Dragon Ball Z for Kinect officially launched in North America this week for the Xbox 360 (and obviously it requires the Kinect add-on). Tons of folks have been asking lots of great questions, and very few of them have been comprehensively answered in one shot. That is where we come in! Below you will find a quick overview of some of the most frequently asked questions we have seen. Stay tuned — hopefully this weekend — for our full review of the game.

Is there an opening video? New theme song?
No. The game goes straight to the main menu, and does not even have an attract mode — it just sits there.

Which languages are included?
There is a default English language track and a selectable Japanese language track.

Do I need a Kinect to load the game? Even to watch Episode of Bardock?
Yes. The game will prompt you with a “This game requires a Kinect Sensor” message, though the game will continue to load through to the main menu in the background. Without plugging in a Kinect, you cannot actually access this menu.

Is Episode of Bardock available to watch immediately? Is it the full special?
Yes. The last menu option is “Special Movie”, which will immediately begin playing the special. It is the full 20 minute special, in high definition, complete with the ending credits (with no music) written in Japanese. Viewing the special does not unlock anything.

How are the subtitles on Episode of Bardock? Is there an English dub?
The subtitles are the expected mix of accurate translations mixed with the occasional English dub-isms (“Frieza”). “Chilled” is named properly as such. “Kuso” is translated as “Curses!” Episode of Bardock is presented exclusively in its original Japanese language subtitled in English. The subtitles are thin, white, and quasi-left-justified on screen a la Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans back on Raging Blast 2. For whatever reason, periods are still occasionally left off the end of sentences.

What do the QR codes included with the Goku hair hat unlock?
Super Saiyan Goku, Super Saiyan Trunks, Piccolo, Kaiō-Ken, and Guided Ki Blast.

Is this game really just Ultimate Blast/Tenkaichi repurposed with Kinect controls?
Yep. Pretty much. Same graphics, music, attack patterns, combos, etc.

Do the controls actually work?
Some better than others. For me so far, all of the basic moves (punches, ki blasts, etc.) have been working fine, but it completely fails to register my ki charging and bending forward/backward to dodge.

Is there any type of multiplayer?
No, there are no multiplayer modes either offline or online. There is only the single player story mode and single player score attack mode.

Is there any type of difficulty selection?
Yes. The game defaults to normal, but also includes easy and hard.

Do I have to wear the Goku hair hat while playing?
Yes. It is required by law.

Remember that this is just a quick look at the game and some of the most frequently asked questions leading up to its launch — it is not a full review. That is coming, though, both in written form and on the podcast. Stay tuned this week for more!