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.

GamePro.com will be holding an exclusive stream of all-new “Dragon Ball Z 3” (“Budokai 3”) footage starting tomorrow (Saturday, 14 August) at noon.

In the mean time, you can read GamePro’s interview with Daisuke Uchiyama to hold you over — there is some interesting stuff concerning new play mechanics in there.

Gamepro.com: What is the biggest change from Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2?

Daisuke Uchiyama: The transition from Budokai 1 to 2 was mainly a visual one, where we brought the graphics closer to the anime. However, with the change from 2 to 3 you’ll immediately notice the difference the moment you get your hands on the controls. You’ll be surprised how different the feel is.

GP: Budokai 2 didn’t have the same story mode as in Budokai 1–what can we expect for the next installment?

DU: Budokai 3 won’t have the type of story mode you saw in Budokai 1, with a cut scene-driven plot. Nor will it have something like Dragon World in Budokai 2, with a plot line that slightly differs from the anime. We received a lot of feedback for Budokai 2’s Dragon World–fans noticed that it didn’t progress exactly like the manga or anime series did. There won’t be any CG, or real-time 3D cut scenes either.

GP: Will there be new modes? Online play?

DU: There will be a mode that you’ll find very surprising, though we don’t want to reveal any details. With the main mode in the game you will find that you can give your characters more of a sense of individuality to them–it will really feel like you have your personal Goku.

GP: Where will the story mode start off from, in terms of the manga/animated series plot?

DU: Well, the Dragon Ball Z series name was created from the emergence of Raditz, so you can expect it to start off from there. You’ll be able to play the game from many different points of views.

GP: Will there be any new characters?

DU: You can expect more movie characters, such as Broly and Cooler. Also, there will be some more strange characters from the animated series, and also characters that you thought, “why didn’t they put this character in?”

GP: How has the fighting system changed? Can you fly or jump? Also, how have special moves changed?

DU: Budokai 1 & 2 could be thought of as the first phase of the fighting system we wanted to achieve, and Budokai 3 as phase two. There will be a heavy emphasis on air battles, and a significant part of this game will be to “take the backside” of the opponent. The system will encourage very aggressive gameplay, and the controls will be simpler, with a better response.

GP: How far in development is the game? What about the release date?

DU: We are hard at work on the game, and expect the game to be released in the same timeframe as previous installments.

GP: Do you have any plans to develop Dragon Ball games on the PSP or Nintendo DS?

DU: We have a lot of interest in those consoles–the PSP is very beautiful, and the DS would allow for interesting opportunities, such as ground and air battles [with the split screen]. The question we’re pondering is, “how to use the DBZ franchise in a handheld format?”

GP: What’s your favorite Dragon Ball game of all time?

DU: I would have to say the very first game that was released on the Famicom, Dragon Ball: The Mystery of Shenron. When I was a kid, it had a big impact on me.

GP: Do you have any final comments for fans?

DU: Being a part of the development process for the series, I can say that Budokai 2 was the evolution of the series, and Budokai 3 is the fulfillment or completion of the series. The issues that fans felt will be addressed, and I can say with confidence that it will be a very high quality title. You’ll be shocked and amazed of the level of polish that will be in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3.

The title for the Dragon Ball GT TV special English home release by FUNimation has been announced as “A Hero’s Legacy” over on AnimeOnDVD.com.

While originally a TV special, so far there has been no distinction between any of the “features” by FUNimation, so it should come as no surprise that it is being referred to as a “movie” in its marketing.

I received an e-mail from CDJapan this morning explaining that my order on the “DragonBall Z & DragonBall Z 2” (“Budokai & Budokai 2”) soundtrack has been canceled, due to the item itself being canceled by the publisher. The page still lists all of the information on the product, so we shall see if it disappears from listings in the coming days…

If you live in California, you might want to go check this out — Wednesday, August 18th from 3-6 pm, at the Sony PlayStation Store at The Metreon in San Fransisco, Daisuke Uchiyama (the producer of the “Budokai” series of video games) will be premiering a special demo of the upcoming “DragonBall Z 3 (“Budokai 3”). The event will feature autographs, prizes, and a sneak peak at the game!

Thanks to Corrie for the news tip.

The Dragon Ball Z “Ongakushū” (“Music Collection”) volumes one and two will be re-released in Japan, with limited presses of only 5000 copies each. They are also budget-priced at only ¥1000 each. Both are due out on 22 September 2004. If you are into background music (BGM) from the series (and specifically the movies; the first collection covers the first seven Dragon Ball Z movies, while the second is essentially a full soundtrack for the eight movie), these are the ones you want!

The Magic Box has posted two pages of new screen shots from “DragonBall Z 3” (“Budokai 3”). It feels like the same bunch of shots we have been seeing for a while, but there are a couple new shots. These mostly focus on Broli, but there is a glimpse of Gogeta in there, as well as both of Coola’s forms.

In other random news from The Magic Box, “DragonBall Z 2” (“Budokai 2”) has been the 9th best-selling game of 2004 thus far, selling just over half-a-million copies over the course of the year.