29 January 2006

Daizenshuu EX — The Podcast: Episode #0011
VegettoEX @ 9:38 am EST -- Tackling the hardest-hitting issues and discussions in fandom, you can always rely on us. Whether it be crazy edits to the manga, exclusive news from Japan, or like in this episode... gushing over how Trunks gets the best music in the series and video games... we're here for you!

Episode #0011 is up for download. Details can be found, as always, over on the podcast page. Enjoy!

27 January 2006

New Vocal CD Collection Cover Art
VegettoEX @ 9:07 pm EST -- The cover art for the upcoming DragonBall Z: Best Song Collection 2 CD set (see our January 10th update) has been released. It seems the set will officially be called LEGEND OF THE DRAGONWORLD.

As soon as we get the art for the BGM collection, we'll be sure to share it!

22 January 2006

Unlock Neko Majin Z in Bukuu Ressen + MORE!
VegettoEX @ 9:25 am EST -- Finally got a friend over in Japan to pick up this month's issue of V-Jump. Soooo... ready to unlock Neko Majin Z in your Bukû Ressen...?!?

First, you must have beaten "Z Battle Mode" at least once. Next, win all 60 fights in "Mania"/"Maximum" mode. NEXT, on the mode select screen, press:
(hey, stop copying & pasting news from other sites verbatim!)
Up, X, Down, Y, L, R, L, R, Start

Finally, when choosing your support character for a battle, hold the "R" button while pressing "A" to select them.

And there you have it...! I'm still on "Hard" mode in my copy of Supersonic Warriors 2, so I am not yet at the point of confirming whether or not you can do this in the American or European versions :P. We'll be sure to let you know as soon as possible. With minimal cursing in the process.

Oh, we're not done yet... how about some details on Shin Budokai for the PSP...?!?

Interestingly, Shin Budokai will indeed be the official Japanese name for the game. The "Shin" in the title is written as "true" or "pure", and not "new". This makes sense... since it seems to be not just a port of Budokai 3, but a port with many enhancements! In addition to new characters via the story mode (Paikuhan and Janenba are confirmed, already), there is a new "Burst Mode" for movement at high speeds. It is also being touted as a "perfection" of the fighting engine used in Budokai 3.

All of the above news comes from the latest issue of V-Jump in Japan (which came out January 21st). Big thanks to Julian and my friend Andrew for getting all of the necessary information. It certainly pays to have good friends in Japan at times like this! We'll try to have some scans in the next couple of days, but for now, here's the cover :P.

Speaking of Julian, he finally got a chance to play a little Super DragonBall Z at the arcade... but I'll let him discuss that, if he wishes :).

Daizenshuu EX — The Podcast: Episode #0010
VegettoEX @ 12:04 am EST -- Big thanks to our guest for this episode, Castor Troy, for hopping in with us! We all had a ton of fun recording the episode, and I think you'll all get a kick out of it, as well. Check out the podcast page for all your audio needs.

I'm still working on getting Julian to pick up that damn copy of V-Jump that came out yesterday. It's definitely got the "scoop" on Neko Majin Z in Bukû Ressen, as well as some other interesting gaming news...! Look for it soon, right here!

20 January 2006

DBZ: Shin Budokai (PSP) First Images
VegettoEX @ 7:06 pm EST -- Bringing in the news once again, much thanks to LaRésistance on the forum for this one.

Jeux-France has posted the first images from the upcoming Shin Budokai for the PSP. Little is known about the game, still, but it looks like Paikuhan will finally be making his video game debut.

Gamestop is still listing a March 7th release date.

17 January 2006

Chou (Super) DragonBall Z Release Date!
VegettoEX @ 6:39 pm EST -- We're not exclusively a DBZ video game news site. Honest. I swear! But ooooh, do I love 'em!

Good ol' forum member Ash found an updated listing for Super DragonBall Z on Play-Asia, with a listed release date of April 13th. Please note that this is exclusively for the JP PS2 port of the new arcade fighter; no word on a domestic release has been said at all.

And for more Chi-Chi pictures from the game, check out the blog of another forum member, LaRésistance.

16 January 2006

(Neko Majin) Z Playable in Bukû Ressen
VegettoEX @ 10:56 am EST -- It appears that the one and only Z (being Neko Majin Z) is an unlockable support character in Bukû Ressen (the original Japanese version of Supersonic Warriors 2 for the Nintendo DS).

Screenshots can be found on the official website. Full details on how to unlock Z will be given in the January 21st issue of V-Jump over in Japan. There's no confirmation on whether not he appears in the American version, but it's pretty unlikely... dammit >.<

15 January 2006

Daizenshuu EX — The Podcast: Episode #0009 + Birthday!
VegettoEX @ 8:11 pm EST -- We hopped Julian up on alcohol and caffeine in order to keep him awake to do a podcast with us all the way from Japan! Episode #0009 is up for download. Details can be found, as always, over on the podcast page.

Oh. So Daizenshuu EX is eight years old this month.

Yeah. I began with VegettoEX's Ultimate DBZ Links Page in 1998. Became VegettoEX's Home Page later that year. Turned into Daizenshuu EX sometime in either 1999 or 2000. And here we are in 2006.

Thanks to everyone for so many great years, and may you continue to share even more great years with us.

12 January 2006

This Month's R2 DVDs + Video Game Release Dates
VegettoEX @ 8:11 pm EST -- I'm a day late on the R2s, but that's OK! Yesterday saw the release of this month's three DVDs in Japan:

	DragonBall Z: Volume #7 TV episodes 37-42 ¥3990 (purchase @ CDJapan) (purchase @ Amazon.co.jp)
	DragonBall Z: Volume #8 TV episodes 43-48 ¥3990 (purchase @ CDJapan) (purchase @ Amazon.co.jp)
	DragonBall Z: Volume #9 TV episodes 49-54 ¥3990 (purchase @ CDJapan) (purchase @ Amazon.co.jp)

As always, these Japanese discs are encoded NTSC for Region 2, and do not have subtitles of any kind.

And now for the obligatory video game news! As we originally reported back on December 15th, there are a slew of games coming out for the handheld market.

• Shin Budokai (entry @ Gamestop) for the PSP seems to have slipped to a North American date of 07 March 2006. We still don't know jack about this game...

• Advanced Adventure (entry @ Gamestop) for the GBA, originally called Advance Adventure in Japan, also seems to have slipped to a North American date or 07 March 2006.

• Transformation 2... is no-where to be seen, anymore!

And there you have it. Look for Episode #0009 of the podcast (hopefully with Julian!) this coming weekend.

10 January 2006

New DBZ CD Sets Announced for Japan!
VegettoEX @ 8:02 pm EST -- It's about damn time! It looks like we're finally going to be getting some genuinely complete material in the near future! Then again, we don't have any tracklistings yet, but it's certainly justified wishful thinking.

First up is the DragonBall Z Best Song Collection (2 CDs; COCX-33567; ¥3000). This looks to be like a CD collection of all DBZ's vocal songs. Listed so far is only the opening themes, so we'll be sure to let you know what else gets confirmed for the set. (Pre-order @ CDJapan)

Next up is the DragonBall Z Complete BGM Collection (3 CDs; COCX-33564; ¥4500). 3 CDs of background music...?!? Does this finally mean we're going to be getting all of the BGM that never made it to CD in the first place? Late Buu saga music?!? The fanboy within me weeps in glee. Again, we'll be sure to let you know what's confirmed as soon as we find out. Lemme tell ya', we're excited. (Pre-order @ CDJapan)

Both CD sets drop on 22 February 2006 in Japan. And yes, I'm pre-ordering right this very second :P. 2006 is going to hurt my wallet when it comes to Japanese DBZ material...

08 January 2006

Daizenshuu EX — The Podcast: Episode #0008
VegettoEX @ 11:15 pm EST -- It's a little (a lot) late in the day, and Julian's off in Japan somewhere right now, but here it is! Episode #0008 of the podcast is up for your listening enjoyment.

Buu's Fury / Transformation 2-in-1; Chi-Chi in Super DBZ
VegettoEX @ 12:47 pm EST -- Our forum member Mike (not being myself, but someone else named Mike ^_~) found a listing on Amazon for yet another 2-in-1 GBA game from Atari, this time for DBZ: Buu's Fury (Legacy of Goku 3, if you will) and DBGT: Transformation (Legacy of Goku 4, if you will).

It's somewhat silly, considering how many different directions that Transformation takes the series in ("sucks" being one of them :P). Ah, well. If you haven't grabbed them, go for it. Amazon lists a release date of 21 March 2006 for North America.

And while I haven't authoritatively-confirmed this, it seems as if Chi-Chi is yet another unlockable, playable character in Chou (Super) DragonBall Z, the new arcade fighting game in Japan. Pictures and discussions on both #17's and Chi-Chi's inclusion can be found in this thread of our forum.

Julian's all fine in Japan, so once he gets his rear-end to an arcade, we'll have plenty of nice pictures...!

Look for a podcast episode later tonight.

06 January 2006

#17 Additional Character in Super DBZ
VegettoEX @ 6:34 pm EST -- The official site for Super DragonBall Z was updated today showcasing Jinzôningen #17 as an additional, playable character in the game!

With three friends in Japan, right now, you'd think I could get one of their asses to an arcade...

03 January 2006

Atari Issues Statement on Budokai 3 Debacle
VegettoEX @ 9:24 pm EST -- For those who weren't aware, there was a major error with the initial release of the Budokai 3: Greatest Hits disc in North America... they didn't put in the "Greatest Hits" version... they put in the original version from two Novembers ago x_X;;

Well, fixed versions began trickling into stores, and it seems like Atari has finally fessed up and has issued information allowing customers to get fixed versions.

Yes, the "Greatest Hits" version is supposed to contain the extra, unlockable outfits and the selectable Japanese audio track. You are entitled to this fixed version if you purchased the screwy "Greatest Hits" version.

Check out this thread over on the official Atari forum. Thanks to our own forum member Tekkaman Gamma51 for providing the link.

02 January 2006

Daizenshuu EX — The Podcast: Episode #0007
VegettoEX @ 6:50 pm EST -- Sorry for the delay! Between the holiday weekend and Julian prepping to get on his way to Japan this week, things have been tough to coordinate. But here it is! Episode #0007 of the podcast is up for your listening enjoyment.

This week, we go over the name pun and relationships involving the DBZ movie 3 main villain, Tullece. We also shoot through all the other DBZ movie character name puns! We got some great audio questions which we played and responded to this episode, so definitely check it out! If you'd like to send us audio questions for the show (either WAV or MP3 format works for us), send them along. Make sure you say what your name is and where you're from!

So enjoy the episode, look for some more cool stuff soon, and akemashite omedetô gozaimasu~!

(And on a site note, big thanks to Joe for the DVDs. Greatly appreciated!)