Action Figures, Video Games, Comics, Toys, Superheroes, Wrestling — We've Got Game.
Bobby, Travis, and KJ are back to break down all the MCU and Disney+ Marvel Legends Reveals (What If? Spider-Man: No Way Home, Eternals, etc.), especially the leaked 20th Anniversary ToyBiz Captain America…
But this week’s meat and toy potatoes is our coverage of Walmart Collector Con, MezcoCon, and New York Comic-Con! Which event stood out in the toy world?
DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT (CyberConnect2/Bandai Namco – X1/PS4/PC – Early 2020) – After months of being kept a secret, Dragon Ball Project Z is now Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. But at least those in attendance at E3 this year were able to play it…
CyberConnect2’s action/RPG takes you through the familiar story of DBZ, set in a confined open world adventure. Despite a somewhat linear path, there is plenty of the map to explore, full of side missions that give Goku friends new and old — as in old like Master Roshi! — and activities, like fishing and hunting for z-orbs and.. dinosaurs. Kakarot also features an RPG level-up system and unique team-ups with other characters depending on the story mission.
In the 20-minute demo that I played, you team up with Piccolo to save Gohan from Goku’s effed-up brother, Radditz. Combat has a little bit of a learning curve, especially during the field-clearing final fight; but didn’t take long to be fun and fluid with plenty of techniques and special abilities at Goku’s disposal. Heaving ki blasts and rattling off melee strikes in flight was responsive. You are also able to give commands to Goku’s support characters, but not take full control of them, which I believe will be a feature added at a later date.
From the 15-minute demo, DBZ: Kakarot is already one of my most anticipated games of 2020. The anime visuals are gorgeous, the music is authentic and pulling out Goku’s super powers from the tension meter throws a satisfying Dragon Ball FighterZ level cinematic into battles.
So till we learn more at Anime Expo, stay tuned for the next episode of Dragon Ball Z Kakarot in early 2020!!! 4/5 Bibles.
-Artez Bailey
Dragon Ball Super: Broly has everything you could ask for in a Dragon Ball film. It even has great visuals, an element even the most diehard of Z-Fans had the right to bitch about in late episodes of Dragon Ball Super. The new flick has art sketches that come to life, feeling much grittier than the majority of DBS without losing the life of something current. In fact, many of the characters are presented with a great balance of classically detailed early-90s Dragon Ball Z and the looser, more contemporary visual style. Dragon Ball Creator and DBS: Broly scriptwriter Akira Toriyama should take note of the film’s astonishing “throwback” visuals for his next project moving forward.
Best of all, Tatsuya Nagamine‘s spiraling direction — in the spirit of the hyper-stylized art of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — is a pure eye-fuck. If you’re OK with a intergalactic comet shot of neon greens and thunderous yellows reigning down on your peepers while your dome tilts like a puppy teased by a delicious snack… this is the anime for you. However you felt about Dragon Ball Super‘s “Tournament of Power”, throw that all out. And it was pretty cool right? Well, Broly is a “Tournament of Power” Triple Threat Match on LSD. While continuing right where Episode 131 left off, it’s no spoiler to say that DBS: Broly‘s lengthy climax (nearly the final 2/3rds of the 1-hour and 41-minutes) is a staggering sci-fi handicap-scrap between Vegeta (AJ Styles) and Goku (John Cena) against Broly (“Brock Strowman”). Our favorite Saiyans certainly get these hands from this mega-beast, and the epic battle’s numerous highlights take Ultra Instinct to another dimension.
Before we get there, loyal Crunchyroll-binging weebs and Hot Topic-shopping casuals (mind you I’m a combination of both) will learn more about the Saiyan origins. It’s here where our sympathies will lie with Broly, the banished son of Paragus, a once loyal lieutenant to King Vegeta. Paragus is a maniac determined to make his boy a personal power project. Watching Broly fight this Old World way of thinking is just as enticing as the Godzilla-level of madness we see him fight through for the next 65-minutes. In another early thread, we see a partially retconned piece of Goku’s famed history. Born with Superman-like power levels and the knowledge of an anxious Frieza ready to blow up “Krypton”, we see Bardock give his baby the Kal-el treatment. Thankfully, these bits of early Kakarot and Prince Vegeta coincide nicely with Broly’s story, are easy on the eyes and pack plenty of heart.
Thrown in between the hyper-intense Saiyan battle scenes are lighter moments featuring kookie favorites Bulma, Whis, Beerus and, of course, Frieza and their chase for, what else, the Dragon Balls. But it’s the Frieza Force’s Cheelai and Lemo who are the unsung heroes of Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Much like your favorite Star Wars films, these “minor” characters add the right amount of grace-under-fire to keep Broly from being too “broey”. And while the tone of the movie is weighty and too much comedy could have made it cheesy, there’s one particular moment mid-battle involving Piccolo that should kick you in the pants. I can’t wait for you to see it.
And I can’t wait to see Dragon Ball Super: Broly again, too, ’cause subs-not-dubs, yo. 4.25/5 Manga Bibles.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly releases in theaters on January 16th. Get your tickets via Funimation.
“VEGETA” TRAVIS MOODY: This is the video game that made this geek god a saiyan weeb. Sure, I’ve always had a thing for Japanese culture (and it doesn’t hurt to have been a huge mark for New Japan Pro Wrestling for many many years, especially these last great few), but I was always a casual anime guy at best and an even further distant manga man. Cowboy Bebop, Full Metal Alchemist, Spirited Away, The Seven Deadly Sins, yadda yadda. Love ’em.. but I was always a very uber-cas’ Dragon Ball Z fan, only having watched random episodes of Super on Adult Swim. Enter Tuesday, July 13, over in downtown LA at E3 2017, when I first landed these four eyes on Dragon Ball FighterZ over at the Bandai Namco booth — and that’s the day everything changed. Anime now dominates my inner-geek as much as Marvel and Mario do, and this wonderfully stunning, engagingly hyperactive crossbreed contest between anime and video games has been #1 on my radar ever since…
“GOKU” CHRIS SAWIN: I second that last notion. DBFZ is something that is really fun to watch and interact with. Considered 2.5D, the easiest way to explain the game’s graphics is that it’s a mix between 2D and 3D animation; it looks cel shaded like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, except with more muscles and banana hair. This allows the fluid aspects of traditional animation to overcome the blocky and clunky aspects of 3D animation. You can choose up to three fighters to be on your team and who you choose results in different opening animations for each battle opening up endless possibilities of pre-battle animated interactions between all of your favorite characters.
TRAVIS MOODY: Now you can see why Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite was such a bummer to most people. While the fighter looked pretty good (although nothing close to as lovely as this), it lacked the 3v3 combat we loved from the previous gen’s Ultimate titles. Maybe that’s a good thing considering how poor the roster was. The Day One roster for DBFZ, on the other hand, is tremendous. Although it was a no-brainer to purchase the FighterZ Edition of the game for the “brotherly” pair of Super Saiyan God Super Saiyans and the 8 remaining DLC (who’ve yet TBD), I’d be just alright with the vanilla. Trying to pick 3 each time out for a contest isn’t easy, and the interactions you mention add so many layers to an already Super lengthy Story Mode. I really do feel like I’m watching and playing — particularly during those ever rare “Dramatic Finishes” — a full season of Dragon Ball Super.
CHRIS SAWIN: There’s a history behind this game longer than those 125 episodes of DBS you’ve watched, Moody. DBFZ is developed by Arc System Works, the video game developer responsible for the Guilty Gear series, BlazBlue, and DBZ: Supersonic Warriors for the Gameboy Advance. I should let the followers know that, yet while the move lists are altered slightly between characters, you can choose anyone and still have a basic idea of how to use them because they’re all pretty similar — except, of course, the Saiyans are stronger and level up faster than the human fighters. I find myself using Goku (duh), Gotenks, and Vegeta (or sometimes Gohan) being my go-to characters and Yamcha being incredibly fun to use as well. I love being able to swap any 3 of my fighters in and out at will to jump in and assist with ki blasts and other special moves almost whenever. While a much better game, sure, it takes the Marvel vs. Capcom formula and brings it into the world of Dragon Ball Z/Super.
TRAVIS MOODY: Yamcha? That guy’s like the Yoshi-Tatsui of Dragon Ball! Straight jobber status. And you can’t use Vegeta, Chris! You haven’t earned the right! “Heheh!” No surprise here that I adore the blue-clad (often blue-haired), savage Saiyan prince the most, but it was Krillin in Story Mode whose determined heart and undying will–my “clutch shooter”–that had me up leaping off my couch. Surprisingly, both Nappa and Majin Buu were a hell of a lot of fun to tag in and I tend to not like Zangief/Butterbean-sized characters in fighting games. And those Ginyu Force summons? My goodness.
As for MvC comparisons, I’d argue that DBFZ is an even more casual-friendly fighter; literally anyone can hop in, quickly learn the assists/tags and teleports/specials, smash some buttons (or press a simple trigger for an auto-combo, which thankfully like MvC: Infinite, is steadily depowered), and watch the screen explode. This one’s all about feeling the speed and power, unlike, say, the more tactically efficient space and timing of last year’s Injustice 2/Tekken 7. The signature sci-fi sound effects help characterize the action like a fight game version of pinball. E-sports pros will find the game an exhilarating enough challenge, too, with a wide assortment of regional lobbies to enter and multi-hit combos to master. One note: the only way to play DBFZ is to enter a lobby, even for Story Mode or local couch competition; but fear not, you can enter an offline lobby even when the others are shaky, full or Shaqtin’ a fool.
CHRIS SAWIN: Yeah, MoodZ, there isn’t really much of a downside to Dragon Ball FighterZ, but it feels like its potential with DLC may be greater than what we end up with. Dragon Ball Super fans will likely be clamoring for the likes of Jiren and Kefla (I could totally see Jaco being thrown in there), but honestly what’s a Dragon Ball game without Mr. Satan? There are consistent Saiyaman references, so that seems a likely character later on. I’m personally hoping for the likes of Broly, Janemba, Tapion, Hirudegarn, the entire Frieza family (King Cold, Cooler, Cyborg Frieza, Frost) Garlic Jr., Bardock, Turles, and or Raditz. If they really want to get creative, they should make a mini game in the vein of Metal Slug where you choose one of the Z fighters and you plow through multiple levels fighting off all the androids of the Red Ribbon Army. We can probably agree not to bring in junk from GT though, right? Vegeta’s pornstache is better left unseen.
TRAVIS MOODY: Good list, but what about my Hot Topic DLC Dream Team of Grimmjow (Bleach), Naruto, Saitama (One-Punch Man), Ryo Asuka (Devilman Crybaby), Natsu Dragneel (Fairy Tale), Inuyashiki, Monkey D. Luffy (One-Piece), Eren Yeager (Attack on Titan)? Never gonna happen — of course. But, if we had a Marvel vs. Capcom, a Street Fighter x Tekken, and a Mortal Kombat vs. The DCU, then why not? We’re starting to see a lot more crossover characters coming outta nowhere too (Hellboy, TMNT, Predator, Jason, etc.). Just something for our little weeby minds ponder.
(Cont…) As for the game itself, Dragon Ball FighterZ truly does have a lot for everyone: if you have online-play-phobia and don’t wanna be lynched by a bunch of 12-hrs-a-day-playin’ fuckbois who have no other hobbies but to “get gud”, you’re good. The single player campaign is almost too long; I’m 26+ hours into the original story at only 62% completion. Of the 3 made-for-game story sections offered, I’ve completed only Super Warrior and Enemy Warrior and even received a “rare achievement” for it! My biggest complaint about Story are the seemingly endless amount of tutorial “battles” in the opening act. While I’m thankful AF for its density, there’s no need for these tutorials–where opponents literally do nothing but stand/move like zombies–on the final map of the opening act. In fact, the CPU doesn’t really give much of a challenge until deep in the second act, post level-30. Still, boss battles can be a bitch (Android 21 is a kick-ass new addition to the franchise!) and cutscenes (many to which are optional) pack all the brilliant voice acting and zany humor we love about the anime, even breaking the 4th wall. 4.5/5 Cell Shaded Bibles.
CHRIS SAWIN: This is the most fun I’ve ever had with a Dragon Ball game. I tried Xenoverse and hated it and mostly stayed away from previous games due to poor reputations. DBFZ is a fighting game that’s entertaining for both fans and newcomers. It’s easily accessible yet has little throwbacks and homage to previous events (as Moody mentioned with “Dramatic Finishes”) that occurred in the universe Akira Toriyama has created and is visually stunning. Your wish has been granted; Dragon Ball Fighter Z is the incredible Dragon Ball game you’ve always wanted. 5/5 Candy Coated Buu Balls.