Japan, while the Studio Ghibli park in Aichi, Japan.
17 years ago, Akira Toriyama provided art for the cult classic Xbox 360 JRPG Blue Dragon, and after the Dragon Ball creator's death, Microsoft is paying tribute with a piece of dynamic background art for modern Xbox consoles.
The latest trailer for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has seemingly confirmed that certain characters won't be able to fly, which was the case in previous Budokai Tenkaichi games.
Some fans believe that the classic movie version of Broly could be included alongside his revamped canon version in the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero roster. Shockwaves were sent throughout the DBZ gaming fandom when a new Budokai Tenkaichi sequel was announced during The Game Awards 2023, and since then Bandai Namco has been slowly revealing which iconic heroes and villains will be returning in the upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. There has been plenty of new Dragon Ball material released since 2007’s Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, and Sparking Zero has already confirmed content from the more recent Dragon Ball Super anime.
Some recent updates made by Bandai Namco have suggested a possible release date for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero will be announced soon. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero was officially announced during The Game Awards 2023 event, and Bandai Namco has been giving fans a steady stream of information about the game throughout 2024. These include a small portion of Sparking Zero's enormous playable roster, the gameplay mechanics, and some of the transformations for characters like Goku and Vegeta. While an official release date hasn't been given yet, some evidence has suggested it may be soon, such as the game's rating.
Dragon Ball Sparkling! Zero has secured an ESRB rating, leading to hopes the game is content-complete and we'll get a formal release date soon.
A recent update to the official Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero website hints that we could see the classic Dragon Ball Z version of Broly as a playable fighter on the roster.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has made some big visual changes to Goku's Super Saiyan God form, although fans seem a little mixed on whether it's for the better.
Dragon Ball Z fans think that the latest trailer for Sparking Zero has confirmed that What-If battles will be returning from Budokai Tenkaichi and Raging Blast.