DB: Budokai losing to tenkaichi is one of biggest tragedies to the series

[Seekeroftruth]

DB: Budokai series



One of the most promising DB series out there, with a complex and diverse fighting game system that was very meticulous to each character's personality and had tons of Easter eggs that gave homage to the original manga/anime. The game series was truly a master piece, whose only fault was it had limited character roster and it's constant charging system.



It ultimately lost out to quantity in the form of DB: Tenkaichi series character roster size, who used deceptive tactics like counting each individual character transformation as a unique character when marketing the game. In addition, the developers on Tenkaichi series made the gameplay rather generic, with many characters all having the exact same animation/movement. Character graphics and attacks were also heavily downgraded and generic to facilitate for the heavy character roster models. Overall, its gameplay quality was worse but fans didn't care because it had tons of characters and let them explore many what if scenarios.





Overall, the success of Tenkaichi over budokai resulted in a domino effect in which all subsequent DB games (e.g. DB Xenoverse and DB: Legends) were modelled after the tenkaichi fighting system rather than the budokai base system.

[Yuji]

Did it "lose", though? The arena fighters are more common, but we've received our fair share of 2D fighters since Budokai 3: Infinite World, Shin Budokai, Burst Limit and of course FighterZ which is actually a competitive fighting game that should be getting a sequel any time soon.

Both genres can and do coexist.

[LightBing]

The release strategy for Dragon Ball video games is what condemned the Budokai games.
We went from Budokai to Budokai 3 in just three years. By that time the latter already used most of the material and perfected the formula.
Tenkaichi suffered from the same, it was easier however to promise more characters by introducing Freeza soldier nº3 and what have you.

As for the trend set, I feel it's only natural. Xenoverse main appeal isn't even being an arena fighter. The model also changed we have two Xenoverses, if this was the 2000s we would be in Xenoverse 6 or 7 by now.

I share the sentiment that Budokai was a great series, Budokai 3 was a masterpiece and my favorite Dragon Ball ever. I bet a Budokai 4 would sell like hot cakes.

Did it "lose", though? The arena fighters are more common, but we've received our fair share of 2D fighters since Budokai 3: Infinite World, Shin Budokai, Burst Limit and of course FighterZ which is actually a competitive fighting game that should be getting a sequel any time soon.

Both genres can and do coexist.

The Budokai games weren't 2D but 3D.
I agree that FighterZ already fills the gap for a more traditional fighter. Asking for more might be too much.

[90sDBZ]

I've always liked Budokai more than Tenkaichi, but both were awesome in their own way during the great PS2 era. 2002-2008 was a great time to be a DB gamer, with the majority of the games being solid.

I remember being really pleasantly surprised when Infinite World got announced in 2008. We'd had 3 years of Tenkaichi, and it felt fitting for the last game on PS2 to be a Budokai sequel.

Both Budokai 3 and Tenkaichi 3 get a lot of love from fans, although BT3 does seem a bit more popular because of its roster.

There are plenty of people out there who prefer Budokai though. The cancel combo system gave it a surprising amount of depth and replay value. BT3 is good to just jump in and have mindless fun with 100+ clone characters. Budokai 3/Infinite World actually has characters feeling unique, and requires skill to play at a higher level.

I'd be much more excited for a new Budokai game, but I'll still gladly take BT4 when it drops.

[ATA]

"Why you putting two bad b*tches against each other?"

Both games are legendary. Put are put on a high pedestal. Even if you prefer one over the other. There are no losers. They're both winners.

[Hellspawn28]

I remember reading that B3 end up selling less than the first two games. That's probably why Bandai Namco switch over to Spike for a new series instead.

[budokaifanatic007]

Hopefully, with the success of Sparking! Zero, we can see the rebirth of the Budokai games. The last real attempt they made at refreshing the Budokai series was with Burst Limit, which had so much potential, albeit being an unfinished game. You never know.

[Luso Saiyan]

albeit being an unfinished game.

Unfinished?! It didn't have much content, but it was a finished game. I still play it from time to time.

[sangofe]

albeit being an unfinished game.

Unfinished?! It didn't have much content, but it was a finished game. I still play it from time to time.

I have found memories of Burst Limit. I really liked it. But when I played it again the other day I didn't really like it. That was weird.

[Quebaz]

albeit being an unfinished game.

Unfinished?! It didn't have much content, but it was a finished game. I still play it from time to time.

There's unused assets in the game files as well as the 2 bonus videos showcasing cutscenes, characters and stages not in the final game (as well as the whole Super Saiyan 2 Goku thing).

[Luso Saiyan]

Right, but that doesn't make a game unfinished.

[Thanos]

i always preferred the Sparking! gameplay as far as Dragon Ball games go anyway, but it is frustrating that just about every subsequent game outside of FighterZ has been a pastiche of that style. Xenoverse was decent for a while until it grew stale, but I think Kakarot's was really boring. It was like they said, what if we take the Sparking! fighting system, but just rearrange all the buttons for no reason so it's super confusing? There are many ways you could do an arena fighter and just about all of them followed the framework established by Spike--and I would argue none quite as well.