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Welcome to Daizenshuu EX, your most authoritative stop online for anything & everything DragonBall for the last decade! |
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Welcome to the all-encompassing DragonBall fansite, Daizenshuu EX. We cover anything and everything relating to the Dragon World in hopes of enlightening... and a little bit of entertaining. Daizenshuu EX began its journey in 1998 as VegettoEX's Home Page, and has grown to be one of the most authoritative DragonBall sites on the web. If you're new to the world
of DragonBall, why not check out the
"Newbie
Guide" ? Been around the block as a DB-fan? Check out some great discussions every week in our podcast! See you soon! |
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05 January 2009
VegettoEX @ 11:52 am EST -- We mentioned this on the podcast and then totally forgot to post it up. The soundtrack for Infinite World (due out this week in Japan on King Records) finally has some cover art courtesy of CDJapan:
We'll be doing a review of this soundtrack and the game's theme song CD single as soon as they come in, so expect that all later this month. |
04 January 2009
VegettoEX @ 9:17 pm EST -- Episode #0158 of the podcast is available for download! We were finally able to catch up with Julian again to record, so the core trio took a look back at 2008 in its entirety. We had all sorts of crazy stories, huge surprises, wacky releases, and so much more. Also, how did our predictions for 2008 fare? We took a look at those, as well as made (more beefy & substantial!) predictions for 2009. Definitely check it out.
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28 December 2008
VegettoEX @ 9:59 pm EST -- Episode #0157 of the podcast is available for download! We came back from Christmas down at my parents' with bags full of old action figures, so we decided to tear into them and see what has been sitting around for the last decade or so. Definitely check it out.
Here are some pictures of some of the more memorable items:
As amazing and fun as some of these are, they can never compare to Kuririn with a machine gun:
We mentioned this during the podcast episode, but Gamasutra has an interview up with Clyde Mandelin, who handled the translations for FUNimation's release of the original DragonBall TV series. Check it out.
See you in 2009! |
23 December 2008
VegettoEX @ 4:01 pm EST -- We hinted at a couple things previously, but our good buddy Greg gave us a really nice write-up of his time spent at Jump Festa this past week. There was a lot going on, so let me pull out a couple key quotes from him:
When it came Nozawa's turn they asked who else she did beyond THE OBVIOUS 3 and a child answered Bardock. Both Tanaka and Nozawa commented that they were so amazed small children knew smaller roles they did so long ago. It was then that I exposed that banter as bullshit when Nozawa asked who ELSE she did. I raised my hand to answer Tullece (or whatever the hell the accepted dubbination calls him these days)and Nozawa made direct eye contact with me at which time she scowled, shook her head and went on to pick a child. So yeah, basically their amazement at children knowing the roles is bullshit, they wanted/excpected them to know the answers and only intended on picking them.
How many Americans can say they've been scowled at by Nozawa herself? Ah Japan. Gaijin are all the same to you eh?
One of Tanaka's most memorable scenes is that with Bacterian where Krillin is reminded he doesn't have a nose and just kind of responds, "Oh...yeah!" Nozawa thinks it's hilarious because she honestly believes Toriyama originally genuinely forgot to draw one.
So they made a big hoot about Japan getting the live action movie first on March 13th. Nozawa wants it to be first here because, "...DB belongs to Japan!" So they showed us the trailer. Turns out it's just the trailer.
It was the first time to see the trailer for many of the fans. Why? Because Japanese people suck ass at using computers.
Piccolo was laughed at. Flat out.
When Goku said Kame Hame Ha there was audible laughter.
Nozawa said she was surprised because Goku was such a hunk and Yamcha looks like some bumpkin which should be the other way around.
The idols said it's strange to see such a young Roshi and that it's hard to picture him being a perv like that. (Later Nozawa would say, "You can tell he likes young girls!", apparently commenting on his shirt out of the blue which directly contradicted that comment and the feeling of the crowd so it seems she was fed that line)
Then Nozawa laid the smack down on the American Kame Hame Ha. She said in Japan they extend the 'Ka' OR the final 'Ha' but in America they extend the first 'me' which just makes it sound way off.
Head on over to our forum to read Greg's full write-up.
In related news, Tanooki Kuribo let us know that Viz is going to be putting out adaptations of the upcoming live-action movie a la the "Chapter Books" we mentioned the other day under the "Viz Kids" label.
These are being adapted for Viz by Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon, just like the "Junior Novel" versions we talked about a while back, too.
VegettoEX @ 11:54 am EST -- If you are in the market for some Region 2 DragonBall DVDs, and especially the beginning of the series, you are in some serious luck.
Amazon Japan is running a holiday sale right now where you can grab volumes 1-9 (that's episodes 1-54) for a disgustingly-low ¥10,770. That is about 70% off the price!
Get in there and grab it while it's hot! |
21 December 2008
VegettoEX @ 8:17 pm EST -- Episode #0156 of the podcast is available for download! Despite a couple minor mentions of the live-action movie, the episode is actually available on time! We brought on Hujio (Kanzentai) and godofchaos (The Fanboy Review) to discuss FUNimation's new DragonBall GT "season one" DVD boxset.
It seems like quite a different monster than the DBZ TV "season" sets, but is it ultimately worth it in the end? We cover everything from the video encode, to the audio tracks, to what has been removed or inserted. Definitely check it out.
That's not all we have for you, though. godofchaos has broken some some hilarity with the menus (which we mentioned during the podcast episode), so here are some (shrunken-down) versions for laughs. The first one here is a typical menu from the DBZ TV season sets. Note that the video on the DBZ sets is anamorphic widescreen. The menus are matted/letterboxed in a 4:3 aspect ratio.
Here we have the DBGT season set main menu. Note that the video on the DBGT sets are 4:3. The menus have been added to (based on the same template as the DBZ ones) and are stretched to super-widescreen.
Finally, we have a fun little video for you to check out. On the show we discussed FUNimation's marketing campaign back in 2003 for DragonBall GT, and how these boxsets are almost an apology, or at least a convenient "forgetting" of the past. With us being DragonBall superfans that don't forget anything, we are happy to provide some more chuckles with a little comparison video.
Don't misunderstand us; while we have zero interest in watching FUNimation's dub of the series, we absolutely adore that they went back and did dubbed versions of the songs. However, the real losers in this situation are the entire fanbase. Once again, FUNimation has further fragmented their market. By not simply including them in the first place five years ago, now the dub fans don't even have an option to get their "Step Into The Grand Tour" for an opening, and are happily proclaiming the original songs to be "gay".
But hey... it's not like we all didn't say the same things about "Step Into The Grand Tour" back in 2003. Karma, I suppose.
ERRATA: Just to clarify a couple things, it sounds like the name "Mr. Satan" is indeed used at some points in the English dub tracks on this set. Was the "uncut" GT dub inconsistent with this? Also, the set goes to episode 34, which is indeed not the complete Bebi arc. That would be through episode 40, and even SSJ4 Goku does not really show up until episode 35... |
20 December 2008
VegettoEX @ 12:44 pm EST -- I told you that we have been working to clean up a few old sections, update those sections, and then bring you some new material. Well, we are on step two of that process right now. I am very happy to bring you another three episodes in our "Filler Guide" (DB 009-011) courtesy of Rachel's incredibly hard work.
With that out of the way, we have some "breaking news" for you coming out of Jump Festa courtesy of our old buddy Greg (who you old-timers will remember as the maintainer of The Ultimate DBZ Information Site). He's had a couple of his real-time comments transferred over to an Arlong Park thread, so let's catch up with a couple of these that relate to DB:
(23:20 EST) Dragon Ball Stage started. If he does it like the Luffy/Goku Talk, he'll take meticulous notes and get them down on the board himself in the near future it seems. I haven't heard a word of specifics about the last one.
Greg: "Bulma's Bike is here evidently. This looks bad; they pulled out Akiba Idols to promote Nozawa. What were they thinking?"
(23:33 EST) Greg: "So far I am severely unimpressed. We're listening to airheads talk about some very basic stuff."
"Finally some interesting information coming out. Nozawa thinks Cell is the most frightening villian."
(23:51 EST) Greg: "First game pictures look like DBZ Sparking but with real textures. Bulma seems to be a fighter this time around. They're also giving out door prizes; Movie Tickets, etc. One guest won a role in the dub of the movie." (Live Action Movie?)
(00:05 EST) Greg:"Toriyama left a message to the cast and crew of the movie: He felt surprised when he saw everything but after meeting the cast and crew, he felt they were splendid. He hopes that it will become a new Dragon Ball to be enjoyed and confirms that he is very much looking forward to it."
There you have it! Perhaps an upcoming Shônen Jump or V-Jump will give us some more information on this secret game in the near future (which may or may not be the PSP game based on the live-action movie). It is intriguing how they are once again pumping out video games this year after a slight lull in early 2008. Toriyama's comment about the live-action movie is the expected response, falling right in line with his comments about DBGT as it began to air. It does not really say anything one way or the other, it does not really prove anything one way or the other, but it is interesting none-the-less.
UPDATE: Greg confirmed for us that the game footage was indeed PSP-based. He also noted the following:
Oh, and I didn`t deem this as urgent enough to write home about, but yesterday Nozawa talked smack about the American Kame Hame Ha. Details to follow.
Greg, I love you :P |
19 December 2008
VegettoEX @ 12:29 pm EST -- This news all would have been up yesterday, but I have instead been flat out in bed for the last two days. Apologies on the delay, but hey... it's that time of year.
With Viz running out of things to do with the DragonBall manga (seriously: 1- monthly releases, 2- large graphic novels, 3- smaller graphic novels, 4- "VIZBIG", 5- collector's edition hardcovers, 6- boxsets), it only makes sense that they would find some other way to exploit one of their best franchises. Coming out mid-2009, the "Chapter Books" under the "Viz Kids" label seem to be something along the lines of... well... we don't quite know. Manga is already mostly pictures, so how do you "kid-ify" that even more? Perhaps it will be very simple words with the occasional illustration?
These see a release beginning 04 August 2009 with the first two volumes, and then on 01 September 2009 with the next two volumes. They are priced at $4.99, so don't expect a whole lot out of these.
Gamekyo.com has a scan from the latest Shônen Jump with info on a new, traditional handheld RPG! DragonBall Z Story for the Nintendo DS will feature teams of three (you will have six characters on reserve, and choose your three team members) and will run from the Ma Junior / 23rd Tenka-ichi Budôkai arc up through (at least) the Saiyan arc (with the subtitle of the game being The Saiyans Attack).
The game is coming from Namco-Bandai to Japan in Spring 2009, and the February issue of V-Jump will have more information.
This isn't too terribly interesting, but CDJapan has a small version of the cover art for the upcoming CD single containing the Infinite World OP & ED.
It is due out 25 December 2008 in Japan. |
16 December 2008
VegettoEX @ 7:06 pm EST -- Episode #0155 of the podcast is (finally!) available for download! We had some interesting times trying to get the show done on time, and while we did talk about the live-action movie, I fully place the blame on O'Hare International Airport rather than the movie, this time. Meri and I talked about the trailer for the live-action movie and how both we and the general public are viewing the situation of this movie existing, and then Jeff joined us for Volume 22 in the "Manga Review of Awesomeness" where we agree that Toriyama has figured out what the Hell he wanted to do. Definitely check it out.
There has been a ton of news that came out while we were out of town, so catch up via the podcast as well as the breakdown below!
While not entirely an accurate name, Spain is currently seeing a release of the DBZ TV series which they are calling "Dragon Box" sets. They are actually just packaged sets of five discs each from the single releases that we have been talking about for a while now. There are a couple touch-ups in areas like translations, so if you are over there and have not yet picked up the singles, this is probably a great way to check them out.
The first set (volumes 1-5, episodes 1-40) came out 22 October 2008, and the second set (volumes 6-10, episodes 41-80) just came out 10 December 2008.
A kanzenban release is coming to the Dutch! Starting in January 2009, Glenat will be releasing a new version of the manga in the kanzenban style (34 volumes), including the new ending, the tribute illustrations from other artists, and a new translation!
The game just came out in Japan earlier this month, and Infinite World on the PS2 managed to push 76,000 copies in its first week (coming in second only to the latest Professor Layton game, which itself pushed 87,000 copies).
Speaking of Infinite World, a few more details about its OP/ED CD single have come out. Right now we are seeing it as having only four tracks:
- Hikari no Sasu Mirai e!
- Dragon Ball Party
- We Gonna Take You There
- Hikari no Sasu Mirai e! (Instrumental)
There is no word on what that third track exactly is, but we have heard that there would be at least one English song on the disc, so it is possible that it is an English version of the opening theme ("Hikari no Sasu Mirai e!"). The CD is due out in Japan 25 December 2008 for ¥1200 from King Records (LACM-4555).
While still on the subject of video games, Origins has a review up over on IGN. It seems like the major sites are only just now getting around to catching-up on some of these smaller releases, so if our own initial thoughts left you guessing (we will get around to finishing it, I promise!) check out Bozon's review over on IGN. He gave it an 8.2, which I think is pretty generous.
Once we saw that FUNimation was going to package DBZ movies 7 and 9 together for their next double-feature, we all correctly assumed we would see some type of (additional) Broli/Broly compilation to DVD and Blu-ray. Sure enough, Wal-Mart put up a listing for a "Triple Feature" with DBZ movies 8, 10, and 11 (all three Broli movies). Interestingly enough, they seemed to get a placeholder image with some odd background choices:
Yep, those are images from the two feature-style DBZ TV specials in the background. Hopefully this will be corrected before the double feature's release 31 March 2009. If you remember there being a Blu-ray release back in November 2007, you are correct. Check out the respective "DVD Guide" page for more information and clarification (and a little speculation).
This is something that you older fans are going to immediately recognize and get pretty psyched about! Bandai is apparently re-releasing the entire Carddass series over in Japan in big box sets. The first set is due out for a hefty ¥10,500, but it is a huge amount of cards...!
Head on over to dragonballtoys.com to check out some of the awesome DB stuff Banpresto will be releasing next year. We are especially fond of the following item, and leave the rest of the commentary to you:
The last bit of news comes to us courtesy of Jump over in Japan. Apparently Namco-Bandai is going to be developing a game for the PSP based on the American-made live-action movie!
There are no details other than that it will be coming out in Japan March 2009, which corresponds with the movie's release over there. There is no word yet on a North American release, but if we know Atari, they will jump all over the chance to put out more DB games. |
10 December 2008
VegettoEX @ 8:51 am EST -- We tend to only cover the biggest, most important bits of news regarding the upcoming American live-action DragonBall movie. It is an incredibly big piece of news in and of itself, but with so many other things going on in the Dragon World, it makes more sense for us here to only touch upon these big pieces.
Well, here are a couple of those big pieces!
The full-length Japanese trailer for the movie leaked online today, so go take a gander while you still can:
In addition to that, Anime News Network is reporting (via the Sports Nippon newspaper) that none other than Ayumi Hamasaki will be performing the theme song to the movie ("Rule"). They note that it will be used as the theme song "... in over 60 countries around the world"; there is no specific notation of whether or not the US will get this song.
We'll save our personal opinions for this weekend's upcoming podcast. While it will still be the "Manga Review of Awesomeness" for volume 22 (DBZ volume 6) of the manga, we will dedicate some time to the latest live-action movie developments. Hopefully it won't kill the podcast. Again.
UPDATE: IGN is actually "premiering" the "international" trailer, themselves, with various formats and sizes available. Check it. |
09 December 2008
VegettoEX @ 11:58 am EST -- I have been plugging away at a few specific things over the last month or so for the site, and I am hoping to debut at least one new section very soon! In the meantime and before all that, though, I wanted to clean up a few existing things and add some supplemental material to others.
The first of these is the "Rumor Guide" which has a general clean-up (some back-end stuff, but also some minor text updates), as well as one genuine new addition. Big thanks to Kenpei for reminding me about this one:
RUMOR: Linkin Park performed the original FUNimation opening theme for DragonBall Z, affectionately titled "Rock the Dragon".
You probably already know the answer to this, but head on over to the main page of the "Rumor Guide" for a little enlightenment, none-the-less. |
07 December 2008
VegettoEX @ 11:06 am EST -- Episode #0154 of the podcast is available for download! We had such a fun time with this one, and I genuinely both enjoyed myself a ton and learned a bit in the process. We brought on Meghan and Kat to talk about cosplay with us, wide sub-topics all over the place with things like cross-play, photo shoots, and more! They were truly great to have on, so look for them again in the future (since there is still so much more we could talk about). Definitely check it out.
In more personal news (but still DB-related), I got in a few new things this week that you might find of interest (as mentioned on the show):
That one right there is Daimaô Fukkatsu for the Famicom. It's actually the first Famicom game I own (besides the American NES release of Dragon Power), so it's great to be dipping back into the past a little bit. I got it for mere dollars with complete packaging (instruction book and all) and it is in absolutely amazing shape!
In more hilarious news, sangofe has fed into my addiction and personal joke, and has provided yet another copy of DBZ movie 1 for my collection:
With another four languages or so on this disc, I am in amusing-fandom-heaven. To recap, here are the versions of the movie I now own:
- Fansub VHS
- Dub VHS (FUNimation/Pioneer; 1997)
- Subtitled VHS (FUNimation/Pioneer; 1997)
- Laserdisc (FUNimation/Pioneer; 1997)
- DVD (FUNimation/Pioneer; 1997)
- DVD (FUNimation "Ultimate Uncut"; 2005)
- DVD (FUNimation "First Strike" Box Set; 2006)
- Dragon Box DVD Set (Toei; 2006)
- German DVD (Polyband/AB Groupe; 2004)
- Sweedish DVD (SF Norge/AB Groupe; 2004)
- and... taped off of Cartoon Network
Anyone else want to contribute anything? |
03 December 2008
VegettoEX @ 12:19 pm EST -- FUNimation's new DragonBall GT "season one" boxset is finally out, and boy do we have a whole bunch of info pouring in about it!
- Five discs
- Same packaging style as the DBZ TV "remastered" season sets
- A new encode and "clean-up" though there are numerous blurring issues that continue to remove detail
- Full screen presentation (no cropped-widescreen)
- Contains Episodes 1-34 (correctly numbered; no more "Lost Episodes" nonsense)
- Audio tracks: English dub w/ Japanese score, English dub TV broadcast track (Menza score), original Japanese
- OP, ED1, ED2 included on English tracks as new English versions of original Japanese songs
- Both English dub audio tracks play with English versions of original Japanese theme songs
- The newly dubbed songs do not use the original Japanese instrumentation
- "Step Into The Grand Tour" is completely absent
- English dub tracks all use "Hercule" in spoken dialogue (whereas the original DVD release used "Mr. Satan")
- The eye-catch is visually cut to match the English music instead of the (proper) reverse way
- Next-episode previews are removed (whereas the original DVD releases had them)
- Opening credits have Japanese production crew listed
- Original DBGT logo is gone, replaced solely with FUNimation's own creation
- Japanese title cards are gone, replaced solely with FUNimation's dub title cards (no alternate angles)
- Extras confirm that the DBGT TV SP will be included on the second box set
Special thanks to SSJ Kaboom for pulling together the above image. Check out all sorts of additional tidbits in our discussion thread.
Finally, in a bit of frustrating news, the special Goku figure from Medicom that we mentioned at the very beginning of the year is starting to showcase serious production issues, as brought to our attention by our forum member Oldphan and posted on dragonballtoys.com:
With the prices that people pay for these things, it is certainly frustrating to see something like this. Hopefully Medicom will get their act together and issue some type of statement, especially with more DBZ figures on the way. |
01 December 2008
VegettoEX @ 11:29 am EST -- Haven't picked up Burst Limit yet? If you don't mind playing it on the 360 with its terrible controller for fighting games (and trust me, it's not any better with the Hori joystick due to the button assignments and the necessity to hold down certain buttons while pressing others), feel free to grab it over on Amazon for a special Cyber-Money price of $14.95.
The PS3 version (which I would have purchased if I had a PS3 at the time of the game's release) is also supposed to be $14.95 today, but is still showing up as $39.99 for the time being, anyway... |
30 November 2008
VegettoEX @ 3:45 pm EST -- Episode #0153 of the podcast is available for download! You have all probably been watching it non-stop for the last week, so take a break and listen to the bunch of us talk about the Jump Anime Tour special, Ossu! Kaette Kita Son Gokû to Nakama-tachi!! We brought on Hujio and Herms from Kanzentai to discuss it with us, too! It has been over ten years since the last true, new addition to the franchise, so how does this hold up? Lots of great discussion points and stories to be shared. Definitely check it out.
We have also heavily updated the main page of the "Movie Guide" to include the new Jump Anime Tour special (basic info as well as a detailed synopsis) and a few other items. It should be a little more streamlined, and all of the other pages should follow suit in the near future.
Just wanted to leave you with one last thing for the day, though. On last week's show, our buddy Jeff decided that it would be a fantastic idea to fuse Appule and Paragas together to form "Appuragas". Well... one particular listener went above and beyond the call of duty.
That's right. Appuragas, submitted for your approval. What do you think, DragonBall fandom? |
23 November 2008
VegettoEX @ 3:17 pm EST -- Episode #0152 of the podcast is available for download! I don't blame you if you're too busy watching and re-watching the new Jump Anime Tour special (see update below), but if you're looking to cure that DBZ itch a little more, we're here for you! We tackled Volume 21 of the manga (DBZ Volume 5 if you're going with Viz), and we certainly had some interesting thoughts about where Toriyama is taking the story and how he's getting there. Lots of other great stuff, too, if you've got the time in between viewings...! Definitely check it out.
VegettoEX @ 11:48 am EST -- That's right, folks! It's online right now and it is completely subtitled in English (pretty well, no less)! Go watch it!
Head on over to Jumpland's English page for the special, and click the big "Download Browser" button in the bottom-right. You'll need to be on a Windows-based machine to install this viewing program. Once that's done, go ahead and click the "Watch this anime" button in the middle with Vegeta & Table. As mentioned, it is completely subtitled in English (with the translations apparently done by a one Mr. "Anthony Carl Kimm").
The special is going to be available for streaming online completely for free up until 31 January 2009. We are assuming (with absolutely no confirmation, of course) that there will be some type of DVD release in the future after that.
EDIT: Nevermind! Future DVD release confirmed! It sounds like it will be coming packaged with certain Jump magazines in Japan starting next year, so everyone start making pen-pals...!
Check back later today for Episode #0152 of the podcast which, while unfortunately not yet about this new special (that'll be next week), is a wonderful "Manga Review of Awesomeness"...! |
19 November 2008
VegettoEX @ 12:07 pm EST -- We are pulling a bit of material all from the same place, so while it seems like we're simply regurgitating info you can read elsewhere, I don't feel too bad about it since we give you new content at least once a week ^_~.
This week's Oricon chart (reported through Anime News Network) shows the individual Japanese R2 DVD releases of DBZ movies 8 and 7 in the top two spots doing about 7,070 and 6,476 copies, respectively. Definitely not too shabby in the numbers department.
Anime News Network also has an updated "The X Button" column discussing many things Toriyama, including a pretty favorable review of DragonBall Origins for the Nintendo DS. In addition to Infinite World, we did have some meaty initial thoughts on the game on this week's podcast, so tune in there if you're looking for even more coverage.
Speaking of which, three years ago to the day we started up that little show here on the site. The podcast is three years old, and the site itself is coming up on eleven years. Time sure flies when you're having fun...! |
18 November 2008
VegettoEX @ 9:38 pm EST -- Wow. I don't think you could possibly sum it up any more than Greg Miller did for his own review over on IGN:
Do not play Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World.
Yep, they've given it a 3.5 (out of 10). If you tune in to our latest podcast episode, you'll hear from our end that we certainly don't feel like it's anywhere near that level. Since this is such a huge discrepancy, let's take a couple points from Greg's review and see how he arrived at the final score.
It's not that fighting is broken in this fighter; it's just that it's really boring. You'll tap buttons like mad, and end up just firing off fireballs.
Very interesting, especially when you consider the scores given to games like Budokai 3 (8.0), Shin Budokai 2 (7.7), and Burst Limit (7.9). Granted, these were all written by different reviewers at the site, but that's a pretty huge difference when you know that the fighting mechanics in all four games are essentially the same (which some tune-ups and changes here and there, of course).
These events aren't fun, and they certainly don't make me feel like I'm playing the anime. Did I miss the episode when floating hexagons descended on the world?
This I can get behind. As you can hear in the podcast episode, I wasn't hugely fond of the new "mini-games" and how they all essentially played the same clunky way each time.
When Goku's deployed to learn how to block, three fractions are put at the bottom of the screen to represent how many times you have to do each type of block in the allotted amount of time. Oddly, the game never tells you how to do these blocks or which fraction is counting which type of block. You just have to leap around and try to figure out what the hell the game wants.
I both understand where Greg's coming from on this, and take major issue with it at the same time. The game doesn't tell you in an obvious way what your goals are and how to do them, but if you click through before you start the mission, there absolutely is a screen that explains how to do all three of those types of blocks.
Honestly, it doesn't seem like Greg played much of the game beyond the Saiya-jin arc when you consider that most of the text involving the rest of the game is essentially a rehash of marketing speak about the game known beforehand and right on the box itself. That's not to say I'm defending Infinite World to any insane degree, but it may warrant a much closer look than Greg and IGN were willing to give it.
GamePro gave it an equally-interesting 2-out-of-5, and we're still waiting for a bunch of the other big sites to dish out the official review.
In other Infinite World news, Game Trailers is hosting a very interesting trailer for the game called "Best of Budokai Trailer". It's pretty well done, including the mention of Hironobu Kageyama music that enthralled us so much on the back of the box. What's really interesting, however, is the obvious mix of game sources used to create it. Beta versions, Japanese version, and final American version can all be seen! |
16 November 2008
VegettoEX @ 3:51 pm EST -- Episode #0151 of the podcast is available for download! This week we took a look at the two latest video game releases, DragonBall Z: Infinite World for the PS2 and DragonBall Origins for the Nintendo DS. No clue what either of these are? You'll get a crash-course in them and be able to easily figure out if you're interested. With two games coming out at the same time, it make sense for me to briefly steal Meri's semi-recurring segment, and so I busted out what I consider the Top 5 DB Video Games Of All Time...! Definitely check it out.
In addition to the episode's general content, here are some news bits to catch up on:
Toei & Pony Canyon have slipped out the covers for individual R2 DVD releases of DBZ movies 9 and 10.
Also, our buddy Tanooki Kuribo dug up some info on new figures that just started coming out in the last couple months which we totally missed. Check out the third-form Freeza from the DX DragonBall Creatures line!
Absolutely awesome stuff. Pop in to the discussion thread on the forum for more information and images. |
13 November 2008
VegettoEX @ 11:01 am EST -- While it's mostly been considered a joke by gaming enthusiasts, Spike TV's VGAs have indeed been getting slightly better over the years. In a halfway-shocking nod, DragonBall Z: Burst Limit (the PS3/360 fighter from Dimps that came out earlier this year) is actually up for "Best Fighting Game". Being that it's up against the likes of Soul Calibur IV and Super Smash Bros. Brawl (OK, and the soon-to-be-released Mortal Kombat vs DC), it probably doesn't stand much of a chance. Regardless, the DragonBall and Naruto mentions certainly prove how far these games have come over the years.
VegettoEX @ 9:03 am EST -- This may only truly be of interest to all you Frenchies out there, but according to licensing.biz, TF1 Enterprises has been selected as the new merchandising broker for the various DragonBall properties.
TF1 Licences will handle France, French speaking Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Monaco and will have merchandising rights for the brand with the exception of toy, video games, publishing and Lamincards categories.
"TF1 Licences ranks among one of the international market's most prolific licensing organisations and brings to its representation of Dragon Ball an outstanding track record of licensing success and a deep commitment to our brands," said Kanji Kazahaya, director of the international department at Toei.
Did you guys 'n gals have any cool merchandise previously, or was it all import stuff? |
09 November 2008
VegettoEX @ 9:10 pm EST -- Episode #0150 of the podcast is available for download! That's right, Meri and I have returned from our wonderful vacation consisting of those pesky little "wedding" and "honeymoon" things! We are right back into the swing of things, though, and joined back up with Julian to do a podcast of catching-up on news. Definitely check it out.
Of course, we can't just talk about it all on the show and not go over everything in text, so here's a recap of everything that's been going on!
New DBZ Abridged
The folks from TeamFourStar have updated with Episode 6 of their series, along with a Halloween special. We love the work they've been doing, so we hope you all enjoy it, too!
Navarre Q1 Fiscal 2009 Quarterly Report
There is nothing of huge interest this time around for Navarre, FUNimation's parent company. The only slight bit of news was the following note regarding the "publishing segment" of Navarre, which includes FUNimation:
Net sales for the publishing segment were $27.4 million (before inter-company eliminations) for the first quarter fiscal 2009 compared to $29.6 million (before inter-company eliminations) for the first quarter fiscal 2008. The 7.4% decrease in net sales over the prior year quarter was primarily due to a lack of new releases in the software category and stronger anime releases in the prior year. The Company believes sales results in the future will be dependent upon its ability to continue to add new, appealing content and upon the strength of the retail environment.
All this really says is that the economy is kinda crappy at the moment, and better releases came out last year.
FUNimation Goes After Bootleggers
This one came from Anime News Network while we were gone. Thankfully, FUNimation has finally decided to go after DiscountAnimeDVD.com and its associated persons and businesses. It took them years, but it's great to finally see them go after what is a genuine threat to the industry.
FUNimation's Next Releases Are...
Apparently FUNimation will finally be breaking their shockingly accurate chronological consistency for the first time in the next "remastered" series of releases by packing DBZ movies 7 and 9 together.
That's right; you're looking at Vegeta from the Cell arc on the cover front and center, instead of... oh, I dunno... something actually from one of the movies. Sure, there's Gohan and #13(?) hidden in the background, but this is certainly a very silly choice of cover art to match the silly choice of skipping a movie (to, no doubt, create another interesting Broli pack). This double feature will be dropping on 10 February 2008, along with the second "season" (let's just say "second half) of the DragonBall GT TV series:
Yep, that's SSJ4 Gogeta, who appears within a single episode, gracing the cover of the set. Early reports are noting that the DBGT TV special will also be included on this set. February's a wacky month for FUNimation, apparently.
FUNimation Marketing Blunder
We don't mean to keep jumping down FUNimation's throat, but this is just too hilarious to pass up. Apparently their main DBZ website had up the following advertisement for the upcoming DBZ movies 5 & 6 double feature release:
The HD-DVD mention was, obviously, a mistake. When you clicked said link it would take you to the standard DVD ordering page. How this could get through any type of review process is beyond us, though.
New Video Games Available ("Infinite World" & "Origins")
Both DragonBall Z: Infinite World for the PlayStation 2 (official press release) and DragonBall Origins for the Nintendo DS (official press release) made their way into North American stores this week.
Next week's podcast episode is going to be our initial thoughts on both of the games, so stay tuned for that. As a brief recap, though, Infinite World is basically a bonus, phoned-it-in budget release for the US (though full-price in Japan) that takes Dimps' Budokai series, incorporates a couple little things from its next-gen brother Burst Limit, slaps in some mini-games, and jumps into your PS2. DragonBall Origins (or DragonBall DS as it was named in Japan) is an all-new 3D action game for the DS very similar in style to a Zelda release in terms of its puzzle-solving and action sequences.
New DragonBall x One Piece Crossover Game
While it is unfortunately not a new console game, the 40th anniversary of Shonen Jump brings us more crossover goodness in the form of Bandai's new Let's!TV Play game, DragonBall Z x One Piece: Batoru Taikan Gomu-Gomu no Kamehameha ~omee no koe de ora wo yobu~ (or DragonBall Z & One Piece: Battle Sensation Gum-Gum Kamehameha ~With your voice you can call me up~... yes, that last part is as if Goku was speaking it). Think of it as something like a standalone Wii game, except that you also get to call your partner for help and unleash dual super attacks.
Bandai has a commercial for it on their website which includes some actual gameplay footage:
Looks pretty neat! It's pretty difficult to find these online for order from anywhere that will ship internationally, so if you happen to find a reliable place, let us know!
Infinite World Theme Song CD Single & Soundtrack
We are indeed getting some new music! The theme song to DragonBall Z: Infinite World ("Hikari no Sasu Mirai e!") will see its own CD single release on 25 December 2008. This CD single will include the opening and ending themes, presumably karaoke versions, and at least an English version of the opening! This CD is coming from King Records (LACM-4555) for ¥1200 (~$12). Pre-order it on sites like CDJapan or Play-Asia.
In addition to this, the full soundtrack for the game will be available 07 January 2009. It will include the short-length version of the opening theme, the ending theme, and also the English version of the opening (along with the majority of the game's standard background music). This CD is also coming from King Records (LACA-5852) for ¥3000 (~$30). Pre-order it on sites like CDJapan or Play-Asia.
As soon as official track listings and cover art are revealed, we'll have them for you!
More Theft Hilarity
A while back we told you about a funny story from Texas where a guy tried to steal some DBZ DVDs from his local Wal-Mart. This story comes to us from Japan, where a 21-year-old man and two teenage cohorts totally one-uped the American hick by stealing an entire gashapon machine. From Anime News Network:
The Mamoyama police station in the central Japanese prefecture of Shiga has arrested a man and two teenagers on October 22 on suspicion of stealing Dragon Ball anime figures — and the vending machine holding the figures. According to the police investigation, Tatsuya Chiyo, a 21-year-old concrete construction worker from Shiga's Rittō City, and two 16-year-old high school boys from the same city took a vending machine from outside a used bookstore in Mamoyama on July 7. Inside the machine were about 20 figures that sold for 200 yen (about US$2) each. The vending machine itself is worth about 14,000 yen (US$140).
Even though the bookstore had more than ten vending machines stacked side-by-side, the suspects reportedly took just the machine with the Dragon Ball figures "because they sell for high prices." The police say that they identified Chiyo from the fingerprints that were found on the machine after it had been abandoned in a nearby park.
Gotta love it.
Cheap DBZ & DBGT DVDs
RightStuf is clearing out even more inventory right now. If you head on over you can get a good deal on all sorts of DBZ movies and DBGT single volumes for ~$5 a pop. If this "remastered" business isn't up your alley and you have some holes in your collection to fill, this is a great way to do so.
More Cover Art
We already showcased FUNimation's upcoming DBZ movies 7 & 9 double feature along with their DBGT "season two" release, but here are some other upcoming items we are finally getting a glimpse of.
Viz will be releasing the entirety of the DragonBall portion of their manga 03 February 2009 (DB volumes 1-16):
Viz will also be releasing the entirety of the DragonBall Z portion of their manga on the same day (DB volumes 17-42):
Toei and Pony Canyon have also let loose the cover art for their upcoming single-DVD releases of DBZ movies 7 & 8 which will be out in Japan 14 November 2008:
Viz "Collector's Edition" Manga = Edited
Our buddy Tanooki Kuribo picked up Viz's recent "Collector's Edition" releases of both DB & DBZ volume 1. These hardcover editions seem to be part of a trend Viz is going with where they release just the first volume of a series in this special format with some color pages and updated cover art. Unfortunately, any editing from previous releases still remains, in addition to the early Trish Ledoux adaptation of Piccolo ("What say you?! Know you not the one to whom you show such insolence?!").
Jump Anime Tour Special To Be Streamed Online!
The best is always saved for last! That's right... according to Toei, the DBZ special from the Jump Anime Tour (Ossu! Kaette Kita Son Gokû to Nakama-tachi!!) will be steamed online beginning on 24 November 2008, the day after the last stop of the tour. From Anime News Network:
This year's 49th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine has announced on Saturday that the Jumpland website will stream three of the anime specials - Dragon Ball, Tegami Bachi, and Romance Dawn - that have been screened at this fall's Jump Super Anime Tour events. The free streaming will begin on November 24, the day after the last stop on the tour. There are no indications on whether viewers outside Japan will be blocked by their Internet protocol (IP) addresses.
We don't live under a rock, and are well aware that the instant something hits the internet, it will be immediately and infinitely available. The world has been waiting for the first true, new DB material since DBGT ended in 1997...!
All that readin' and listenin' should keep you guys 'n gals busy for quite some time. It's great to be back! |
17 October 2008
VegettoEX @ 9:27 am EST -- OK, fine. One more update before I take off for the weekend.
Not that anyone should ever take any stock in anything a GameSpot employee ever says, but a segment in their latest "On The Spot" video has a little feature on Infinite World (thanks for the link, Drabaz):
Among the "Ray - ditz" and "Booty - kai" pronunciations, Don Francis (Community Development, GameSpot) says that the North American release of the game will "definitely not" have the Japanese voice track.
I find this hard to believe, seeing that Atari has included this option in every game (minus Super DragonBall Z) since the "Greatest Hits" release of Budokai 3 in late 2005, where it has been a bulleted selling point ever since.
Furthermore, they mention at the end of the segment that no release date has been announced, despite Atari having already put out a press release noting the game's release on November 4th in North America (note that the game will come out one month later in Japan on December 4th).
It is videos and answers like these that only serve to confuse and anger the enthusiastic fans, who (judging by their questions) really want to know as much as they can about this game. It's fine not to know everything there is to know about the series and the game, but if you're doing a demo for those very same hardcore fans... don't fudge your way through it.
Anything else? Oh, right!
What, you thought I would leave you without at least another couple character design sheets? ^_~ |
16 October 2008
VegettoEX @ 10:01 pm EST -- I guess now is as good a time as any to post up a couple more character design sheets! You have seen bits and pieces of these before in a previous update, but here are more complete views:
The enemies are cool and all, but what we really like are when the characters we know and love get all decked-out in fancy clothes!
I may try to sneak another one or two in tomorrow, but that's probably going to be it for me until next week! Got that whole "wedding" thing to go take care of.
In the meantime, here are a bunch of things to keep you entertained:
- LAST WEEK'S PODCAST EPISODE
We did volume twenty in our "Manga Review of Awesomeness". Excellent discussion, if I do say so myself!
- OUR "TIDBITS" SECTION
Our miscellaneous, random, kinda-like-an-encyclopedia section has some really awesome information in it.
- VGCONVOS EPISODE FOUR
A monthly side-podcast that I do with Andrew and Jeff about video games. You'll love it. Check out the rest of the site while you're at it.
- WTF EX (Blog)
My personal blog. There's some hilarity. There's some rantings. All wonderful stuff, though.
- KANZENTAI
They're another great DragonBall website. You're already visiting them, right?
- AN INPROMPTU DISCUSSION OF "ALTAR"
You may know Jeff from his monthly appearances on our podcast. Here's something he filmed at AnimeUSA last weekend. Nate is his other half at Nightowl Pictures, and he recently completed a couple of films. One of them is "Altar".
Check you folks next week~ |
15 October 2008
VegettoEX @ 9:23 pm EST -- Wasted Wisher sent along some more of the character design sheets from Ossu! Kaette Kita Son Gokû to Nakama-tachi!! so we figured we'd put a couple up!
We'll try to post a couple more over the next day or so!
VegettoEX @ 11:48 am EST -- Not much to report here other than the fact that the games are at least finished for their North American releases and should be in stores on schedule! First up is DragonBall Z: Infinite World:
NEW YORK, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atari announced today that the development of the ultimate PlayStation(R)2 system Dragon Ball Z game, Dragon Ball Z(R): Infinite World, is complete! Representing the last "Z" title for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World combines many of the best elements from the previous Budokai and Shin-Budokai series, as well as the recently released and much-admired next-gen Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, to deliver the definitive DBZ experience on the PlayStation(R)2 system. Moreover, Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World will boast several special features including "Dragon Missions", new battle types, and dramatic cut scenes that enable fans to delve deeper than ever before into the Dragon Ball Z universe. Developed by NAMCO BANDAI Games, Inc. and rated T for Teen, Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World will be available in North American retailers on November 4, 2008 for the suggested price of $29.99.
(read more...)
Next up is DragonBall: Origins (originally released in Japan as DragonBall DS):
NEW YORK, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atari announces that development of the latest hit from the Dragon Ball franchise, Dragon Ball: Origins for Nintendo DS(TM), is complete! Developed by NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc., Dragon Ball: Origins takes players back to the original Dragon Ball series and around the world for a thrilling action-adventure game with innovative stylus controls. Marking the first ever Dragon Ball game to feature Goku and Bulma as kids, and filled with several new gameplay elements including puzzle solving, fighting action, and mazes, Dragon Ball: Origins will be an essential and unique part of any Dragon Ball collection. Rated T for Teen, Dragon Ball: Origins will be available in North American retailers on November 4, 2008 for the suggested price of $29.99.
(read more...)
There was an interview recently posted on GameTrailers.com where Donny Clay reverted back to the old "we did this" and "we did that" talk that irritated us so much (being that Atari does not actually create these games). It was comforting to see the Namco-Bandai development so prominently listed right up front in these press releases. We completely understand that it's Atari's job to hype these games and that their "brand managers" (for lack of a better term) don't always know everything about the series, but we just want to see credit go where credit is due.
Finally, Atari has been fully aquired by Infogrames. We'll keep an eye on any future licensing terms and re-negotiations should any occur. As far as we can tell, Atari's (and thus Infogrames') license to release DB-franchise games continues until 2010. What happens in two years is anyone's guess. |
12 October 2008
VegettoEX @ 8:18 pm EST -- Episode #0149 of the podcast is available for download! This is probably going to finish out shows for the month, but hopefully you can all get along without new podcast material for a couple weeks! For the last show before our break, we dove into volume twenty (Viz's DBZ Volume 4) of the manga. The Saiya-jin arc is all about action right now, and there is a whole lot to talk about. In addition to the manga, we've got a recap of all the news (which you've probably read below), some e-mails, and a bunch of other good stuff. Definitely check it out.
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10 October 2008
VegettoEX @ 10:39 pm EST -- Well, that was fast! If you read through the below update, you'll see that there have been hints of a new vocal theme song being produced for the upcoming PS2 game Infinite World. One of the latest trailers (from Atari, no less) confirms this by blasting it right from the start!
We'll try to have details on the song soon! |
09 October 2008
VegettoEX @ 10:39 pm EST -- I'm really struggling to keep up this week with all the insanity going on. We are absolutely going to have a podcast episode going up this weekend, but that's probably going to be it for the month of October. Thankfully, it's a jam-packed "Manga Review of Awesomeness" episode, so look forward to that.
In the meantime, here are a few bits of news and other items of interest that you should be checking out.
The upcoming DragonBall Z: Infinite World for the PS2 has been getting a lot of press thanks to the currently-on-going Tokyo Game Show. Namco-Bandai has been showcasing it among all of their other games, and we have been able to learn a little more about it.
It appears that the opening sequence to the game is going to be CG-based (like Spike's Sparking! series) rather than traditional 2D animation (like Dimps' Budokai 2 and 3). Thankfully, it looks much more faithful to the source material than Spike's efforts. You can catch a glimpse of it thanks to a video by DigInfo (it is floating around on YouTube). Additionally, this page over on the Atari UK website is noting music by Hironobu Kageyama. Will we be getting yet another new vocal theme song?! Here's hoping! It could just be a recycled older song (similar to Sparking! and Sparking! NEO, along with Super DragonBall Z), so we'll have to wait for more solid confirmation on that. If you need even more to salivate over, IGN has a crap-ton of screen shots up.
In other video game readings, Daryl Surat (from Anime World Order, which you should also be listening to) has his review of Burst Limit up over on the Otaku USA Magazine's website. Full of truthiness, it is.
Last bit of gaming news is that Goku will be making a not-all-that-unexpected appearance in the upcoming Dr. Slump & Arale-chan on the Nintendo DS, due out on 30 October 2008 in Japan. I wouldn't hold my breath for a domestic release.
Looking for a Dragon Box? People have started to notice that Amazon Japan has miraculously listed the original DragonBall TV series' respective box set for sale again. It's around $850, but that's a pretty darn good price, and lower than the standard retail price at release. If I wasn't in the middle of paying for a wedding and honeymoon, I'd be all over that shiz! Present, anyone...? Me love you long time.
People are saying that the official trailer for the upcoming live-action movie will not be playing alongside Max Payne as originally planned / reported.
Kyoko~chan wrote to let us know that CDJapan has some new calendars up for order! The 2009 DragonBall calendar is looking pretty awesome, and the general Toei one is equally impressive.
SuperSaiyan000 wrote to let us know that DBZ Battleground put up a new commercial for some of Bandai's new figures. That surrounding clip-on aura is certainly... interesting.
Finally, Harley wrote to point us towards an interview from 1986 with Akira Toriyama and Rumiko Takahashi over on Rumic World / furinkan.com. Definitely a good read, if for nothing other than a picture of a very young Toriyama! Seriously, though, there's a lot of really good insight from around the time that DragonBall was still only just getting started.
"I wanted to keep it a secret, but I planned to submit my drafts to Shonen Magazine at first, but I found the deadline had already passed, so I had no choice but to send it to Shonen Jump. The reason why I became a mangaka… to be honest, I just wanted the 100,000 yen prize (laughs)."
That's our Toriyama...! |
05 October 2008
VegettoEX @ 8:52 pm EST -- Episode #0148 of the podcast is available for download! This was an interesting episode, because it was supposed to be about the upcoming live-action movie, and more specifically about the trailer(s) that leaked online earlier this month. However, it simply was not meant to be. Due to some slight incompetence on my end, and a little bit of Linux being a jerk, the entire topic-portion of the show is more or less a lost cause. Instead, what we have for you is the opening conversation, and then a story from Herms of Kanzentai about how he tried to sneak into the Jump Anime Tour to catch a showing of the new DBZ special! Definitely check it out.
In other news, Famitsu had some new Infinite World screens up this week:
Sounds like we have some nice little mini-games coming our way. That first one is of Trunks training with Vegeta in the Room of Spirit and Time (hopefully it will be better than the respective stage in Sagas, which if I remember correctly is where I threw the controller at the wall and gave up for good). The second is looking to be my favorite so far, which is taking control of Freeza from a first-person perspective and shooting some Namek arse out of the sky!
Infinite World is due out on the PS2 in Japan on 04 December 2008, but in the US earlier on 04 November 2008. |
01 October 2008
VegettoEX @ 8:33 pm EST -- I guarantee that I'm paying attention to things. It's incredibly difficult to pull together updates when you're closing in on your wedding date, though :P
So DragonBall DS did 72,000 copies its first week in Japan, coming in at #2 only to Pokemon Platinum. Not too shabby.
As you've probably seen on lots of sites, the first (shaky-cam) glimpse of the live-action movie trailer has hit the interwebz. Since I don't feel like dealing with take-down notices right now, I won't post up any images and such just yet. I'll also reserve more in-depth thoughts for when a standard quality version hits.
Kanzentai has lots of good info about (and a summary of) the Jump Anime Tour special, Ossu! Kaette Kita Son Gokû to Nakama-tachi!! Be sure to check it out. |
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Sparking! METEOR
Vocal Opening (ZIP)
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You've been lied to. Want to learn all about the "Remastered" DBZ Season One boxset? Check out Episode #0065 of the podcast for all the details. For reference's sake... no, we won't be covering Season Two onwards. We fully support the domestic anime industry... but simply not when it's presented like this.
Wrath
Of The Dragon Trailer
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