A lot has changed about both video games and the way we play them since the last mainline entry in the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series. As the first direct sequel since the PlayStation 2 generation,

The producer of Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero explains the reasons that led the studio to not bring back the Budokai Tenkaichi saga until now.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is the next installment in the infamous Budokai Tenkaichi series, with millions of fans worldwide waiting for its release. Those who purchased Sparking! Zero's premium editions can play the game early, but you'll need to wait until October 10/11, depending on your location and platform, to play the game.

Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is Dragon Ball Budokai Tenkaichi 4 in its own right: here's what was kept and what was added in the new title.

After 17 years, the “Budokai Tenkaichi” series returns in its most explosive entry yet in “Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero.”

Commonly referred to as Budokai Tenkaichi 4, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is the successor of one of the franchise’s most popular games, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, as the massive roster of playable characters is ready to make its return.

Sparking! Zero is divided into several modes, with “Episode Battle” allowing you to take control of one of Dragon Ball’s principal characters, and run through their stories, with non-canon branching paths if you can withstand their unlock conditions. These are presented with a simple overworld format, and cutscenes that pepper the plot in between.

Budokai trilogy and merely dabbled in the later Budokai Tenkaichi games, I'll admit that I was bitter when I first heard about Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. In my eyes the inferior trilogy of PS2 games was being brought back,