There has been no shortage of Dragon Ball Z games over the years. From the Budokai Tenkaichi and Raging Blasts franchises to Xenoverse and FighterZ, we've had the opportunity to fight as and alongside our favorite character from the hit anime time and time again! But of course, these games weren't without their own faults. Even FighterZ, which has achieved so much praise since its initial release, has been criticized for its lackluster story mode. For a while now, fans have been waiting for a Dragon Ball game that fully immerses them into this elaborate world, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot might just be that game they've been looking for.
Leading up to its 2020 release, we've been slowly getting new information about this game, and while most of it has us counting down the days until January 17, 2020, we can't help but have our guard up given the inevitable disappoint that may come if our expectations are set too high.
10 Excited: The Game Will Cover The Entire Story of Dragon Ball Z
Say what you will about Dragon Ball GT or Dragon Ball Super. No Dragon Ball fan alive can say that Dragon Ball Z isn't up there with the other great anime series. When Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was first announced, we wondered if it would only go as far as Goku's conflict with the Saiyans, but from everything we've seen up until this point, we'll be able to experience Goku's battle against Kid Buu even! Although we've played through Dragon Ball Z's story countless times, we can't wait to fly around Earth, Namek, the Sacred World of the Kais, and potentially the Other World as our favorite Saiyan in a way that no other game has allowed us to before.
9 Worried: Lackluster DLC
Recent Dragon Ball games have a habit of adding DLC shortly after the original release. Not only does this DLC include characters, missions, and special moves that could've easily been included in the original release, but oftentimes this DLC feels incomplete. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will cover everything from Raditz to Kid Buu, but what about events that occur in Dragon Ball GT or Dragon Ball Super? From Beerus to Broly, there's a ton of potential for multiple DLC packs. While we don't necessarily have an issue with this, the DLC should feel worth the money, and should be able to keep fans occupied for a decent amount of time.
8 Excited: More Playable Characters Besides Goku
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot features open-world RPG-style gameplay popularized by games like Horizon Zero Dawn and Assassin's Creed, and while in most cases, players are limited to playing only as a single character, it's been confirmed that along with Goku, players will be able to take control of Gohan, Piccolo, and Vegeta.
Many of the other Z-Fighters can be used as support characters and maybe playable themselves. Although we imagine the game will limit us to certain characters at specific parts of the story, we're looking forward to experiencing this flushed out world as other characters besides Goku.
7 Worried: No Online Aspect
We never expected an online feature for this game, since traditional RPGs usually lack a competitive element. Still, every game runs its course, and those without an online feature usually run this course faster than others. If fans aren't able to fight one another online or join each other to explore the vast Dragon Ball world with a friend, part of us worries that after players beat the main story mode, they'll have no desire to continue playing the game. Games like Xenoverse 2, despite complaints about the quality of online matches, still maintain some semblance of a community because players can still interact with one another in the game. Without an online component, we're worried that this game's lifespan could suffer.
6 Excited: Side Quests
One major qualm about Dragon Ball games is that they only serve as a retelling of the same story that we've been told over and over again. It's rare that we get a completely original story; most notably, FighterZ went as far as to give us a completely new character (Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will as well for those who pre-order). While Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will take us through Dragon Ball Z's most iconic moments, we've already seen that we'll have the option of engaging in many other activities on the side, like hunting, fishing, cooking, collecting treasures, driving, and even interacting with the inhabitants of the Dragon Ball world.
5 Worried: Grinding Between Each Battle
Like most RPGs, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will feature a level system that, upon winning battles, will grant a player experience points that will make them stronger over time. As we've seen in many games, the higher one gets, the more battles and stronger opponents they will be required to fight in order to level up again.
Unfortunately, this grinding sometimes takes hours and gives players a reason not to play the game. The most grueling RPGs have a system of grinding that becomes unavoidable at some point, and if side quests don't feel fresh and exciting, players will just feel like their precious time has been wasted.
4 Excited: Open World Gameplay
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will give fans the opportunity to experience the Dragon Ball world in a way that no other game has given fans the opportunity to. We've already seen clips of Goku and Vegeta flying through active environments, moving from crowded cities to more remote mountains in seconds. We're glad Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's maps look pretty expansive, and we can't wait to explore some of our favorite locations from the anime.
3 Worried: Lackluster AI
No matter how great a game might look, if the computer is too simple or support characters refuse to actually aid the player in battle, they can only hurt the reputation of this game. Because Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot still possesses an emphasis on fighting, players will always crave for a constant challenge, meaning that enemies not only need to keep getting stronger, but must also adopt unpredictable fighting patterns to give players a challenge with every battle. We're holding our breath until we get a feel for the game ourselves. If it's too easy, we won't feel like Goku at all, since he's always challenged with every fight that comes his way.
2 Excited: 3-Dimensional, Destructive Battles
In Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, players will fight opponents in 3-dimensional playing fields where they will be able to move in any direction, and from what we've seen so far in the developing gameplay, stray energy blasts will leave marks on the environment.
Though there's no telling if this environmental damage will quickly disappear like in Xenoverse or remain on the battlefield, ensuring that players won't be able to hide behind trees or walls, we can always appreciate a game that makes even the smallest attempt to truly make you feel the power of these fighters who are pretty much all capable of destroying the planet if they ever desired to. Even the heroes.
1 Worried: Shallow Character Customization
While we doubt we'll be able to customize our own character in this game, we're worried that we won't be given much flexibility in customizing the abilities of Goku and the other playable characters. All of these characters have a multitude of techniques. Will we be able to swap them out at will during different points in the story? Can we change the outfits our characters wear at will? When they transform, will their techniques or combos change at all? For example, will Super Saiyan 3 Goku fight exactly like Super Saiyan Goku? Will his attacks become larger in scale or will he be given a whole new slew of techniques only accessible to him in this form? We hope there's at least the option to switch out their special attacks. If not, you can expect to see forums blowing up with complaints by the morning of January the 18th.