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The first exclusive Dragon Ball game to hit the Nintendo Wii, Revenge of King Piccolo. It is a breathe of fresh air to any Dragon Ball fan to finally have a unique game without the “Z” in its title. This side scroller adventure is a must have for any fan.

The game starts out with the Adventure Mode as Goku and Bulma search for the Dragonballs. Adventure mode plays as a side scroller platformer with its own unique 3D type aspects. It plays unlike any other Dragon Ball game with its repetetive enemies and levels. But the plus side is its combat system.

Goku has a number of attacks and combos. After slamming opponents, he can glide through the air and finish them off (if stunned). And not only can he perform simple punches/kicks, he also uses his power pole to defeat his enemies.

The adventure mode does follow Dragon Ball’s storyline pretty exact. Goku will face off against many familiar bosses that are not quite as easy as the enemies. These boss battles can get quite tiresome but are full of enjoyment.

There’s also a Tournament mode which kind of plays like any other Dragon Ball game. You face on and on against several opponents to try and win the cash prize. But the plus side of this is the fighting system is free roaming unlike previous DB games.

Here’s our rating on the game.

Music 7/10 – You will hear a lot of familiar songs from previous games and from the anime in Revenge of King Piccolo. However they did throw a few music themes that seem to not fit Dragon Ball at all.

Gameplay 8/10 – The adventure mode gives a unique experience to the player with the fun of a side scrolling platformer. Enemies do get repetitive, but the boss battles make up for that.

Graphics 7/10 - Every character design is designed very well. It brings out the anime style in all of them. The unlockable character models are also some eyecandy for any fan.

Multiplayer 6/10 – This game is slacking in the multiplayer department. You can only par up against someone in the tournament mode. The game would have been much more enjoyable if a friend could team up with Goku during Adventure mode as Yamcha, Krillin, etc.

Difficulty 6/10 – This game is a cake walk when just passing through levels and defeating all the enemies. The only challenge is against certain bosses that will give the player a good fight.

Overall 6.8 – Dragon Ball Revenge of King Piccolo turned out to be a very enjoyable game aside from its difficulty during the levels. The unlockable skills gives the game an extra boost of enjoyment while the sound/character model unlockables seem to have only been thrown in there last minute. Adventure mode is fun for any fan as it gives a new experience to Dragon Ball games, while the torunament mode seems like the same old story. But in the end, it is a must have for any fan. This game should inspire newer Dragon ball titles in the future.

Also, the official website “Dragon Battlers” has updated it with a profile for Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta.

Another interesting note is that IGN made a top 25 Anime Characters list and two from Dragon Ball have made their way to that list. Vegeta lands the 21st spot while Goku has made his way to the top at number one. View that list by following this link. Here’s some quotes from IGN…

21. Vegeta
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z Episode 11, “Trouble on Arlia,” 1989

Before so many others picked up the same gimmick, he was the original unmitigated bastard. When you wonder about the appeal of a Light Yagami or Lelouch Lamperouge, consider that the prince of the Saiyans was a fan favorite years before they came on the scene. Vegeta’s so arrogant he reckons himself superior to most of the population of the galaxy, and he’d probably look down at the rest of the universe if he happened to meet anyone from that far away.

He came around a bit, though, which is a big part of his appeal. He never quite became Mr. Nice Guy, but Bulma certainly did her best to civilize the big lug. There’s something to be said for a hero with just a touch of a bad guy in him, and by the end that describes Vegeta to a tee.

1. Goku
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Episode 1, “Secret of the Dragon Ball,” 1986

There’s a brief movement during the Dragon Ball Z saga where Goku goes and dies. (The dying part wasn’t actually all that big a deal, though, since the Z Fighters died and came back about as often as the X-Men, and with as many lasting consequences.) Dead, Goku travels directly to the afterlife, where he greets King Kai – for all intents and purposes, God – and asks for the chance to train in martial arts beneath him, learning directly from the Almighty.

Not long after completing a training session alongside our hero, Kai has a chat with a few of his fellow deities. Goku, reckons the King, is the most powerful being in the universe. He is a match for King Kai himself and then some, able to perfect fighting techniques that Kai never could, and might well destroy all that is if he isn’t very careful with his massive in-born powers.

Japanese animation has given us plenty of bad-asses, but not very many could have beaten up God and then blown up the universe for an encore. Ladies and gentlemen, Son Goku.

In Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo, players assume the role of an adolescent Goku as he races against the Red Ribbon Army to collect all seven of the coveted Dragon Balls which, when collected, grant a single ultimate wish. Fans of the series will delight in reliving the crucial moments in Goku’s adventures in Adventure Mode, which take place between the Red Ribbon encounters to the pivotal King Piccolo conflict, including Goku’s journey to Korin Tower and his very first World Martial Arts Tournament.

With a simple move of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, players can have Goku fire off intricate combos, fly across the screen to connect jump-kick attacks, and execute his signature Kamehameha ultimate attack against enemies with ease. Additionally, Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo supports a number of key gameplay features that will keep the action diverse and gameplay engaging including armor breaks, attack counters, and special lock-on aerial attacks.

In addition to the Adventure Mode, Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo also features a Tournament Mode which will allow players to take their favorite Dragon Ball characters into the ring and duke it out. Featuring in-game collectibles and a host of unlockable characters and modes, Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo will provide a thoroughly engaging and accurate portrayal of Goku’s early formidable martial arts years.

Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo for Wii is rated “E10+” by the ESRB and has an MSRP of $39.99. For more information on Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo, please visit: http://dragonball.namco.com.

As Piccolo, Marsters is hidden under layers of latex and pea-green make-up, and it’s hardly the first time he’s worked under such conditions. “Acting isn’t comfortable,” he says, matter-of-factly. “It’s one of those jobs that’s never going to be comfortable, and like race car driving and mountain climbing, it’s no good whining when it’s uncomfortable.”

A Dragonball fan for many years now, Marsters says he jumped at the chance to play the role. What’s more, he conspired to make his character older and uglier than the producers had originally intended, even though that meant longer spells in the make up chair. “In the manga,” explains the actor, “Piccolo starts very old and decrepit. The reason he’s angry enough to take revenge on the Earth is because the Guardians of Earth stole his youth. If he was young and good looking in the movie, he would have collapsed into a general kind of villain that I no longer understood.

James Marsters “I was willing to be fired over that one. I believed in it that much. I was sitting with the make up guy saying, ‘Older, older, OLDER!’ And he said, ‘Dude, I don’t think the producer is going to like this.’ But I told him, ‘The producer is not here – just do it!’ In the end I got my way, and Piccolo works all the better for it.”

“I’m looking forward to the Dragonball Evolution DVD, because I’m counting on the extra package showing a lot of the fight that was cut. We shot twice as much as was used and I tore myself up for those takes, so I want to see those shots. I baked the cake,” says Marsters, wrapping up, “and now I want to taste it!”

Unless these extra cuts are included in a future re-release of the DVD or as a director’s cut, we won’t get to see them.

Click here to read the rest of the interview. Thanks goes to Steve for the tip.

Spike TV Announces Nominees for ‘SCREAM 2009′ – ‘Star Trek’ Tops List With 17
Nominations
4th Annual Global Event Honoring The Blockbuster, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror and
Comic Book Genres of the Year Tapes Saturday, October 17 At The Greek Theater
In Los Angeles

NEW YORK, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ — “Resistance is futile” this October as
Spike TV presents the fourth annual “SCREAM,” the first and only global event
of its kind to honor the best in sci-fi, fantasy, horror and comic genres.
Taping on Saturday, October 17 at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles, CA,
“SCREAM 2009″ celebrates the hottest films, TV shows, comics, actors,
creators, icons and pioneers who have influenced and shaped the industry.
This year’s show will also continue the tradition of featuring exclusive World
Premieres from some of the most anticipated movies of 2010. The two-hour
extravaganza will premiere on Spike TV on Tuesday, October 27 (10:00
PM-Midnight, ET/PT). Presenters and musical performers will be announced
shortly.

Source : Reuters