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

[tinlunlau]

The story mode fights are easily cheesable by charging to Sparking mode, spamming the Sparking combo and then an Ultimate when the meter is nearly empty. Rinse and repeat. Doing this almost always triggers the alternate conditions. This happens so much that I usually need to lower the difficulty to easy in order to follow the regular story path.

I used to spam sparking combos in the older games but it doesn't exactly work that way in Sparking Zero since charging up takes a longer time than usual.

[Mr Baggins]

Holy shit, High-Speed Dragon Dash changes the whole flow of combat. I'm not even playing this online yet and it already makes a huge difference. So smooth.

DLC when?

[Scsigs]

1 thing I hope they fix is a bug where in the story mode, you have a chance of not getting the normal paths. It happened to me twice in Goku's story mode (haven't played the others yet) where I couldn't get the true path with Jeice. I kept getting Burter by beating him. Then with Jiren, I was only able to get the alternate ending where Goku actually beat him & got the wish rather than 17. The only way I was able to fix it was switching to the easier difficulty, which locks you out of the alternate paths by default. This is something I've seen other people run into as well. It's really dumb.

[FortuneSSJ]

Seems like they fixed the character selection menu and added all stages to local multiplayer.
Props to the team. I was already wondering if we would've have to wait for a sequel to get that.

[Saimaroimaru]

Seems like they fixed the character selection menu and added all stages to local multiplayer.
Props to the team. I was already wondering if we would've have to wait for a sequel to get that.

If they follow the Xenoverse 2 model, Sparking Zero will pretty much be it. Kind of wish they gave us the card games but with Zenoverse 2 level of support.

[Raki]

I hope that story mode expansions are a part of DLC going forward. This game feels like BT1 in terms of launch content.

[MCDaveG]

My only branch left is to get the super dragon balls with Jiren. That’s probably the only one confusing to me.

I had some trouble with Vegeta not getting brainwashed, as it took me some time to figure out that I need to get this alternative through the fight with Trunks before, but finishing the episodes with Jiren is quite the conundrum. I get only that other alternate when beating the climactic battle fast.

[Bardock God of Time]

I hope that story mode expansions are a part of DLC going forward. This game feels like BT1 in terms of launch content.

I hope we get story DLC for Superhero, even if it's just a few fights

Piccolo, Gohan and maybe Gamma 2 getting stories

I also hope that the stories are separate from Piccolo & Gohan's base game stories because just in case you end up having your savefile corrupted, you can still play the new stories.

A what if that would be cool is if Cell Max was completed, could be part of Gamma 2's what if scenario. Gamma 1&2 beat Piccolo and eventually Gohan. Cell Max ends up being completed and has intelligence, he can talk.

Goku, Vegeta and Broly come back and go into their max forms. Gamma 1&2 fight them but finally realize they're the bad guys (after defeating them) and have to beat the stronger Cell Max.

[MCDaveG]

I really hope they will include more content into the base game besides the characters.
I really like the game as it is what I wanted from DB sim and was missing in XV series…
I will get the DLCs, but if they will improve on the game significantly, they can have all my money…
Otherwise the novelty will die out fast.
I am still in the game to cheese through getting dragon balls so I can get Dragon Orbs for the last Jiren episode, but have no idea what to do afterwards.

Some movie episodes would be nice as well, or something.
I hope we won’t get more bonus/customs instead.
The characters and interactions are fun, but when not playing Episodes, the game feels like Mugen.
Garlic Jr. Missing his small base form etc.
It feels like some characters and mainly the Super series got lot of love and the rest is tossed there “at the last minute”.


After the recent gameplay updates, I have high hopes that they listen to fans and I wish they will support the game for as long as the others.

[Koitsukai]

I think adding more stages would go a long way. I'm already a little bored with the few we got, an Ice Stage, Kami's place, Beerus' planet, maybe some Stratosphere stage or Planet Vegeta. I guess something from Daima is coming this way, and probably something from SH too.

[jedinewell]

I think adding more stages would go a long way. I'm already a little bored with the few we got, an Ice Stage, Kami's place, Beerus' planet, maybe some Stratosphere stage or Planet Vegeta. I guess something from Daima is coming this way, and probably something from SH too.

Yeah, the lack of stages is really getting boring. I’m also very surprised that there’s no “Tournament of Destroyers” stage considering that there’s a mode for it. Also seems like wasted potential for Episode Battle not having a stage for that.

[mecha3000]

I hope that story mode expansions are a part of DLC going forward. This game feels like BT1 in terms of launch content.

Exactly how I feel about the game. Once you beat the story and unlock all the characters, it kind of feels empty. Honestly, there's more replay value in the older games like Raging Blast or even Tenkaichi 3. That's why I think there should definitely be a SPARKING! OMEGA sequel or something that can improve on what the game was lacking. Like others have said, it feels like the game was rushed to coincide with Daima, which is understandable. Still, if a new anime does come after Daima, then I do think a sequel is likely. The game sold 3 million copies, right? Probably more than that by now. So, I don't think Spike will focus on DLC for this game for longer than 2025. By 2026, if we do have a new anime (like a Super 2.0 or whatever), I think Spike will reuse and improve on the assets they have available and fast-track a SPARKING! ZERO sequel for late 2026 or 2027.

I could be wrong, but look at Xenoverse and Xenoverse 2. Xenoverse was sucessful so they made a sequel and now Xenoverse 2 has gone on for almost TEN YEARS, believe it or not! I think a SPARKING! ZERO sequel can become the new Xenoverse 2 and be vastly superior to the first game and last as long as Xenoverse 2. And with the first game focusing mainly on Daima and Super Hero DLC, I think the sequel should release whenever a new anime returns and adapt that content (like the Moro, Granolah, and Black Frieza arcs?).

[omegalucas]

Why would you want a sequel when the game just came out? We're not in the 2000-2010s anymore. Honestly I'd rather they updated this one (free game modes and maps) and added DLC (for characters) instead of forcing us to buy a whole new game to get a couple new modes and a few new characters...

[WittyUsername]

I’m struggling to imagine what new content a sequel would even include that won’t already be covered by DLC.

[Xeogran]

I’m struggling to imagine what new content a sequel would even include that won’t already be covered by DLC.

For now we don't know if the DLC will contain:
1. New Stages
2. New Story Scenarios
3. New Modes
4. Missing BT3 characters.

Xenoverse got a sequel despite also getting a few DLC packs first, so nothing is out of possibility yet.

[Rinsankajugin]

I still don't understand why anyone would want a sequel, at least THIS SOON. The last update overhauled the game quite a bit, so it wouldn't surprise me if future updates and DLC would add more stuff aside from just characters. There are files in the game right now that point towards more stages as well as almost every BT3 rep returning, and if I remember correctly, one of the earlier builds of the game had moveset customization that was taken out for some unknown reason:


It really wouldn't surprise me if a lot of that stuff got added in eventually, no sequel required.

[mecha3000]

I’m struggling to imagine what new content a sequel would even include that won’t already be covered by DLC.

For now we don't know if the DLC will contain:
1. New Stages
2. New Story Scenarios
3. New Modes
4. Missing BT3 characters.

Xenoverse got a sequel despite also getting a few DLC packs first, so nothing is out of possibility yet.

EXACTLY. And to me, SPARKING! ZERO has a few problems that make it an imperfect game (problems that a sequel could fix at its launch). First of all, characters like Vegeta and Piccolo's story modes end at the Boo arc despite some others going all the way to the Tournament of Power arc. The story mode only covers Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, almost leaving it open for a sequel to cover more content like Dragon Ball GT and the movies. The main menu and character select UI is overly complicated and a sequel could make it more in line with the original Budokai Tenkaichi games. The music, GOD the music is so bland and generic. Apparently, the original Tenkaichi 2 and 3 composer came back for a few tracks, but I can only think of one that sounds like it came from him: Counterattack. Some of the character models look a little off from the anime (or like Kid Goku, don't even reflect his usual appearance), another thing a sequel could fix.

Also, the game was released with an inferior version before the patches. And I get it. They obviously wanted it to release with Daima, which was smart business sense. But I just like others have said, this game feels like Tenkaichi 1, which is not bad, but people never revisit that game. They revisit Tenkaichi 2 and ESPECIALLY 3.

And I know we're not in the 2000s-2010s anymore. I think I even brought up something similar to that in my last post. But nonetheless, Xenoverse came out in 2015 and was immediately followed up with Xenoverse 2 in 2016. And which game is the one that has lasted almost ten years now? That's my point. All I'm saying is Zero was massively successful (I think the most successful Dragon Ball game). So, it's not out of the realm of possibility that we'll get a sequel. Also, doesn't Call of Duty get a game every year even though we're not in the 2000s-2010s anymore?

And with 2025 being the year of Daima and Super Hero DLC, I don't really see Zero getting more DLC beyond this year. I could be wrong and maybe extra story and characters will come in the form of DLC for Zero. But if the Super anime (or whatever) returns next year, it would be perfect timing to capitalize on the success of Zero and get a sequel ready for 2026/2027 or something. They already have the assets available, so it won't be too hard to transfer all that to a new game too.

I also don't get why people feel like it's such a chore to buy a new game versus just getting force fed endless DLC that needs to be paid for anyway. Either a lot of you guys are WAY younger than me and don't remember the old PS2 games or just don't want to remember. One thing I like about Zero is that a lot of the characters were unlocked in game rather than needing to buy them. Like the good old days. That's why I prefer a sequel rather than just needing to keep paying for DLC (which I know is happening for Zero this year anyway, I admit). A sequel can vastly improve and build on the first game. The first game just getting endless DLC is just an excuse to not really improve things, in my opinion. Sorry if a lot of this is nitpicking, but this is just how I feel.

EDIT: Oh, and unlike Tenkaichi 3, the game modes are so lackluster and the replay value just isn't there. Another thing a sequel can fix.

[ShadowVezon]

and if I remember correctly, one of the earlier builds of the game had moveset customization that was taken out for some unknown reason:

Technique Settings just allows you to disable specific techniques, they took it out of the main battle modes because it's useless outside of custom battles.

[tinlunlau]

Finally received the Japanese physical copy after ordering it back in the beginning of November. Canada Post strike got in the way, I know. But the problem is, I bought the digital copy as well and I bought the preorder dlc that comes along with the game. So should I sell or should I keep the physical copy? And if I do keep it, who here with the Japanese version wants a free dlc code? I believe it comes with extra characters like Goku (mini) and variations of Gogeta and Broly?

Also noticed it says on the cover that the preorder dlc code lasts until Oct 9th, 2025.

[DarkPrince_92]

The PC version has been keeping this game alive for me. I've been uploading mod video showcases nonstop since the game dropped. Peep:

A new fav:


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... UIjduba9RX

I do agree some fresh new content would keep the ball the rolling. I've been waiting on all those custom items and costumes for characters to make an appearance. I do hope they fix more of the gameplay, old bugs were fixed but now we have other problems. I haven't been fighting online in a while.