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May 17, 2001
Source: TechTV
"LOS ANGELES -- Every third email pinging my inbox is some question about "DragonBallz." When are "DragonBallz" games coming out? Who's making them? Where can I get one? So when I saw a life-size plushie of "DragonBallz" hero Goku pulling off some wicked kung fu at the Infogrames E3 booth, I had to stop and get the low down.
After a long, heated exchange with the game's reticent associate producer (at one point I threatened to come back with a GameCube controller and bash him in the head if he didn't tell me what I wanted to know), I ended up with a few basic answers and a lot of unanswered questions.
Here's what I was able to figure out: Three "DragonBallz" games are coming out in "early 2002," for next-gen game systems. The associate producer (who I'll call Mr. C, to protect his identity in case he told me anything he shouldn't have while I was cursing him for not giving more info) wouldn't say which three next-gen systems, but the trinity obviously lends one to believe that there will be a game for the Xbox, PlayStation2, and GameCube.
Mr. C also said there would be two handheld games available, but wouldn't say anything else about them. He wasn't saying much. Here's a quote from the "DragonBallz" website:
"Infogrames is currently in the pre-production phase of game development and as such, are focusing on putting the finishing touches on game design documents and acquiring necessary approvals. As soon as this process is completed, we can begin regularly updating and answering your questions about the game."
Company reps showed video snippets from one game, which looked like it was done on the PS2 or a PC. The video was lots of hype and little substance. Basically, there were about six clips from the game interspersed through about 20 clips from the animated series. That's not to say it wasn't cool -- it's "DragonBallz," c'mon -- but it didn't shed too much light on what the games would be like.
The clips showed Goku soaring through a vibrantly colored world on a giant rock, performing different attacks. It's going to be a third-person action adventure, and Goku looked more realistic than on the cartoon series.
The 3D backgrounds, the trees, and house (all the clips took place outdoors), looked pretty cartoony. Mr. C said there will be three versions of Goku in the game: He starts out small and thin, then as he goes on adventures, he bulks up.
Although I didn't actually see it in the gameplay on display, Mr. C assured me that Goku does get to use his three special attacks. When I pressed him harder he apologized for not being able to show them. He got a faraway look in his eyes and said, "They look awesome, you've got to see them."
The last thing Mr. C told me was that Infogrames would be making some more specific announcements about the games in the next few weeks. They were waiting for everything to clear with the "DragonBallz" creators before they made anything else public. Plus, from the quality of the video they were showing, it appears to be a little early in the production.
For all the latest "DragonBallz" info be sure to watch the official website from Funimation, and check back here, 'cause I made enough of a scene at the Infogrames booth trying to score interesting tidbits for our fans that I know they'll keep us posted, and we'll be sure to post what they tell us. "
My Score: N/A
Advantages: Dragonball Z on GameCube.
Disadvantages: More proof that FUNimation is whoring out the series, probably a late 2002/early 2003game.
