"Sparking! ZERO" Official Announcement & Pre-Release Discussion Thread

[IntangibleFancy]

Welp, September is our last chance before that three month gap until Jump Festa.

I can't tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but they have a mystery slot for TGS.
https://tgs2023.bandainamcoent.co.jp/online/#on_0923

[Bardock God of Time]

Welp, September is our last chance before that three month gap until Jump Festa.

I can't tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but they have a mystery slot for TGS.
https://tgs2023.bandainamcoent.co.jp/online/#on_0923

If not TGS, it could just always be a random social media post/youtube upload or a v-jump scan

Breakers was announced via a v-jump scan, I do think it's possible we'll get a logo for the game and a random screenshot of gameplay

[IntangibleFancy]

Welp, September is our last chance before that three month gap until Jump Festa.

I can't tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but they have a mystery slot for TGS.
https://tgs2023.bandainamcoent.co.jp/online/#on_0923

If not TGS, it could just always be a random social media post/youtube upload or a v-jump scan

Breakers was announced via a v-jump scan, I do think it's possible we'll get a logo for the game and a random screenshot of gameplay

My bet is either on Jump Festa or Battle Hour 2024. That TGS slot feels like it'd be something else. But I can't help but think Bandai knows a sizeable portion of people tuning into their TGS panel is only doing so for BT4. I remember reading the chats for both SGF and Gamescon and it was nothing but BT4 spam lol.

But it would be really funny that, after half a year or 9 months or even longer, the next shot we get of it is just a random page on Vjump.

[Bardock God of Time]

Welp, September is our last chance before that three month gap until Jump Festa.

I can't tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but they have a mystery slot for TGS.
https://tgs2023.bandainamcoent.co.jp/online/#on_0923

If not TGS, it could just always be a random social media post/youtube upload or a v-jump scan

Breakers was announced via a v-jump scan, I do think it's possible we'll get a logo for the game and a random screenshot of gameplay

My bet is either on Jump Festa or Battle Hour 2024. That TGS slot feels like it'd be something else. But I can't help but think Bandai knows a sizeable portion of people tuning into their TGS panel is only doing so for BT4. I remember reading the chats for both SGF and Gamescon and it was nothing but BT4 spam lol.

But it would be really funny that, after half a year or 9 months or even longer, the next shot we get of it is just a random page on Vjump.

If it does show up at TGS, there will probably be a page in the Vjump leaked before the event

[IntangibleFancy]

If not TGS, it could just always be a random social media post/youtube upload or a v-jump scan

Breakers was announced via a v-jump scan, I do think it's possible we'll get a logo for the game and a random screenshot of gameplay

My bet is either on Jump Festa or Battle Hour 2024. That TGS slot feels like it'd be something else. But I can't help but think Bandai knows a sizeable portion of people tuning into their TGS panel is only doing so for BT4. I remember reading the chats for both SGF and Gamescon and it was nothing but BT4 spam lol.

But it would be really funny that, after half a year or 9 months or even longer, the next shot we get of it is just a random page on Vjump.

If it does show up at TGS, there will probably be a page in the Vjump leaked before the event

And that's like on the 15th-19th right? Ifwe don't get anything on there, that'll at least save us the trouble of waiting until the 21st. Geez, Bandai really is committed on making us wait.

[MCDaveG]

I was browsing twitter and I found this (posted by Arecreeps)

Spoiler:

It basically says that BT4 was trademarked in 2021. They usually release their db games a year after trademarking them, yeah? What do you guys think went down with BT4? Now that I think about it, this whole thing is unusual lol. After 9/6 hits, it'll be the longest a recent DB game has gone without either news or an expansive teaser trailer.

Perhaps, but Blue's long dead by the time the world tournament arc happens. It could be Piano, but that still wouldn't account for the third character.

I very much agree. Outside of the anime thing back in 2019, I don't really follow him, but has he ever actually gotten something right? And what I mean by that is something that only someone with credible sources could have possibly known.

From what I've seen, every bit of info he's said is literally what most people thought was the case anyway, like he says a bunch of general info or if a leak drops he rushes to report on them so he can be first.

Yeah, but Sonny Strait voices Krillin, or not? I seen him in the credits and there is Krillin at 23rd Tournament.

Yeah, he voices 5 characters. Piano, Bardock, Blue, Krillin, and Giru. Dragon Ball and Fairy Tail are the only anime he voices up to or over 3 characters for, and Borderlands and the Dragon Ball games are the only games where he voices more than 2 characters.

That has me confused though, because if it's BT4, then the game should be ready enough for some news if it's getting a dub.

And that is precisely why I believe that he did voice work for Kakarot for it's recent DLC, voicing Krillin and fandom desperate for news was like: Wait! Sonny Strait is dubbing, it must be the new BT4!
Not saying he didn't, maybe he did, but as far as internet facts go, now it's taken kinda as a fact around the internet, while Kakarot's DLC quite shoots it down, unless proven otherwise.

[IntangibleFancy]

I was browsing twitter and I found this (posted by Arecreeps)

Spoiler:

It basically says that BT4 was trademarked in 2021. They usually release their db games a year after trademarking them, yeah? What do you guys think went down with BT4? Now that I think about it, this whole thing is unusual lol. After 9/6 hits, it'll be the longest a recent DB game has gone without either news or an expansive teaser trailer.

Yeah, but Sonny Strait voices Krillin, or not? I seen him in the credits and there is Krillin at 23rd Tournament.

Yeah, he voices 5 characters. Piano, Bardock, Blue, Krillin, and Giru. Dragon Ball and Fairy Tail are the only anime he voices up to or over 3 characters for, and Borderlands and the Dragon Ball games are the only games where he voices more than 2 characters.

That has me confused though, because if it's BT4, then the game should be ready enough for some news if it's getting a dub.

And that is precisely why I believe that he did voice work for Kakarot for it's recent DLC, voicing Krillin and fandom desperate for news was like: Wait! Sonny Strait is dubbing, it must be the new BT4!
Not saying he didn't, maybe he did, but as far as internet facts go, now it's taken kinda as a fact around the internet, while Kakarot's DLC quite shoots it down, unless proven otherwise.

I'd say about 4% of me is hoping this really is about Kakarot because it'd mean Geekdom was wrong (again), but it doesn't really matter because people are still going to believe him anyways the next time he talks about his "sources".

But I definitely don't think it'd be about Kakarot, because by the time he made that tiktok we already saw the trailer and a bunch of Vjumps for it so he shouldn't have to keep it a secret. And then there wasn't "a lot of screaming" and also he mentioned 3 characters but Blue and Piano (the other two characters he voices in early Dragon Ball) weren't present in this DLC.
---
My guess is that it's either for some Jump game they plan to do differently (Ussop, Kuro Sensei, Krillin, Joker, etc) or he's re-dubbing BT3 lines.

[Gt91]

A few more days and we will probably have a new trailer!

[IntangibleFancy]

A few more days and we will probably have a new trailer!

there’s still that one mystery slot so who knows. But it’s an hour long right?

[Bardock God of Time]

A few more days and we will probably have a new trailer!

there’s still that one mystery slot so who knows. But it’s an hour long right?

yep, it could always be two different games being revealed, bt4 and some other anime game

[IntangibleFancy]

A few more days and we will probably have a new trailer!

there’s still that one mystery slot so who knows. But it’s an hour long right?

yep, it could always be two different games being revealed, bt4 and some other anime game

And if we don't get anything there then there'll be a 3 month wait until Jump Festa, And then a 2 month, 2 week wait until Battle Hour. At this point I feel like it was a total mistake announcing it so early. We don't even have an official name.

Like it got us hyped for-sure, but after May it's just becoming a series of us getting our hopes up and Bandai dashing them and at this point it feels like they're willing to show off and push every anime game except BT4. Even Spy X Family has a game now.

If they really do make us wait a year for more news then I'm expecting the biggest, most ambitious Dragon Ball game ever.

[Bardock God of Time]

there’s still that one mystery slot so who knows. But it’s an hour long right?

yep, it could always be two different games being revealed, bt4 and some other anime game

And if we don't get anything there then there'll be a 3 month wait until Jump Festa, And then a 2 month, 2 week wait until Battle Hour. At this point I feel like it was a total mistake announcing it so early. We don't even have an official name.

Like it got us hyped for-sure, but after May it's just becoming a series of us getting our hopes up and Bandai dashing them and at this point it feels like they're willing to show off and push every anime game except BT4. Even Spy X Family has a game now.

If they really do make us wait a year for more news then I'm expecting the biggest, most ambitious Dragon Ball game ever.

Like I'd be willing to wait a few more years for this game if it makes it a fantastic dragon ball game

[Vegetto95]

Like I'd be willing to wait a few more years for this game if it makes it a fantastic dragon ball game

To be honest, I'm pretty worried about the game because, in all likelihood, the new Sparking! ("Budokai Tenkaichi") will be developed by Spike Chunsoft, considering that the original three were developed by Spike (before they merged with Chunsoft in 2012). And the thing is... Spike Chunsoft has noooooot exactly had a stellar record developing anime arena fighters in recent memory. J-Stars Victory VS in 2014/15, One Piece: Burning Blood in 2016, Jump Force in 2019, One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows in 2020... all anime arena fighters, and all COMPLETELY garbage games.

Yeah, sure, Sparking! NEO and METEOR were pretty decent (the first one was AWFUL though), though SEVERELY overrated by the fandom. They're pretty basic fighters and do get repetitive and stale pretty quickly, but they're still mostly enjoyable mindless fun and a whole heckuva lot better than Spike Chunsoft's recent anime arena fighter offerings. However, I just can't see them going back to a system that was used on games put out all the way back in 2006 and 2007, three entire console generations ago, using an INCREDIBLY outdated engine, rather than building on what they've done for much more recent hardware and software in order to make a NEW game in 2023.

Plus, let's not forget that, while they also developed the decently fun Dragon Ball: Tag VS ("Tenkaichi Tag Team") for the PSP, they also developed both Raging Blast games, which weren't bad per se, but were definitely severe downgrades of the Sparking! gameplay... and they developed Ultimate Blast ("Ultimate Tenkaichi") and Dragon Ball Z for Kinect, which, well... I don't suspect I need to explain the GINORMOUS flaws of those utter abominations to this community lmao

But who knows? Maybe it'll surprise me and actually be great and blow those other four more recent games out of the water in terms of gameplay quality. But... the best way to predict the future is usually to judge it by the past, and Spike Chunsoft's most recent past in terms of games similar to Sparking! iiiiis... not great. Like, at all. So forgive me if I don't exactly have high hopes for this.

But hey... we don't even have confirmation as to the developer yet, so it might not be Spike Chunsoft. However, the chance that it WON'T be them is pretty unlikely I feel, as it would make sense for Tōei and Bandai Namco to go back to previous DB game developers, as it's something they've done VERY frequently in the past, not just with Spike as mentioned before (in total they've developed EIGHT Dragon Ball games so far, starting in 2005), but also with Arc System Works (three since 2005) and most noticeably with Dimps (ELEVEN since 2002).

Hell, that was the case back in the 80s and 90s as well with the Japanese-only games, as Bec developed a total of four between 1994 and 1996, coming back to do another in 2007, and TOSE developed a whopping TWENTY-ONE Dragon Ball games between 1986 and 2003 (almost EVERY Dragon Ball game made during the original run of the anime between 1986 and 1997 was made by them, and... a loooooot of them sucked...). So again, best way to predict the future...

[Xeogran]

J-Stars Victory VS in 2014/15,

J-Stars Victory VS is a really fun game, I completely disagree with your take on it. It's Jump Force that sucks ass.
The first one actually puts effort into presenting the characters, stages, the menu fitting to their respective series. It's clear it was a game made with passion.

BT1 wasn't awful either, they had to start off somewhere and lay off the ground. There are still even some things that BT1 does better than 2 and 3.

You're being far too negative about everything in your post.

[Vegetto95]

J-Stars Victory VS in 2014/15,

J-Stars Victory VS is a really fun game, I completely disagree with your take on it. It's Jump Force that sucks ass.
The first one actually puts effort into presenting the characters, stages, the menu fitting to their respective series. It's clear it was a game made with passion.

BT1 wasn't awful either, they had to start off somewhere and lay off the ground. There are still even some things that BT1 does better than 2 and 3.

You're being far too negative about everything in your post.

Eh, that's pretty subjective, really. I tried replaying J-Stars pretty recently after having not touched it in years, and I had honestly forgotten how awful the gameplay design was. And I do have vivid memories of quite a few people (justifiably) trashing the game when it first came out back in 2014/2015, it generally wasn't really received much better at the time than it's pseudo-sequel Jump Force was several years later. The game is clearly designed SPECIFICALLY for multiplayer, 2-on-2 combat (and even then, the matches tend to be complete chaos, and not in a good way), as the game just kinda completely fucking falls apart when playing 1-on-1 (fighting 1-on-1, the game is UNBEARABLY slow, clunky, janky, etc.), which incidentally is the gameplay style focus of Jump Force, One Piece: Burning Blood, and One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows, which I noticed you didn't mention whatseover. I've played them... and they're awful. They're just as horribly slow, clunky, and janky as their forebear, and the vast majority of people I've seen talking about them (ESPECIALLY in the case of the OPM game, Spike Chunsoft's most recent) agree with me 100%.

So even IF we admit that J-Stars is a fun game (just gonna have to agree to disagree there)... that game was first released all the way back in 2014, almost an entire decade ago. And all of the anime arena fighters that Spike Chunsoft has released since then have not not exactly been so good (again, you agreed with me on Jump Force and didn't say anything about OP and OPM, soooo... what's really your objection?)

The actual combat system in the first Sparking! is... not good. I'm sorry, it's just not. It's, again... slooow and clunky, and going back and playing it after playing NEO and especially METEOR ("Budokai Tenkaichi" 2 and 3) is a HUGE eye-opener to just how much they improved on it. And again, that's really not even relevant anyway since that's the first game in the series from 2005 and probably the last thing that will influence the upcoming fourth title.

Notice how my critiques are of the gameplay of these games, which is the most important aspect of a video game. I can recognize fanservice and roster size and cute menu design and all those other things you brought up, but unless the gameplay is good, none of those other things truly matter. The gameplay is the cake, everything else is the icing. That's why, for example, I can't get into a movie and enjoy it if the story and screenplay suck; even if the acting, special effects, cinematography, etc. are all great. The writing is the foundation everything else is built upon, just like the gameplay is with a game. And Spike Chunsoft has not exactly impressed me or anyone else I've seen with their ability in recent years to lay that foundation in a way that doesn't cause everything to completely crumble on top of it. So yeah... because of all that, I'm cautiously optimistic AT BEST about the new Sparking! game.

[FortuneSSJ]

TGS is starting. It would be cool if we get something in the next days.

[IntangibleFancy]

TGS is starting. It would be cool if we get something in the next days.

Their lineup was already revealed and the mystery spot turned out to be this Retro-Game-Challenge panel. No BT4 until either Jump Festa or Battle Hour 2024.

Counting TGS, that's been 6 opportunities to drop more info plus the near-7 months of Vjump. Honestly, I think they should have waited until Summer Games Fest or E3 to reveal it. Maybe they'd have more to show off.

[Bardock God of Time]

TGS is starting. It would be cool if we get something in the next days.

Their lineup was already revealed and the mystery spot turned out to be this Retro-Game-Challenge panel. No BT4 until either Jump Festa or Battle Hour 2024.

Counting TGS, that's been 6 opportunities to drop more info plus the near-7 months of Vjump. Honestly, I think they should have waited until Summer Games Fest or E3 to reveal it. Maybe they'd have more to show off.

I feel like the Dragon Ball panel next month is a good place too, I mean Bandai Namco did retweet it after all

Anime reveal and bt4 trailer?

[IntangibleFancy]

TGS is starting. It would be cool if we get something in the next days.

Their lineup was already revealed and the mystery spot turned out to be this Retro-Game-Challenge panel. No BT4 until either Jump Festa or Battle Hour 2024.

Counting TGS, that's been 6 opportunities to drop more info plus the near-7 months of Vjump. Honestly, I think they should have waited until Summer Games Fest or E3 to reveal it. Maybe they'd have more to show off.

I feel like the Dragon Ball panel next month is a good place too, I mean Bandai Namco did retweet it after all

Anime reveal and bt4 trailer?

Wouldn't Bamco be in the panel if it was game related, though? They were for the other DB games that have been at comic con.

Also, was it specified that there was more than one thing going to be revealed at the panel?

[IntangibleFancy]

Do you guys think we'll get some BT4 news at NYCC?