Kanzenshuu

“Battle of Z” (360/PS3/Vita) North American Release: 2014-01-28

Published by VegettoEX25 October 2013, 2:00 PM EDT2 CommentsBattle of Z

Namco-Bandai has announced that the upcoming Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z fighting game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Vita will see its North American release 28 January 2014, within one week of its Japanese release.

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z Launch Date Announced

Put on your Scouters and get your Super Saiyan Hair dos ready! NAMCO BANDAI Games America today announces that Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z will officially launch on January 28th, 2014 in the Americas for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita (digital only).

This newest chapter of the much loved Dragon Ball Z series of video games takes-on the classic Dragon Ball Z manga look with its clean/sharp lines and vivid colors; creating a much more stylized look and feel to all your favorite Dragon Ball Z characters and environments.

The single player campaign will feature expansive environments in which to wreak havoc and destruction upon enemies and bosses alike. Savvy players will utilize all of the character control features to guarantee their victory including the ability to issue team orders to attack, defend, or heal other team members. Players will also be able to take on the most hated and feared Dragon Ball Z enemies in co-op team play or take the battle online against other friends for up to eight players.

The company has also released a slew of new screen shots to promote the upcoming game, which showcase some of the new giant boss characters revealed this past week in Japan:

Worth noting to Kanzenshuu readers/listeners/fans is that the names of the Battle of Gods movie characters in the screen shot file names are “Beerus” and “Whis”, which follows suit with the style guide here at our site. None of the screen shots showcase the characters’ names written out within the game itself, however.

Additionally, the trailer provided alongside the screen shots — an update of the previous trailer with the new release date — specifically says “noChala”, which likely means that FLOW’s version of “CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” from Battle of Gods — which was showcased in the latest Japanese trailer for the game — will not make it into international versions.

News

“J Legend Retsuden” (JP 3DS) Commercial & Promotional Video

Published by VegettoEX25 October 2013, 1:13 PM EDTCommentJ Legend Retsuden

Namco-Bandai has unleashed two new videos promoting the upcoming J Legend Retsuden compilation on the Nintendo 3DS.

The compilation’s 15-second commercial showcases just a few of the games that will be packed in:

The full-length promotional video plows through the compilation game by game starting with the Famicom inclusions followed by the three Super Famicom inclusions, wrapping things up with Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden 2. The compilation’s save and hint systems are also given a bit of focus along with the game’s bonus downloadable title for first-run buyers, Dragon Ball Z: Gekishin Furīza!! from the Nintendo Famicom.

Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden 2‘s opening / main title theme music can be heard playing during its respective section, which — along with the compilation seeing a release exclusively in Japan — likely means that the game’s soundtrack will be left alone.

The game’s final roster stands at:

Dragon Ball: Shenron no Nazo (The Mystery of Shenlong) (Famicom)
Dragon Ball: Daimaō Fukkatsu (Demon King Revived) (Famicom)
Dragon Ball Z: Kyōshū! Saiya-jin (Assault! the Saiyans) (Famicom)
Saint Seiya: Ōgon Densetsu (Legend of Gold) (Famicom)
Saint Seiya: Ōgon Densetsu Kanketsu-hen (Legend of Gold — Finale) (Famicom)
Sakigake!! Otoko-juku: Shippū Ichigōsei (Charge!! Men’s Private School: Gale-Force First-Years) (Famicom)
Go! Go! Ackman 3 (Super Famicom)
Yū Yū Hakusho (Super Famicom)
Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden 2 (Super Famicom)
Dragon Ball Z: Gekishin Furīza!! (Fierce God Freeza!!) (Famicom; download-only bonus)

J Legend Retsuden is due out exclusively in Japan 07 November 2013 for ¥4,980. Play-Asia is currently offering the game for pre-order at $48.99 with free shipping. Note that the Nintendo 3DS is region-locked, and the game will require a Japanese system to play.

News

“Dragon Ball RPG: Boyhood Arc” (Android/iOS) Website Opens

Published by VegettoEX24 October 2013, 9:08 AM EDT1 Comment

Dragon Ball RPG: Shōnen-hen (“Boyhood Arc”) — an upcoming Android and iOS mobile game in Japan — was just unveiled earlier this week in the December 2013 issue of V-Jump, and Namco-Bandai is ready for the next stage of promotion: an official website!

The included screenshots show off various aspects of the game. It is divided into four “chapters” (comprising the four major arcs of Goku’s childhood), which are further divided into “episodes” recreating events from the TV series.

In addition to battles, which appear to take the form of a turn-based RPG, there is apparently an item-collection aspect. Even when the player is not actively engaged with the game, Goku continues to adventure and bring back items. He can then bring these items to Bulma, who will use them to invent useful items.

The site also stresses the number of characters and the amount of play, though no hard figures are provided.

Thanks to Super Saiyan Prime for the heads-up.

Podcast

Podcast Episode #0346

Published by VegettoEX23 October 2013, 8:10 PM EDT1 Comment

It is a short (and slightly delayed!) episode this week, but the news is extensive. Join us for a deeper look at the December 2013 issue of V-Jump along with a few of your listener questions!

SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Episode #0346! VegettoEX and Julian catch up on two weeks worth of news, including a ton from the December 2013 issue of V-Jump. “Dragon Ball Heroes” is entering a new chapter with all sorts of tie-ins and other video games are on the horizon! Your questions wrap things up.

REFERENCED SITES:

Enjoy! Discuss this episode on the Kanzenshuu forum, and we will be back at you will a topic-filled episode next time around!

News

Viz Dragon Ball “Full Color” Comics Cover Art Revealed

Published by VegettoEX23 October 2013, 8:57 AM EDT9 CommentsFull Color

While the “Full Color Comics” have quietly — and hopefully temporarily — moved to digital-only in Japan after the Saiyan and Freeza arcs received print editions, Viz has been charging along chapter-by-chapter with their own digital release in Weekly Shonen Jump. The company announced plans for an English print version, and while we received pretty much every important detail at that time, there was one minor aspect still up in the air: the cover art!

Online listings have started adding what appears to be final cover art, and it looks as if Viz will be going with a straight port of the original Japanese covers:

We still do not know, however, if Viz will be porting some of the great Akira Toriyama Q&A material that was originally printed in the Japanese versions.

The first volume of Viz’s “Full Color” comic edition of Dragon Ball is due out 04 February 2014 for $19.99 and will cover original Dragon Ball chapters 195 to 211. The second volume will follow suit 01 April 2014.

Thanks to several folks for passing along the info!

News

FUNimation Posts & Removes Widescreen DBZ “Season One” Trailer

Published by VegettoEX22 October 2013, 7:41 PM EDT3 Comments

Earlier this afternoon, anime-listings-superhero WTK spotted a new trailer for FUNimation’s upcoming Dragon Ball Z “Season One” Blu-ray set. The trailer confirmed what was initially teased then slightly danced around and now apparently re-confirmed: the sets will be cropped.

While the page hosting the trailer was quietly removed, fans were already on top of it grabbing screen shots and mirroring the video.

In the meantime, product descriptions across various online retailers have also confirmed the cropped widescreen transfer:

This new Blu-ray edition has gone through a frame-by-frame restoration process to remove any blemishes, tape marks, and foreign bodies from the film. All three audio tracks have been re-mastered in the interest of noise reduction and superior sound quality, and the colors are bolder and more vibrant. Lastly, a precise shot-by-shot reframing of the entire series was done to create a modern HD widescreen presentation!

FUNimation conducted an online survey earlier this year asking fans to weigh in on another re-release, and more specifically about aspect ratios by showcasing examples for both 4:3 (“Original Production Release”) and 16:9 (“Crop of Original Production Release”). FUNimation had previously released two volumes of Dragon Ball Z on Blu-ray — in its originally 4:3 aspect ratio — but “suspended” production of the remaster a mere six months after its original announcement, claiming they would be “re-evaluating the current process and researching more efficient methods of restoration.”

The company has released Dragon Ball Kai on both DVD and Blu-ray in its original 4:3 aspect ratio.

Big thanks to everyone playing along at home!

News

Bonus “Dragon Ball SD” Chapter in December 2013 V-Jump

Published by VegettoEX22 October 2013, 8:53 AM EDT2 CommentsDragon Ball SD

In addition to the standard chapter of Toyotarō’s Dragon Ball Heroes: Victory Mission, the December 2013 issue of V-Jump — officially out on Japanese shelves as-of yesterday — contains a bonus chapter of Dragon Ball SD from Naho Ooishi.

In this four-page, black-and-white bonus chapter, included as part of the issue’s “V-Jump Manga Festival — Jump Gag Special”, Ooishi dips into “What If?” territory with the future version of Trunks, who returns to his own time to receive a new suggestion from his mother: if he went even farther back in time, they would not have had to go through the giant battle with Cell at all. Trunks returns to the past again, this time going all the way back to when Goku and friends were just children. Trunks tracks down Dr. Gero… who is luring a tricycle-riding No. 18 with a lollipop. Trunks goes on the attack with his “Blue Wind’s Hope Punch”, but stops as Goku and Kuririn happen to walk by. Still stinging from the Red Ribbon Army’s defeat, Dr. Gero sends out Artifical Human No. 9 (labeled as “Iyo-ku-gō”, a play on the name of V-Jump’s Editor-in-Chief, Akio Iyoku)… who is swiftly defeated by Goku with a single kick. Dr. Gero promises never to cause trouble ever again, and a certain kiss scene is replayed with the characters now as children. Dr. Gero goes back on his word, though, and swears revenge on Goku… which means that, ultimately, Trunks traveled back in time for nothing.

Dragon Ball SD received its first bonus chapter back in the March 2013 issue of Saikyō Jump, with the “Battle of Gods Special Manga Version” covering the early parts of the new film. The first nine chapters of the monthly reboot of the series were released in tankōbon form this past April.

This month’s V-Jump also contains bonus artwork and short interviews from both Ooishi and Toyotarō, and is packed with additional Dragon Ball news and is available for purchase from CDJapan, Play-Asia, and Amazon Japan.

News

“Victory Mission” Chapter 14 in December 2013 V-Jump

Published by VegettoEX21 October 2013, 10:20 PM EDTCommentVictory Mission

We took a few months off from compiling summaries for a few specific series while we worked on relaunching the “Spin-Off” section of our “Manga Guide“, but it is back to business this month!

The December 2013 issue of V-Jump officially hit Japanese shelves today, and continues with the spin-off/advertisement manga series Dragon Ball Heroes: Victory Mission by “Toyotarō“.

In this fourteenth chapter — “Shenlong(?) Appears!!” — the tournament continues onward. Beat defeats Erito, Kagyu defeats Baserk, Note defeats Poko, Froze defeats Mirego, Kabura defeats Viola, and the Artificial Human trio defeat their respective opponents, including Forte.

Abura, the self-described Neko Majin atop Kabura’s head, proves he can talk (and use magic) to get back at Kabura bad-mouthing him, but nearly blows his cover as Note overhears. Luckily, Note merely thinks Kabura was being rude.

The second round gets underway as Beat notices Sora is missing, while two mysterious new characters (identified elsewhere in the magazine as “Tsubasa” and “Momo-chan“, alongside their live-action counterparts) look over the proceedings, commenting on this being the world Sora was in.

Round 2 is Kabura vs. Froze, Beat vs. Nimu, Note vs. Nico, and Kagyu vs. Genom. The battlefield activates unbidden, and as the four pairs begin their matches, an old man inside the world — named “Dr. Auto” — calls forth Shenlong on the cracked Dragon Balls. Smoke billows forth, even in the normal world, drawing the attention of Yoshito-kun. “Just as Sora said…”

The Artificial Human trio seem to understand what is going on, as a cigar-chomping dragon appears before the old man…

“Mission 14” has been archived on the main listing page for Dragon Ball Heroes: Victory Mission in our “Spin-Off” guide.

The December 2013 issue of V-Jump is packed with additional Dragon Ball news and is available for purchase from CDJapan, Play-Asia, and Amazon Japan.

News

Bardock & Coola Coming to Arcades in “Zenkai Battle Royale”

Published by VegettoEX21 October 2013, 11:05 AM EDT3 CommentsZenkai Battle Royale

While the upcoming 360/PS3/Vita outing Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is getting a lot of attention recently, the nearly-three-years-old arcade brawler Zenkai Battle Royale continues to receive balance updates and additional characters to its already-impressive roster.

Revealed in today’s December 2013 issue of V-Jump in Japan is news that Bardock will be joining the fight!

Bardock is able to take damage received and turn it into power to deal back even more significantly against his opponent.

A side column teases what is clearly Coola — “that elder brother” — in his final form from the fifth Dragon Ball Z movie. At this time, the magazine simply urges players to look forward to more information. Last year Zarbon was teased in a similar way, with the official reveal coming soon after.

News

“Battle of Z” Japanese Release Date: 2014-01-23

Published by VegettoEX21 October 2013, 10:52 AM EDTCommentBattle of Z

This week’s 2013 #47 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump as well as today’s December 2013 issue of V-Jump in Japan finally reveal a release date — 23 January 2014 — for the Dragon Ball franchise’s next mainline fighting game outing, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z.

Namco-Bandai has yet to reveal a release date for international (specifically North American and European) versions of the game, though we do already know that the Vita version will be digital-only in our own territory.

Additionally, today’s issue of V-Jump reveals more of the giant boss characters that players will battle against in the game:

Ōzaru Bardock, Hildegarn, as well as the “core” version of Metal Coola join the fray in Battle of Z!

Namco-Bandai also released the second full-length promotional video for the game, which showcases much of what was already seen in the most recent English video, but also showcases FLOW’s version of “CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” and provides the game’s pricing structure.

On the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the game will run ¥7,480, with the Vita version running ¥6,480.