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- Dragon Ball Sparking Zero delivers nostalgic combat and visuals but feels incomplete, with limited maps and an underwhelming story mode.
- The game’s lack of live-service support has led to a rapid player drop-off, unlike Xenoverse 2, which thrived on continuous updates and content.
- While future DLCs promise new characters and maps, the slow content rollout risks losing player interest, highlighting the missed potential of a live-service approach.
The continuation of the Budokai Tenkaichi series was absolutely amazing, and Dragon Ball Sparking Zero is safely one of the best fighting games this decade. It is a true love letter from Chunk Soft to fans of the franchise.
However, after playing the game for the past couple of months or so, I’ve run out of content, which I found overwhelming initially. The game is absolutely amazing, but by the time the next DLC comes in, I’ll probably lose interest in it.
This leads me to the controversial conclusion that Dragon Ball Sparking Zero should have been a live-service game that would have kept it fresh throughout the years. The game has already lost 90% of its players.
Why It Matters: Live-service models can either make or break a game. In Dragon Ball Sparking Zero’s regard, the game lacks content that would contribute to its legacy and wouldn’t survive as long as Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 has.
Just Nostalgia?
As a huge Dragon Ball fan who grew up with the earlier Budokai Tenkaichi series, I was excited when Dragon Ball Sparking Zero was first revealed as the sequel to 2007’s Dragon Ball Budokai Tenkaichi series.
When I played the game hands-on, it felt incomplete. It was more like an unfinished game with a good base but lacked the toppings. The combat, gameplay, art style, and character interactions are perfect and feel as nostalgic as possible.
I feel like the game was rushed to be launched adjacent to the release of Dragon Ball Daima, an all-new series created by the creator, Akira Toriyama, before his death.
However, as I mentioned earlier, the game gets boring after a while since you run out of things to do. The story mode feels incredibly underwhelming and half-baked, which is even more disappointing after realizing that Dragon Ball Sparking Zero’s What If moments were one of the game’s greatest strengths and were held by the developers’ approach to the story mode.
At launch, the game only had 12 maps, which were decent but boring after 20 or 30 hours. The first patch for Sparking Zero fixed some major issues with the game, and I think it will be a while before we see a DLC that introduces new maps.
How A Live Service Model Could’ve Benefitted Sparking Zero
One of the notable upsides to a live service model is that developers can actually properly engage with players and take their feedback into consideration. It’s no wonder why games like Helldivers 2 and Fortnite are performing so well; it’s because developers actually give what the players
The same is true for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. The Xenoverse 2 community is strong, and developers and players actually have a healthy relationship.
Following a similar path, Sparking Zero could’ve had a proper community with in-game events, feedback channels, and a battle pass. Now hear me out: Battle Pass can be beneficial if implemented like Helldivers 2 has. Sparking Zero lacks cosmetic upgrades, and certain characters could be unlocked with the battle pass.
I don’t think we’ll get updates that include free new maps or game modes, both lacking from Sparking Zero. The game only has 12 maps at launch and is missing some core Budokai Tenkaichi 3 game modes, such as survival or Ultimate Battle (Sim Dragon).
Bandai Namco Had Already Perfected The Live Service Model
Xenoverse 2 has proven to be one of the most successful live-service games of all time just because of the massive support Bandai Namco has given.
More than 50 characters, new stories, new maps, and several other content have been added to Xenoverse, and it’s almost unrecognizable at this moment. Live service games aren’t bad if developers utilize them correctly.
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Sparking Zero could’ve taken a Helldivers 2 approach with the live-service model, and that could’ve proven beneficial for both players and developers. I just fear that the game will lose its charm and attractiveness by the time the DLCs are released, which will not have enough content.
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[News Reporter]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheer@tech4gamers.com
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