Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero

Dragon Ball Sparking Zero is an outstanding achievement from studio Spike Chunsoft. You can feel their love and reverence for the series in every aspect. It includes nearly everything I could hope for in a Budokai Tenkaichi follow-up, with beautiful graphics and excellent gameplay.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is the ultimate Dragon Ball sandbox, giving you all the tools needed to satisfy your wild imagination. Filled with iconic fights, flashy animations, and delightful easter eggs, it's arguably the final form of Dragon Ball arena fighters.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is an excellent Dragon Ball game that delivers plenty of deliciously intense arena fights, with a great amount of content too. It feels familiar yet remarkable, but the performance issues are problems that need to be quickly rectified.

With its huge roster of fighters, thrilling combat system and satisfying selection of modes, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a must-have for fans of the franchise. Newcomers are likely to enjoy it, too, though they might find themselves a little lost when tackling its story-driven Episode Battle mode.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is my favorite Dragon Ball game I have ever played, and with the Engine.ini fix, it is an essential Steam Deck game.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO isn't perfect, with Episode Battle falling somewhat short in its ambitions, but it's an excellent recreation of the series' power fantasy.

Sparking! Zero is everything Dragon Ball fans will have wanted, but it's also just a blast for those unbothered by its extensive fan-service.

There’s no denying that developer Spike Chunsoft was under pressure to deliver with Sparking Zero, but instead of backing down from the challenge, they rose to the occasion to create the best Dragon Ball game in years.

It’s been an incredibly long wait, but this series is arguably more super than ever on the current generation of hardware. Goku’s 3D battles with his friends (and enemies) look stunning, the roster is stacked with an updated cast, there are seemingly limitless match-ups, and the combat feels great, even if it might be a bit simple for some players. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero may just be the ‘ultra instinct’ entry fans have always wished for.

Close to two decades after its release, beloved PS2 arena fighter Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 has been handed a sequel in all but name. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a throwback of epic proportions — the kind of all-out, franchise-encompassing brawler that's been sorely missed beyond the Naruto Ninja Storm series.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a game that many fans have wanted for fifteen years, and while it was delivered to us, it does feel like it is lacking in some areas. There are issues with the camera and combat at times, but the game is still fun, flashy and over the top like fans deserve. Fans may also find newer stories missing somewhat frustrating, with some story arcs missing at launch or otherwise unavailable until a further date. Out of the box, this is still a solid game with a huge cast of characters and a ton of optional content available to the player. This was made for the fans of Dra...

“Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero delivers thrilling fights, but its disjointed story mode doesn't hold up its end of the bargain.”