Atari Confirms Dragon Ball Double Bill [UPDATE] News

Atari has today confirmed development on two titles based on the anime Dragon Ball Z, Super DBZ and Budokai Tenkaichi 2, which are set to be released on PlayStation2 in June and November respectively.

In development at Crafts & Meister, the home of Street Fighter II producer Noritaka Funamizu, Super DBZ is said to feature a brand new arcade-style fighting system with unique attacks for the various characters including Goku, Gohan and Vegeta, together with on-screen damage.

"Super DBZ takes the DBZ franchise into authentic arcade fighter territory," said Cyril Voiron, Marketing Director, Atari Europe. "This is something new and different for the DBZ series and will mesmerize gamers with its intense gameplay and technical combo systems. Bandai are working with an excellent new studio to develop this impressive title, and Crafts & Meister's hand-to-hand combat pedigree radiates throughout Super DBZ."

Set to feature over one hundred characters from the Dragon Ball Z universe, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is being described by Atari as the pinnacle of the franchise to date, with over nine game modes and fifteen destructible environments included - together with real time transformations.

"Kamehameha!!!", said Cyril Voiron, Marketing Director, Atari Europe. "Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is a remarkable game that DBZ fans will go mad for with its colossal selection of characters and dazzling enhancements, many of which are still to be revealed, making it the most free, exciting and dynamic DBZ game ever."

Budokai Tenkaichi 2, called Sparking Neo in Japan, is also rumoured to be appearing on Nintendo Revolution according to images in Japanese publication Famitsu.

We'll have more on both titles shortly...

[UPDATE]

As previously reported, Atari has additionally confirmed the development of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 for the Nintendo Revolution. Unfortunately beyond confirmation very little is known about how Dragon Ball Z will shape up on the Revolution, with Matt Collins, Director of Marketing Atari, commenting, "The innovative controller featured with Nintendo Revolution is perfectly suited for Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, which engages players with fast-paced fighting moves. Gamers will be able to play in a very physical way, mimicking several of the show's most popular character moves and pull off awesome combos and attacks."