The Magic Box has some new screen shots up from Bandai of Japan’s new GameBoy Advance Dragon Ball action game, “Advance Adventure”. Expect the game to take you through the entire first TV series’ story, all the way through the 23rd Tenka-ichi Budōkai.
Eight years ago in 1996, in the wee hours of syndication, “The Arrival of Raditz” (FUNimation’s English dub of the first Dragon Ball Z episode) aired, marking Dragon Ball Z‘s first official introduction in the US.
The “Budokai 3: Special Edition” is set to come out the same day as the regular version (with a bumped-up MSRP of $59.99). In addition to the game, you will get an exclusive chibi Broli toy and a behind-the-scenes bonus DVD… which includes a preview of a new game entitled “DBZ Sagas: Evolution”. It sounds like we are getting a new action game in 2005, so look for more information as we get it!
We received the following message from a source that wishes to remain anonymous:
I feel I should inform you that the game “DragonBall GT: Final Bout” was in fact not shipped yesterday. Our received shipments in my own store and all local stores did not contain the expected copies. I personally had a copy pre-ordered and mine never came in. We’re hoping to receive shipments by the end of the week or early next week, but New Release titles rarely come any days other than Tuesday or Wednesday. The message we received via e-mail is that the company themselves never shipped out the packages. Sorry.
Also, if this only applies to stores in my local area (PA, NJ, NY, etc.) then I apologize for providing you with false information, but to the best of my knowledge, the game was not shipped from Atari.
My copy has indeed not yet shipped, so there is likely something to this story — hope that is helpful for those of you who have not gotten your items shipped yet either and are looking for some type of explanation.
Hot on the heels of last year’s original theme song (“Kusuburu Heart ni Hi o Tsukero!!”) to “Dragon Ball Z 2” (“Budokai 2”), it seems that Hironobu Kageyama will be back again this year for the third game!
Translated below is the majority of the 14 June 2004 entry from “Kage-chan no Himitsu Nikki” (or “Kage-chan‘s Secret Diary” — Hironobu Kageyama’s very own blog on his official website):
6/14 (Monday)
Today was also a very exciting day. (^_^)v First, in Komuro-san’s own Logem [?] Studio, I worked on finishing up the vocal track from the DragonBall LA session. I re-sang it from the updated and corrected official lyrics, and we put in the chorus. The chorus is being done by the well-known YUKA-chan. And somehow, New York resident KÛKO-chan proved she could return to her home country and participate in a hurry!! (^_^)v Those two were able to sing a capella just by looking at the sheet music, so we finished in the blink of an eye. They had such a memorable tone. It reminded me of back when we were making Dragon Ball albums for the Monolith Project. Even nowadays, I sometimes drag out those CDs and listen to them; they’re still good. My own ones are as well, but among the ballads and such that KÛKO-chan has done, there are so many lovely songs that just pierce my heart. Our talk turned to that today, too, since the lyricist, Yuriko Mori-san, likes “Hitomi no Naka no Chikyû” [“An Earth Within Your Eyes”]… (^_^)v I like that one, too— and “Mizu-Iro Seijin” [“Sky-Blue Aliens”], and “Sora Meguru Bôken” [“Adventures All Around the Sky”], and… err, there’s so many that I can’t really count them all. And, though it’s a bit off-topic, I hear that when KÛKO-chan drives her car, she really steps on the gas when she hears my songs. (Laughs) Also, the conclusion we finally reached with everyone is that next year, we’re definitely going to have a DBZ Reunion live concert!! (^_^)v It’ll also be exactly 20 years since KÛKO-chan’s debut… really! After that, everyone said that of course, we’ll be inviting Shin[‘ichi] Ishihara-chan!! (Laughs) And then, once my song’s finished, next time we’ll move over to Yotsuya’s Sound Valley Studio and do the recording for “Nyahho~~ Sensei”!! What’s great about Nyahho~~ Sensei is that the tension in the acting is really incredible. (^_^)v As a joke, I said, “Sakura-chan, all of your fans might run away, because you’re too intense,” (laughs) but that might be the new situation. (^_^)v Being busy is a good thing. You know, it’s like the sense of art and skill in the songs I’ve attached myself to have become essential in the world. Every day is fun. So, then, I’ve got to try a lot harder!! (-_,-) Whew…
Summary?!
Thanks to Joshua Thompson for the heads-up!
EBGames has updated their listing of the supposed “Final Bout” re-release with some actual information (including new cover art, seen below) — it seems like this game really is seeing the light of day again!
Vintage Dragon Ball Action! First released in limited quantities in 1997, Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout, is back to honor the enormous popularity of the Dragon Ball animated series. Faithfully reproduced in its entirety, this much sought-after title offers a one-two punch of DBGT and DBZ characters, as well as a powerful variety of ruthless fighting modes. Brilliantly packaged with exclusive cover art from Toei Animation, Final Bout is the perfect addition to every fan’s collection.
EBGames is listing the ship date as 31 August 2004 for $14.99.
It seems rather odd that no official sites (such as FUNimation and/or Z-Store) have anything to say about this, especially considering it supposedly comes out in a week!
GameSpot reports that the latest pages of V-Jump reveal Banpresto’s announcement of yet another new game in Japan! Titled “Dragon Ball: Advance Adventure” for the Nintendo GameBoy Advance, the game will be a 2D, side-scrolling action game that takes place during the very beginning of the storyline (with Goku as a child). The game is slated for its Japanese release in November for ¥5040. No word yet on a possible (and probable) American release.
TOKYO–According to VJump magazine, Banpresto will release a new Dragon Ball action game for Game Boy Advance later this year titled Dragon Ball: Advance Adventure. The game will be based on Goku’s childhood stories of when he traveled around trying to find the seven mystical dragon balls.
Players in the 2D side-scrolling action game control Goku and fight through stages based on the original manga and anime’s storyline. Some examples of the stages are: the wilderness, home of the kung-fu bandit Yamcha; Pilaf’s castle, which is full of booby traps; Muscle Tower, where players must fight different enemies on each floor; and the Tenkaichi Budou Kai, where Goku battles one-on-one against other fighters, such as Tenshinhan. Aside from punching and kicking, Goku can execute Kamehameha blasts, and he can also attack with his Nyoibo stick, which gives him extra range and allows him to deflect enemy shots.
Dragon Ball: Advance Adventure is slated for release in November in Japan at the retail price of 5,040 yen ($46).
Thanks to Jetto for the heads-up!
A recent web page from Banpresto showcases the “Reverse Import” version of Atari’s “Legacy of Goku 2” for the Nintendo GameBoy Advance, which has the tacked-on phrase “International” in Japan.
Apparently it came out last month (23 July 2004) for ¥5040. Whoops — we totally missed that one!
Originally titled “Dragon Ball: Final Bout” in Japan, when released in North America for the PlayStation 1 back in 1997, the game gained the extra “GT” in the title (“Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout”), and received English voice-overs for certain elements such as the character select screen and win quotes, but retained the original Japanese dialog for the in-game battles. It was printed in a limited run, and years later would fetch upwards of $200 on auction sites.
A new listing for “Final Bout” has popped up on EBGames. Quite interesting, indeed.
When I worked at a local Blockbuster back in high school, all three PS1 games suddenly showed up in the computer system as having upcoming American release dates — it was only “Ultimate Battle 22” that eventually saw an American release, and many years later after that fact.
If “Final Bout” is actually receiving a new re-release, one would expect at least a little hype — the release date is listed as 24 August 2004, which is only a few days away!
GamePro.com has the new “exclusive” trailer up for “Dragon Ball Z 3” (“Budokai 3”) that was promised yesterday, but it is (unfortunately) nothing we have not already seen before — no new characters or new outfits shown.