Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero

Even after playing Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero with a massive grin on my face for more than 50 hours, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of everything that it has to offer and still have so many more battles and events to make my way through.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero does a serviceable job instant-transmissioning the Budokai Tenkaichi format into the modern age. However, a lot of the pitfalls of that former era--lack of variety in the control scheme, shallow gameplay, limited mode selection--have also made the journey through the decade-plus hiatus. The core fighting experience is fun and exciting, and it looks terrific in motion, but repetition sets in quickly.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is the new benchmark for Dragon Ball games. It captures the magic of the original Tenkaichi games perfectly, while the fresh approach to the well-worn story and its deep roster of characters serve as the ultimate celebration of Akira Toriyama's classic (at least for now).

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. Akira Toriyama would be proud.

Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is the ultimate 3D fighting experience for Dragon Ball fans, boasting an impressive roster of 181 characters and exhilarating combat that stays faithful to the anime. While the single-player story mode has its highs and lows, the diverse gameplay mechanics, what-if scenarios, and multiplayer modes make this a must-play for any fan of the franchise.