Summary
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerowas among the most anticipated Dragon Ball titles in recent memory. As a successor to the beloved Budokai Tenkaichi series, it faced immense pressure to innovate while honoring the mechanics of its predecessors. Fortunately, after its release, the game received praise en masse from both critics and long-time fans of the franchise.
Naturally, with the original Budokai series known for its adrenaline-packed combat, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has been compared to other recent fighting-focused Dragon Ball titles. One of these isDragon Ball FighterZ, arguably the most technical game within the series, thanks to Arc System Works adding traditional yet gripping gameplay elements. So, with both games side by side, which one is better?
8Visuals
Dragon Ball FighterZ
While Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 was visually impressive for its era,Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerotakes things to the next level withenhanced lighting, particles, and environmental detailsthat truly look generations ahead. Thebeam clashes and Ultimate Blastsare especially striking, delivering some of the most dynamic visuals the series has seen.
Still, Dragon Ball FighterZ still stands apart with itsunique, timeless art stylethat feels ripped directly from the anime. As a2.5D installment, FighterZ benefits from more creative flexibility, allowing for vibrant finishers, special moves, and cutscenes to look much morelively and cinematicthanks to the brilliant camera panning.
7Combat
The Dragon Ball franchise is known for itsepic fight scenes, and so their games have the grueling task of recreating that adrenaline. Although both titles have an extremely distinct, fun, and appealing gameplay loop, Dragon Ball FighterZ’stechnical depthgives it the win in this category.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero offers anaccessible combat systemto target a wider audience, making it simple and familiar. On the other hand, FighterZ is acompetitive 3v3 esports titlewithmuch more sophisticated combos,relative balancing,andsensitive frame data.As such, the satisfaction of mastering it is unlike any other, which is why the game has had a longer lifespan than most titles in its niche.
6Voice Acting
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
The voice actors have done an amazing jobpouring their heart and soul into delivering some awe-inspiring linesin both games, making it hard to pick a clear winner. However, when the voice actors perform equally well, the decisive factor lies ineach game utilizing its respective cast.And, from that aspect, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero takes the cake.
Despite Dragon Ball FighterZ’s voice lines having moregravitasdue to subtle echoes and the background announcer, Sparking Zero’ssheer varietygives it the edge it needs. There are simply too many unique and creative interactions, and with no subpar deliveries, the latter game’s quantity beats out the former’s lead in quality.
5Audio Quality
It’s clear that the old Budokai games inspired Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s sound design. That said, while it’s still charming and gets the job done,it doesn’t offer the crispiness of Dragon Ball FighterZ.Arc System Works made sure every punch and special move had animpact in terms of audio.
Sparking Zero’s transformations have abolder aura sound effectthan FighterZ, but the latter sounds better in almost every other department. This includes physical attacks, knockdowns,dramatic finishes, and special moves like beams, which are louder and more consistent. The credit may go to FighterZ’ssmaller and more refined roster, but those clashes are just too satisfying.
4Cast
Like voice acting,this is another case of quantity versus quality, but the outcome is far clearer here. Although it’s understandable that Dragon Ball FighterZ needs more time and care to release each character, you simply cannot deny thegargantuan volume of options and charactersin Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero.
Compared to FighterZ’s solid roster of44 playable fighters, Sparking Zero boasts awhopping 182 characters—a Dragon Ball fan’s dream. The game lets you playmore than a dozen variations of Goku alone, and with famous characters from the Dragon Ball Z movies, likeHirudegarn, making a scene, the team combinations are virtually endless.
3Campaign
The story modes in Dragon Ball games typicallyretell the anime or introduce new stories, which are often lackluster. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero mixes the original anime saga withwhat-if scenarios to explore alternate possibilities and perspectives. In contrast, Dragon Ball FighterZ treads a new path withthree separate arcswhere players battle evil versions of familiar characters.
Unfortunately, neither campaign stands out. Sparking Zero doesn’t fully maximize its what-if potential despite a huge cast, and FighterZ’s story feels even more uninspired, saved only by theintroduction of Android 21.That said, Sparking Zero’s missions at least had somevariety and challengeto make the single-player experience bearable.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero intuitively introduces alternate what-if ending cutscenes and pathways throughout itsStory Missions.This is another bonus point as it adds another layer of excitement for Dragon Ball enthusiasts.
2Multiplayer
When discussing multiplayer, it’s important to consider theonline netcode, matchmaking system, and game modes.Both games offer a similar experience on these fronts, especially on game modes, which feel underutilized. Thus, when strictly comparing the netcode and matchmaking, Dragon Ball FighterZ comes out on top.
Sparking Zero’s technical bugs aside, likecontroller and match disconnections, the online connectivity is surprisingly good, especially for a title with adelay-based netcode.However, Dragon: Ball FighterZ, which receivedRollback support in early 2024, has more consistent online stability when playing against people across the globe.
1Winner
Looking at both games side by side, it’s tricky to decide what “better” means in this context. Dragon Ball FighterZ is undoubtedly thebetter fighting game, but Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero feels like thebetter Dragon Ball game.Each has its own philosophy, and both succeed in delivering what their audiences expect nonetheless.
However, when picking a definitive winner, Dragon Ball FighterZ just barely edges out with itsmastery of gameplay and visuals.Despite being nearly seven years old, it plays and looks like a modern title—a timeless piece indeed. It took an approach unfamiliar to any Dragon Ball game before or since, yet it still receives updates. Ultimately, it’s about preference, butFighterZ’s boldness in prioritizing dedication over funis commendable.
