Sean Marshall Most of us Dragon Ball fans have been playing Dragon Ball games since the early to mid-90s. For me, it started with Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22, which was not a great game but grounded me in the Dragon Ball gaming universe in 1995. We’ve seen some low & high points in the Dragon Ball gaming lineup throughout the years, but it seems that most of us are becoming tired of the same approach Bandai Namco has been taking with these games. I mean, almost every game that is story-based has us starting from the Saiyan Saga & ending with the Majin Buu Saga. Although Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot took the same story approach as its predecessors, the game mechanics were refreshing & added some much-needed change to the franchise.
So what can Bandai Namco do that can bring most fans back for the next round of next-gen games? Well, I’d like to see them leave Goku, Vegeta & the rest of the fighters out of their next game & focus on a new set of characters. I think focusing on the Saiyans during Age 720 up until their destruction by the hands of Frieza in Age 739. Imagine the game starting with a full customizable Saiyan character you create during the war between the Saiyans & the Tuffles in 720 & fighting in this war to claim the planet for the Saiyans. The game would not only focus on your character’s personal growth & relationship with other Saiyans but will also show the Saiyan’s relationship with other alien races like the Arcosians, who supplied the Saiyans with their technology & also used the Saiyans to conquer planets for them. Not only have we not seen the early days of the Saiyans fully play out before, but being able to participate in the birth of Planet Vegeta would be fantastic if done correctly! The game would also span 19 years & let gamers play as a ruthless Saiyan or a Saiyan with a heart. Don’t you think it would be cool to see a what-if scenario where an off-planet uprising of some Saiyans & other alien races against Freiza took place?
This would have to be an open-world game because fleshing out the early years of the Saiyans would not feel legit inside a game confined to a road that developers boxed in. I want to see how Saiyans interacted with other alien races, how they went to other worlds & made underhand deals with criminals to have Frieza potentially back off of their homeworld. I would be down for a mission where Frieza sent you & your crew to take down a potential rival so that he could claim the planet for himself. This will also cause Frieza to grow to fear the Saiyans as your team continues to take down opponents stronger than they are. What if your character is the reason Frieza started fearing the powers of the Saiyans? Now that would be a solid way to tie your character to be a centerpiece of why the eradication of the Saiyans went down & how his actions ultimately brought about the fall of Frieza via Goku.
When traveling around the planet, I would like to see the return of the flying mechanics in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot; however, if you’re in a city that will have you mostly indoors, the flight option will be turned off. I’d like to see the same blocking mechanics used in 
past Dragon Ball games brought over (pressing “X” to repel ki or block it). Upgrading your gear will be a must & I would like to see Arcosian shops on each planet. We can’t forget the infamous Scouters that haven’t been used since the Frieza Saga. Scouters were used to read the power levels of opponents & will be used here since some Saiyans couldn’t read their opponents’ power levels without them. This would mainly be used to read the power levels of enemies or wildlife on the planet before you engage them. The scouter could also be used to find hidden items or gear on the worlds you visit.
I think having a crew of three Saiyans would be sufficient & building up their loyalty to you should be an option. Having to juggle between which crew members you’d like to please or avoid pissing off because of your decision-making would raise the tension & add to replayability. Having to take down one or all of your crew members because they think you’re either too ruthless or too soft would be a cool way to keep some gamers on their toes to find a balanced ground to keep their team together. As for the multiplayer, imagine linking up with your friends online to do missions around the universe where you’ll conquer planets & every other couple of months; the devs will add new planets & missions to tackle.
Most Dragon Ball gamers are becoming quite tired of the same ol’ story & characters. We need to see some new characters & the developers at Bandai Namco need to expand the lore & universe of Dragon Ball. What do you think about this approach? Let us know in the comments.
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