Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu Info Thread

quote Game Spot Interview

Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu is a recently announced fighting game for the Game Boy Advance that will be released this November by Atari. The game is being developed by Illinois-based Webfoot Technologies, which developed last year's Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku and is also working on Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II. Taiketsu will feature a roster of characters drawn from the DBZ sagas, as well as a number of environments taken from the series. We talked to Chris Lundeen, the game's producer at Atari, to get a better idea of what to expect from the upcoming game.

GameSpot: How did you settle on the roster of fighters in the game?

Chris Lundeen: We selected characters for Taiketsu from throughout the entire Dragon Ball Z storyline, based on their popularity and uniqueness. There are a few characters, such as Goku and Vegeta, that you simply can't make a DBZ fighting game without including. But we have also included a few characters that we thought would just be fun for people to play, such as Gotenks and Brolly.

GS: How many fighters are in the game?

CL: In Taiketsu, 15 of the most popular DBZ characters are available for intense two-player battle against another human opponent via link or a CPU-controlled character.

GS: Will there be any hidden fighters?

CL: Yes, Taiketsu has several characters initially available for play and more that can be unlocked in a variety of fun and interesting ways.

GS: Why draw from all the sagas? Will there be any characters from Dragon Ball Z GT?

CL: Because the Legacy of Goku series is based on the DBZ storyline, we decided that Taiketsu should be straight-up action and fighting. We have taken the most exciting characters from throughout the entire storyline and given them the classic DBZ moves. This game is all about the DBZ fighters. Although it does not include any DBZ GT characters, we have included Brolly, a DBZ movie character, in the game.

GS: Can you walk us through the different gameplay modes in Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu? Will there be a story tying things together?

CL: There is a traditional single-player tournament mode in which the player progresses through a sequence of enemies and then fights a "boss" opponent at the end. Defeating the boss opponent then unlocks that character for play in the single- and multiplayer modes. There are several other types of play modes as well, including an endurance mode in which the player carries battle damage over to the next fight. Taiketsu concentrates on pure action and fighting among the favorite DBZ characters, and knowing the DBZ storyline is not necessary to fully appreciate the game.

GS: Can you explain the fighting system to us?

CL: Taiketsu is a side-view fighter that includes the ability to use energy attacks. Energy attacks consume energy, and the player is able to hold down a button to charge them up. Characters have several supermoves that can be performed depending on how much energy they've charged up. It is very cool to play.

GS: What special moves will the characters have?

CL: The special moves of the Taiketsu fighters can't be revealed at the moment, but they are true to DBZ and appropriate to the characters performing them.

GS: Will the game use isometric, overhead or traditional side view?

CL: Taiketsu is a side view game in the classic fighting game style.

GS: What technical challenges did you encounter in making the multiplayer mode? Will every player need a cartridge?

CL: We have not had any difficulties with the two-player linking ability for the GBA. Both players will need a copy of Taiketsu for the multiplayer mode.

GS: Will the game feature any connectivity with the GameCube?

CL: Yes, Taiketsu has the ability to connect to a future GameCube release in order to fully unlock all the secrets.

GS: Thanks for your time, Chris.