Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Don't get us wrong, we used to like Dragonball Z. When we were, like, twelve. But with the announcement of yet another DBZ game coming to the Wii, we can't help but think of all the other deserving anime franchises that could use the gaming treatment. The import Naruto titles on the 'Cube were spectacular, and we hear that the Bleach and Full Metal Alchemist titles aren't half bad.

You guys probably watch more anime than us, so which series, no matter how obscure, would you have make its way to the Wii? How about Read or Die, which could make very interesting use of the Wiimote for the various paper-based powers, or maybe Hikaru no Go, as a cool boardgame/RPG tandem title? Come forth, otaku, we summon thee!

Even though the series started in Japan back in 1989, and ended in 1996, the tie-in games just keep on coming for Dragon Ball Z. Atari has announced Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for the Wii and PS2. Like the previous installment on Wii, this is part of the Dragon Ball Z Sparking series in Japan and is developed by Spike.

Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 will include improved Wii controls and over 150 playable characters, which is a lot of big-haired dudes and blonde versions of those same big-haired dudes. The stages will include day/night versions, which opens up a transformation ability for many characters. There's a teaser animation on the Japanese website, but no screens or anything yet.

What did you all think of the last DBZ game on Wii? Are you enthused about another one? Has the series been run into the ground?

While Aussie gamers are forced to wait long for games just about all the time, it turns out that in the case of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, the wait just might be a good thing. With some brand new content, including 6 new characters and a new arena, will Aussie gamers even want to take part in this game, which received some fairly mediocre review scores. So, Australian gamers, are you looking forward to this game? Does the extra content bring you down off the fence?

Those guys over at IGN managed to get ahold of the latest build for Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and came away impressed. In going over the preview, they managed to pry loose tons of details about the game.

The game will take the sandbox approach (free-roaming story mode) and offer 50 hours of gameplay to complete the single-player story. The entirety of the game's content will follow the manga, anime, and many movies, featuring over 120 characters.

The game will allow fusion characters such as Gotenks and Vegito to join in on the action, along with a highly-customizable system for each character in the game. Customizing can be done on multiple levels, from cosmetic looks to combos, moves, and special powers. This is all done via an in-game money system allowing the player to purchase upgrades. All of the characters will have optional Japanese voiceovers and fight in interactive arenas twice the size of previous games. Also confirmed is that gamers will have a choice between using the Wiimote or plugging in their GameCube controller to play the game. Finally, the Wii version is to have enhanced graphics when compared to the PS2 game.