29 November 2004

General Ramblings
VegettoEX @ 12:10 pm EST -- A couple reminders to our readers:

We haven't gotten many "Ask VegettoEX" submissions, lately, which is why it hasn't been updated! Send in some questions, and we'll be more than happy to update!

Expect some further updates to the somewhat-neglected "Filler Guide" in the coming days!

No, for the last time, there is not as-of-yet a full-length version of the vocal Budokai 3 theme. It appears on neither the American or European version of the game. We'll just have to wait for the Japanese release. I can't count the number of e-mails I've been getting about this :P.

27 November 2004

Stop Believing Everything You Read on the Internet
VegettoEX @ 11:57 pm EST -- I have been very sad the last day or so. My faith in the ability of people to discern what is "true" and what is "so obviously not true" is... well... actually lower than it usually is. Thankfully, the folks on our own forum seem to have a spark going on, 'cuz we haven't had this pop-up yet.

Folks...

Why would an official statement regarding Budokai 3 be written in German, nevermind poorly written in German?!?

I literally screamed aloud this morning, continuing to read on endless forums how many people immediately believe this nonsense.

Yes, it's quite obvious that the game was not finished in time.

Yes, it's quite obvious that the developers wanted to add certain things.

No, no-one involved with the the game is German or speaks German.

Yes, you're a complete dolt for believing this.

I have nothing else to say. I'm still in a very upset, confused, trembling, apocalyptic sadness, all due to the fact that people believe this nonsense. I once again offer a giant hug to my own forum posters, who have the (relative) sanity to not believe such things.

I'm sorry if this seems like a general insult to every single last DBZ fan on the Internet... but...

NO, REALLY?!? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, SOMETIMES?!?

23 November 2004

Unfinished "Dragon Universe" Quests?
VegettoEX @ 1:26 pm EST -- To further support the theory that Budokai 3 is quite an unfinished product, I've come up with some audio files that seem to suggest Chibi ("Kid") Goku was originally intended to have his own "Dragon Universe" storyline.

What's really sad is that it sounds like it would have been great! There's some fuuuuunny stuff in here. Here's a zip file; 34 sound files, MP3, 112 kbps, 24 kHz. Again, this is right off the American Budokai 3 disc; there's no "faking" going on, here. We've set up a specific thread for discussion on this matter, so check it out. For the love of god, don't run around directly linking to this file on your favorite message boards. Link to the site, instead.

I plan, in the very near future, to just sit and go through all the files on the disc. There seems to be a few other characters that were intended to have "Dragon Universe" stories, and just aren't in the game. Needless to say, I'm quite sad.

21 November 2004

Even More Interesting Budokai 1, 2, 3 Audio...
VegettoEX @ 12:20 am EST -- It never occurred to me that I should probably check the audio on the first Budokai game. I wanted to check the announcer recordings of DBZ1 vs DBZ3 with characters like Zarbon & Dodoria to determine if they were left-over recordings, or new ones done specifically for the third game.

What I found was even more interesting. Before you read any further, please note that I have set up this specific thread for conversation on the topic, and if you do not read the notes presented along with each game's list, you and your wacky theories will be ignored.

Furthermore, do not directly link to our files. It is rude, I will find out, and I will be upset. If you must, link to this main page (the URL is www.daizex.com).

DRAGONBALL Z: BUDOKAI (1)

In addition to the regular playable characters we all know, the following additional announcements are indeed on the disc:

• "Saibaman versus...!"
• "Cell Jr. versus...!"
• "Kui versus...!"

Saibaiman and Cell Jr. had not been playable characters until the third game, yet have been fully complete since the first game (as NON-playable characters). Quite interesting. Perhaps they were intended to be playable, at some point? Or maybe just as testing devices for the play-testers to use in World Tournament? And what's up with Kui being in there?! Was he intended to be a character, and was simply never finished?

(Oh, and if you don't remember who Kewi was, here's a preview inside our upcoming "Characters Guide"... yay!)

DRAGONBALL Z: BUDOKAI 2

Absolutely nothing of interest not already known.

DRAGONBALL Z: BUDOKAI 3

The main goal (before finding extra DBZ1 audio!) was to compare the announcing of character names with DBZ1 announcements. If they were not the exact same sounding, that means they were new recordings, and recorded for some reason. Well, they sure are new recordings! Listen for yourself.

In addition to the boosted audio clarity, there's just a hugely distinct difference between DBZ1's and DBZ3's announcements.

We do not claim to have inside information about the game(s), and we are not claiming that any character(s) is/are (a) playable character in the game(s). We are providing information, evidence of that information, and listing any amount of factual anything that can go along with this. We are not a gossip site, and we do not make claims without hard evidence. Anything you read concerning the above information on any other site is not due to what we may or may not say, and is of the author's own free will and dis/mis-information.

With that said, you can find more audio samples and information within our dedicated thread for these DBZ 1, 2, 3 audio announcements. We welcome your thoughts.

EDIT: Fixed the #19 links. My bad.

17 November 2004

Bulma in Budokai 3 - Video Proof
VegettoEX @ 11:59 am EST -- For proof that Bulma is an actual character in Budokai 3, look no further than the "exclusive bonus DVD" that came with the Collector's Edition of the game. Featuring behind-the-scenes shots of actual voice work being performed on the game...

Here's Tiffany Vollmer, FUNimation's voice actress for Bulma, actually performing typical "Yah! Hiya! Ha! Ooyah! Get back! Ha!" fighting sounds. [ MPEG, 352x240, 892 KB; right-click "Save"]

I do not know Tiffany Vollmer, I am not Christopher Sabat instructing her on what to do, and if you don't believe me, listen to the announcer sound files I've posted earlier and watch the damn DVD for yourself :).

... or, better yet, let's all keep playing the game for a while and figure out how exactly Bulma integrates into the gameplay, be it as a fully-playable character or not!

Oh, and BTW, IGN has reviewed the game... 8.0. Check it.

DragonBall Z: Sagas First Info / Screenshots
VegettoEX @ 1:28 am EST -- Atari has put up a new page with the first actual information and... *gasp*... screen-shots from the upcoming DragonBall Z: Sagas (which seems to now no-longer have the word "Evolution" in the title).

Join the Z-Warriors on their epic journey from the Saiyan Saga through the Cell Games. Battle their enemies. Gain power from their victories. Discover all-new parts of the DBZ® story as you obliterate fully destructible environments. Enter their world and become a hero.

• Play as one of five DBZ® heroes including Goku®, Gohan® and Piccolo®
• Face brutal enemies including Raditz™, Nappa™, Captain Ginyu®, Frieza® and Cell®
• Unlock bonus areas, characters and other hidden surprises
• Battle in 1- or 2-player mode

Killing henchmen on Namek as Vegeta?! I'm so there. I'll try to post whatever information and video I can, tomor... err... later today... after checking out the preview disc that comes with the Collector's Edition of Budokai 3 ^_~.

16 November 2004

"DVD Guide" Updates
VegettoEX @ 2:51 pm EST -- The "DVD Guide" has had every single page updated in some way or another (*elbows Julian*), so be sure to check it all out. I'm 99.9% sure that we're all caught up with release dates and cover art. I've even added and updated some "Notes" here and there throughout the pages.

Hey, buy our stuff. See above/below.

EB damn well better let me pick up Budokai 3 in a bit.

EDIT: Denied. Tomorrow circa noon.

15 November 2004

Budokai 3 Review + We're eBaying... Buy Our Stuff!
VegettoEX @ 11:30 pm EST -- Gamespot seems to be the first with their Budokai 3 review...a not-too-shabby 8.2~!!! We'll let you know as the other major players get their reviews done.

In other (not) news, Meri and I have a bunch o' good stuff for sale. Looking to pick up some cheap anime stash? Want to get a cheap head-start on holiday shopping? I've got 22 items for sale, and she's got 52 items... yes, there's even some DBZ things!

VegettoEX's "For-Sale" Items :|: Meri's "For Sale" Items

13 November 2004

More Budokai 3 Speculation...
VegettoEX @ 1:40 pm EST -- So I just did the same thing as below with the Budokai 2 audio. Neither Android 19, Shin, or Bulma are announced in that game, which means those recordings are completely brand-new for Budokai 3. One can still argue that Zarbon, Dodoria, and Android 19 are left-over sound files from the previous two games, but you can't ignore the other two.

Be sure to read below, if you haven't already. Definitely.

12 November 2004

Budokai 3 Media & News Coming Out the Arse
VegettoEX @ 8:44 pm EST -- There's just so much stuff to share and rejoice about, we're just going to get right into it. Have fun!

"Music Downloads": You'll find the full-length instrumental and the short vocal version of the new Budokai 3 opening theme song! Both digitally ripped from the European game, itself. If anyone has been able to play through to the ending credits, we'd love to know what it titles the song as!

(Sadly, it seems we're going to have to wait for the Japanese version of the game, itself, before we can determine if there's been a full-length vocal version of the song recorded... it doesn't appear to be in the European version.)

"Lyrics": The romanized and translated lyrics to the short opening theme. Julian's all over that shiznit.

"Images - Animation": A whopping 121 screen captures from the new opening sequence. Sooooo gorgeous... *drool*

In addition to that, we're hosting a very nice 352x240 MPEG-1 of the game's opening sequence, complete with the Japanese vocal version of the song! Special thanks to Rachel for the space.

Expect to see all this material popping up on tons of other sites in the near future :P. That's always cute ^_~.

In other crazy news, I went through the sound files in the game. Found the announcer's... err... announcements for the characters' names. You know, "Goku vs...!" and so on. You want a list? You're gonna piss your pants. (Note: I'm using the dub names / spellings as they're spoken by the announcer, not by choice... as if I'd actually say "Hercule" :P).

• Goku
• Gohan
• Vegeta
• Krillin
• Trunks
• Piccolo
• Tien
• Yamcha
• Raditz
• Nappa
• Captain Ginyu
• Recoome
• Zarbon
• Dodoria
• Freeza
• Android 16
• Android 17
• Android 18
• Android 19
• Cell
• Hercule
• Great Saiyaman
• Saibaman
• Cell Jr.
• Dr. Gero
• Goten
• Majin Buu
• Dabura
• Videl
• Supreme Kai
• Shin
• Uub
• Cooler
• Bardock
• Broly
• Omega Shenron
• Saibaman
• Cell Jr.
• Bulma

Yes, "Cell Jr." and "Saibaman" get two entries. Dunno why. Also, let's note that Zarbon, Dodoria, and Android 19 may be left-over sound files from the previous two games; let's not jump to conclusions. Then there's "Shin"... if that was meant to be Kaioshin, why would "Supreme Kai" already be there, too?

BULMA.

No Janenba, no Hildegarn, no Bebi, no whatever. Of course, this is only for "World Tournament" mode, which doesn't include fusions (ya' know, only two people in the ring per match... can't break that rule... despite them breaking it all the time in the show) and possible alternate-outfits. Pretty interesting, especially considering we're hearing that Bardock has an alternate outfit that is quite Tullece-like. Silly to hear Bardock's name and see Tullece ^^.

• "Android 19 versus...!"
• "Zarbon versus...!"
• "Dodoria versus...!"
• "Shin versus...!"
• "Bulma versus...!"

Yes, the sounds/voices (not music) in the game are saved on the disc at 24 kHz. It's not my poor audio skills, I assure you. The above MP3s are @ 112 kbps, 24 kHz.

Who loves ya'?

EDIT UPON EDIT UPON EDIT:
I just went through all 4500+ sound files I could decrypt from the game. I didn't hear any Bulma fighting sounds / attacks (or #19, Zarbon, Dodoria). There's a crapload of Bulma from what sounds like "Dragon Universe," and specifically regarding getting Vegeta to SSJ4 (which backs up with a little birdie told me weeks ago). I also hear absolutely no Yamhan ("Tiencha") or Gotan ("Gokule")... or any other fusions besides Vegetto, Gogeta, and Gotenks, for that matter.

I know I'm not hearing EVERYTHING, though... lots of stuff is hidden away elsewhere in the game's programming. In none of these files did I hear the everyday, normal Kamehameha, Buster Cannon, etc. "regular" attacks and fighting sounds... so they're probably elsewhere in the game, and not with this batch.

There could be a chance that these characters are actually in there... or they could be not.

Just because these files exist does not necessarily mean any one specific thing. They could be extra files, they could be things that were never finished, they could mean things that we just can't even comprehend yet. I never once implied anything other than what information I just put right out on the table for you... and all that is... is that these files exist in the game.

Remind me never to look through that many files in one sitting EVER AGAIN. Now I think I'm just confusing myself and you all.

And for the record, you DBZonPS2 posters can't spell worth jack (Deux excluded, of course).

05 November 2004

Advance Adventure Footage on Nintendo Japan
VegettoEX @ 7:17 pm EST -- Nintendo of Japan has up a neat little promo video featuring some upcoming GBA games. Included is some really nice Advance Adventure footage! Check it out over on this page. Thanks to Mugenmidget for the heads-up.

04 November 2004

More New DB Games from Atari
VegettoEX @ 7:36 pm EST -- Hey, we're making up for lost updates, here! Brand-spankin'-new in from an official Atari press release (which you can read over on Gamespot), we've got news on even more new games from the DB world.

DBZ Sagas: Evolution (referred to as just DBZ: Sagas in the press release) will indeed be a cross-platform (PS2, Gamecube, X-box) release, and will be an all-out action game. Stories hinted at include the early Saiyan arc through the Cell arc. The game is slated for a spring release; note that EBGames lists a street date of 15 March 2005.

The DBGT: Transformation title that fans have seen sitting around on such sites as GameFAQs appears to be an actual game (and not one of the GBA Video titles)! Seemingly the next entry in the Legacy of Goku action/RPG series on the GameBoy Advance, it will also be developed by Webfoot (same as the others). The game is slated for a summer release; note that EBGames lists a street date of 14 June 2005.

In addition to this, Atari notes that there will be another two games released in 2005. One of them (to be released for the PS2), "will create an innovative combination of action and fighting game elements." The second, a GameBoy Advance game, "will allow players to recreate the most dramatic moments of the second half of [DBGT]" (can you say Legacy of Goku V?).

"The Buzz" updated, as always.

DBGT TV Special Bonus Feature Surprises
VegettoEX @ 3:40 pm EST -- The upcoming DBGT TV special release from FUNimation contains quite an interesting extra; "Director's Choice - 10 Craziest Fighting Techniques" (who the director is for this feature, we don't know :P). In itself, it's a mildly amusing look at some of the more "interesting" attacks in the series (such as the Para Para Brothers, Bacterian, Dabura's spit, etc).

The real surprise was a sneak-peak at the DBZ seasons 1+2 redub and DBZ movie 12... o.o;;

Of course, (and we'd like to stress) we have absolutely no idea if the actual finished dubs for these items were used in the creation of this feature, or if little bits were done solely for this feature... but regardless, it's sure interesting.

Attack #10 is the Saibaiman acid-spit, with John Burgmeier clearly in the role of Tenshinhan. Attack #9 is Guldo's "Time Freeze," with what seems to be a modified-Kaiô-sama voice from Schemmel taking over for the soon-to-be-decapitated midget. Music appears to be standard Faulconer-fare in both.

The biggest surprise was the #1 attack, Janenba's little trans-dimensional smacking, knocking Goku around Hell like it's nobody's business. The movie is simply referred to as "upcoming DBZ movie 12," with no official title given. Music isn't the original Japanese (duh), but it's some fun circus-type tune.

Anyway, you'll be able to check out the feature on the DBGT TV Special disc (A Hero's Legacy), which is technically due out on the 16th of this month (though some stores are putting it out way early; thanks to "godofchaos" in the chat for the send).

NOTE: For the love of Kami-sama, there is no logical reason for FUNimation to skip two movies (10 & 11), and there is absolutely no indication that they're going to do so. Just because they're pimping a character from movie 12 doesn't mean they're suddenly skipping two. Broli was a huge hit; they're not going to just pass up his popularity from the past movie and upcoming Budokai 3 just to get to Janenba. Also, they wouldn't have referred to the movie as "movie 12" if they were going to skip it; it would have been "movie 10". Thank you, goodnight.

That note's specifically for YOU, DBZonPS2 forum go-ers.