What was the worst era of DB video games?

Hellspawn28 · Post by **Hellspawn28** » Fri May 19, 2023 3:42 pm

For me, I feel like the seventh generation of Dragon Ball games was the worst (2008-2015). The 5th and 6th console generation of DB games had some stinkers, but I felt like the quality of these games was starting to drop after the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube era. By 2008, people were showing signs of losing interest, and the games were being viewed as bargain bin titles. No one was taking the DB brand seriously in the world of video games. Burst Limit was divisive with people; you either liked it or hated it. The Raging Blast games felt like watered-down versions of the Sparking games and were never a big hit either. Ultimate Tenkachi/Blast did try to win people back to DB games with a create a character mode, new animated cut scenes of classic moments, a story mode similar to Dragon Universe in B3, and a decent-sized roaster. Unfortunately the game ended up being a total hot mess.

The gameplay was boring and reptitive. Not to mention, the character creation mode was super limited. In Japan, they had no DB game for 2 1/2 years until Battle of Z (We don't talk about DBZ For Kinect). Battle of Z didn't win many people over either. I remember it wasn't the team fighting game that people wanted. Many were already hating on it before it came out. We finally end this generation with Xenoverse 1. While it wasn't a great game, but it did help renewal interest in DB games again. With it coming out during the hype of ROF and having a character creation mode probably help it sold well. The game selling well did help create Figtherz which is the biggest DB game in ages.

Kazuya Mishima · Post by **Kazuya Mishima** » Fri May 19, 2023 9:12 pm

I only got started with the PS2 era. So I can only speak from the PS2, PS3 and PS4 eras.

And yeah the PS3 era was absolutely the worst. It just didn't offer anything new.

They sort of hit a "peak" of sorts with Tenkaichi 3, it was a arena style fighting game that had been improved on by the third game, it covered the whole series and had all the characters and that's really all people wanted at the time.

The PS3 era games all just kept trying to do the same thing again. Burst Limit was a good game for what it was but it was really just a remake of Budokai 1, it was better but after Budokai 3 it all felt stripped down again.

Raging Blast 1 and 2 tried to emulate Tenkaichi 3 but because they had to start all over with that it was just mostly the same thing but with less characters but it just looked better. Raging Blast 2 didn't even have a story mode so was a waste of time.

Ultimate Tenkaichi again tried to emulate Tenkaichi 3 but despite the name that was a lesser version of what came before. Had a shoddy character creation that was completely forgettable and a waste of time.

Battle of Z I didn't even bother with. Looked like more of the same yet again. The selling point was that it had a couple characters from Battle of God's that was it.

So it wasn't until Xenoverse did things turn around. Not that that was that good of a game either but between the "MMO" type gameplay it had with the character customisation and the online hub and the somewhat "original" story it was the most interesting one they'd made in years.

Fans aren't missing anything not having any of those PS3 era games. After Tenkaichi 3 the next one worth getting for a fan was Xenoverse 2.

Hellspawn28 · Post by **Hellspawn28** » Sat May 20, 2023 12:19 am

Sparking 3 felt like the peak of DB game hype. You did had people that felt like it was starting to look the same as the other two games did, but I did felt like it got more media attention than the later generation did. I still remember getting RB1 for 30% when I first got it back in 2009 for the 360 on day 1. I'm going to bet that Gamestop probably didn't want them and need to sell them somehow.

Kazuya Mishima · Post by **Kazuya Mishima** » Sat May 20, 2023 12:22 pm

I remember Burst Limit getting adverts and stuff. After that not so much.

After Tenkaichi 3 the sales all dropped off. They sold like 500,000 to 1 million copies or so.

sunsetshimmer · Post by **sunsetshimmer** » Sun May 21, 2023 6:40 pm

I'd say the worst era was the one there were no DB games being produced and that was after "DB Final Bout". It was released shortly before GT ended in Japan and since there was nothing new from DB they completely stopped making any DB games until first Budokai was released 5 years later.

Trouser · Post by **Trouser** » Sun May 21, 2023 7:04 pm

I say... right now? FighterZ was a nice change of pace but it was created for a specific group of players/fans. Xenoverse was a rip-off of Dragon Ball Online to some extent, the gameplay was dull and the character creation was very limited. Kakarot had BIG potential, but it was wasted on boring, repetitive missions with open but empty world. The Breakers was... I dunno what was the purpose of it? I bet they wanted to shake things up a bit but it backfired with twice the power.

ATA · Post by **ATA** » Mon May 22, 2023 1:35 am

Trouser wrote: Sun May 21, 2023 7:04 pm I say... right now? FighterZ was a nice change of pace but it was created for a specific group of players/fans. Xenoverse was a rip-off of Dragon Ball Online to some extent, the gameplay was dull and the character creation was very limited. Kakarot had BIG potential, but it was wasted on boring, repetitive missions with open but empty world. The Breakers was... I dunno what was the purpose of it? I bet they wanted to shake things up a bit but it backfired with twice the power.

I can't agree with "Now" being the worst. From 2009-2014 we had Dragonball Evolution, Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi, Dragon Ball Z: For Kinect, and Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z. PS3 era for Dragon Ball was horrific. Raging Blast 1 and 2 were discounted Tenkaichi games but still fun. Not fun enough to overcome the games I listed above though. It wasn't till Xenoverse that DB games got they shit together

Yuji · Post by **Yuji** » Mon May 22, 2023 6:25 am

I'll stand by the Raging Blast games (RB1: 2009; RB2: 2010) being much superior versions of the Budokai Tenkaichi games in terms of gameplay and would have been loved by most fans if the character count matched their spiritual ancestor. Tenkaichi Tag Team (2010) also released in this period providing a new spin on the gameplay style. Burst Limit (2008), Infinite World (2008), and Shin Budokai 2 (2007) are all just outright improvements on Budokai 3. You also had Attack of the Saiyans on the DS (2009) and Revenge of Daimao (2009) on the Wii and Dragon Ball Online which also released in 2010, and this game if anything else would come to inspire all the extended universe lore and continuities, so 2008-2010 was hardly a bad time to be a Dragon Ball videogame fan.

I'd say whatever the hell happened between Raging Blast 2 and Xenoverse, so the 2010-2015 time period. Outside of the Budokai HD collection (2012) which had its controversy for not including 2 and changing the soundtrack, there was nothing good on console nor on mobile. Kinect, Ultimate Tenkaichi and Battle of Z, that's it, all thoroughly unimpressive games I don't think most people willingly revisit. I thought Fusions and Extreme Butouden would have been released in this period but nope, they were released in 2016 and 2015 respectively, already into the Xenoverse era. So there was almost a drought of good games between 2010 and 2015, unless you'd like to count Zenkai Battle Royale in 2011 which has good reviews but most people never had the ability to play, or if anyone genuinely likes the Heroes games from this period.

WittyUsername · Post by **WittyUsername** » Wed May 24, 2023 9:29 pm

The problem with the Raging Blast games at the end of the day is that they tried to turn the Tenkaichi model into a more deep fighter, but it ultimately felt like it missed the point of why the Tenkaichi games were popular. People loved BT3 because it felt like the perfect DBZ emulator. It wasn’t at all concerned about balance. As TeamFourStar said, it was a giant virtual toy box that allowed you to pit Dragon Ball characters of practically every era of the franchise against each other.

In comparison, the Raging Blast games do have a more complex fighting system that gives you more options to choose from, but the combat is slower and less flashy, and the roster is exclusive to the Z era. The simple fact is that if people wanted a more competitive fighting game, they’d just play a 2D fighter.

90sDBZ · Post by **90sDBZ** » Fri May 26, 2023 7:53 am

I agree the PS3/360 era was really weak compared to the PS2 era. Technically they overlapped, as Burst Limit came our before Infinite World. I actually prefer the latter to the former, although Burst Limit wasn't bad.

I had fun with Raging Blast 1 despite it being a watered down BT3, as it did enough different to still be fun, and had a solid story mode. Raging Blast 2 is when I really started to feel DB game fatigue, as the gameplay felt stiffer than the first to me, and it didn't really add much besides characters and lacked a story mode.

I only briefly played Ultimate Tenkaichi years later, and I wasn't a fan. Clearly they were running out of ideas at this point. I played the demo of Battle of Z once, and didn't bother getting the full game.

The big saving grace for the 7th gen was the Budokai HD collection. I played the hell out of it despite the music changes.

Xenoverse 1 honestly felt like a big turning point for the franchise. I don't think it's a great game, but it was decent, and I had a lot of fun with it for a few weeks. It was what the franchise needed, and I'm glad it sold well.

I felt Xenoverse 2 was actually a lot better, due to the gameplay improvements, increased roster, side quests, and added customization options. I don't go back to it that much, but I still had lots of fun for a few weeks.

Then FighterZ came along and knocked it out the park. It's a contender for GOAT, although I still love the Budokai series.

Kakarot was fine for what it was.

JustAlex1997 · Post by **JustAlex1997** » Sat Jun 03, 2023 9:22 pm

Yeah, it's the 7th gen for me too. When Raging Blast released, it led to a lot of stagnation. The 8th gen was a huge improvement for me thanks to its variety.

Thanos · Post by **Thanos** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:21 am

2011-2014 was downright awful. It truly felt like they were actually starting to wrap up actually making Dragon Ball games, after Ultimate Blast/Tenkaichi, for Kinect, the lame HD Collection and Battle of Z. My interest in the series was largely supported by the games, and as a consequence it’s no surprise my interest in the series was at an all-time low during this time. Thankfully, the movies, Super, and Xenoverse were around the corner to dig the fandom out of this dark period.

I don’t think anyone could have imagined the series’ most successful entries were still ahead, and their success probably guarantees an indefinite (albeit less frequent than in the 2000’s) release cycle until the sales actually fall into the toilet.

sangofe · Post by **sangofe** » Fri Jun 09, 2023 2:05 am

Must have been between the time of Ultimate Battle 22 until Dragon Ball Z Budokai, simply because only Dragon Ball: Final Bout was released in this period.

Envy · Post by **Envy** » Fri Jun 09, 2023 6:08 pm

Yeah, probably the same era. I didn't get any DB games in between Tenkaichi 3 and Xenoverse, which I believe is very close to the time range you gave. (I know Xenoverse came out in 2015. I got Tenkaichi 3 in 2008 but suspect it came out before then).

But I also haven't played any DB games from before the original Budokai so I can't speak on this much.

Super Saiyan Zach · Post by **Super Saiyan Zach** » Mon Jun 19, 2023 6:23 pm

I can only speak for the PS2 to today. I will definitely say that the PS3/360 era was the worst. While I enjoyed Burst Limit & RB1/2, they were definitely not as good as their PS2 counterparts. Then everything just got worse with UT to BoZ. Luckily, they have changed course for the better starting with XV1. Budokai HD Collection was the last DBZ game I got until XV1 released. While I have no interest in Kakarot or Breakers, at least they have been successes sales-wise (at least Kakarot has but Breakers is cheaper and probably didn't cost too much to make).

I feel like things are only gonna get better with a new Budokai Tenkaichi on the way!

ObnoxiousNamek · Post by **ObnoxiousNamek** » Fri Jun 30, 2023 1:19 pm

Its unpopular opinion but id say now is shaping up to be the worst era. It started off okay with hits like XV2 & Fighterz but then they completely dropped the ball (

) with nonsense like the heroes game for switch, kakarot, dbs card game, *shudders* the godawful breakers game which is a worse game than Taiketsu. Sure the PS3/360 era had 4 terrible games but this era already has 4 with potentially 1 incoming.

Also its funny how the heavy criticism against Kakarot re-hashing the same story with slight changes with the side missions ala "what ifs" is suddenly vanished when that new tenkaichi game was announced when you all know its gonna be the same song and dance.

sangofe · Post by **sangofe** » Sun Jul 02, 2023 12:14 am

ObnoxiousNamek wrote: Fri Jun 30, 2023 1:19 pm Its unpopular opinion but id say now is shaping up to be the worst era. It started off okay with hits like XV2 & Fighterz but then they completely dropped the ball ( ) with nonsense like the heroes game for switch, kakarot, dbs card game, *shudders* the godawful breakers game which is a worse game than Taiketsu. Sure the PS3/360 era had 4 terrible games but this era already has 4 with potentially 1 incoming.

Also its funny how the heavy criticism against Kakarot re-hashing the same story with slight changes with the side missions ala "what ifs" is suddenly vanished when that new tenkaichi game was announced when you all know its gonna be the same song and dance.

Dude, you know that there were several years without a single game after final bout and dbz Budokai 1?

Bardock God of Time · Post by **Bardock God of Time** » Sat Jul 08, 2023 4:38 pm

Ultimate Tenkaichi era (2011-2014)

Starting with Ultimate Tenkaichi & DBZ for Kinect, one was a massive QTE and the other was exhausting. I'd rather play Mel B Kinect than DBZ for Kinect. Flailing your arms gets tiring, I'd rather do an actual workout.

Budokai 1 & 3 HD had a horrible OST replacement.

Battle of Z has lots of nostalgia for me but it just wasn't a good game, each character only had one combo string. The gameplay gets repetitive fast.

funrush · Post by **funrush** » Mon Jul 17, 2023 4:00 am

Probably PS3/360 era, lots of games but few of them stuck with me.

PS2/GC/XBOX/GBA era was a total mixed bag but I feel positively about it overall. Some really great stuff (Budokai series, Tenkaichi series, LOG2/Buu's Fury, Supersonic Warriors, Super DBZ) but also a good amount of garbage (LOG1, Taiketsu, Sagas, TCG on GBA)

I get why it may be tempting to say now because of the relative lack of new games, but I think Fighterz is by far the best DBZ fighting game and Kakarot was a very enjoyable action RPG. Plus, Tenkaichi 4 on the horizon!

nato25 · Post by **nato25** » Sun Jul 23, 2023 2:27 am

Yeah it definitely felt like we have been in another renaissance since what I agree is the worst period of Dragon Ball Games probably beginning with Raging Blast 1 and ending with Battle of Z (which had some charm but is still rather meh)

With Tenkaichi 4 on the horizon and hopefully a Xenoverse 3 and new season of fighterz, alongside kakarot I think this has been the most fun I've gotten out of dragon ball games since the PS2 era. My first game was ultimate battle 22 and I feel that game is super bad, even back then.

Kanzenshuu

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