Atari and developer Spike are looking to make this year’s DragonBall Z game better than last year’s. Released on PS2 today and coming to Wii November 19 is Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 . Find out how much better it is than the first in the Gamingnexus interview with the US producer of the game, Donny Clay.
Question: Can you talk about how you’ve changed the fighting system since the first installment of Budokai Tenkaichi?
Answer: We changed up the combo system for each character making longer strings possible if you choose. The in game transformation system has added to strategy as well, since they all fight differently you will have think about which form is best for each situation.
Question: We’ve heard that the story mode in Budokai Tenkaichi 2 will be slightly different than it was in the original game, what should fans expect from the story mode this time around?
Answer: The story mode features all three parts of the trilogy from Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball GT. The story mode in Budokai Tenkaichi 2 has been really improved over the first Budokai Tenkaichi. The story mode in the original was more of a slide show while the story mode in this game includes about 60 hours of gameplay and is much more RPG like. There are objectives and world maps you fly around as you work through the entire Dragon Ball mythology: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT.
Question: Outside of the updated story mode, what other modes can gamers expect from Budokai Tenkaichi 2?
Answer: There are nine other modes including single player and multiplayer modes. Those include story, tournament, VS. ultimate battle are the different modes in which you actually fight. There are others things such as baba’s shop and the dragon library as well however.
Question: How many arenas will be in the final game? About how long do you think it will take to play through the story mode for one character?
Answer: There will be 5 additional arenas in this game, bringing the total to 16. Also, we have doubled the size of the arenas so fans have a bigger area to fight in and cause damage. The story mode should take fans anywhere between 50 and 60 hours to play through.
Question: In Budokai Tenkaichi 2 will fans of the Japanese anime be able to switch between the original Japanese voice track and the American one?
Answer: Of course! We preserved this feature for hardcore fans like myself.
Question: Some gamers complained that the original’s control scheme was a bit confusing and that the game had a steep learning curve, how have you gone about addressing these concerns with this sequel?
Answer: We feel this title is great for someone who just picks it up or someone determined master every single move.
Question: We hear that Budokai Tenkaichi 2 will feature a new tag team mode, does this mean we can expect a four-player mode? Or is this game simply a two-player affair, like the first installment?
Answer: We’ve enhanced the tag team mode to include whatever combination the players want: one on one, two on two, two on one, etc.
Question: Are there certain characters that you like to play more than the others? Why are these your favorites?
Answer: I actually like the “joke†characters like hercule just because it is more humiliating to my enemy when they are defeated.