The Arc System Works-developed Dragon Ball Z fighting game includes fighters not just from DBZ, but from the early days of Dragon Ball.
While some may have found this week’s Nintendo Direct to be poorly timed- being held on April Fool’s Day- several new announcements and trailers were shown, none of which were practical jokes. Between the North American and Japanese broadcasts, Nintendo fans were given a taste of the recently announced Fire Emblem title, a look at Mewtwo for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS, and a NA release of the latest Fatal Frame.
During the Japanese Nintendo Direct, a new trailer was shown for Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden, a new 2D fighting game for the 3DS, and the first DBZ title developed by Arc System Works. The official website previously teased a handful of the 100+ characters to be featured in the handheld fighter, but a new trailer from Wednesday shows off even more in-action. Extreme Butoden may have “Dragon Ball Z” in the name, however the upcoming title features characters from the early days of the Dragon Ball anime and manga. Characters from the recent films will also make an appearance, including the likes of Beerus from “Battle of Gods”, and Frieza’s golden form as DLC from “Resurrection of F”. Akin to the Marvel VS Capcom series, players can also select a character to act as an “Assist”; Assist characters can drop in and out of a match to deal additional attacks, or absorb damage as a temporary sacrificial shield.
What may come as a disappointment to some, of the announced 100+ characters, roughly 20 of them are actually playable; the rest are reserved for Assist characters and “dream match” scenarios.
Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden will release in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS on 6/11; international release dates have not been announced.
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