Dragon Ball: Origins Preview

by McKinley Noble
October 28, 2008 00:00 AM PST

When you make Dragon Ball Z games for so many years, it's eventually time to start fresh. If you grew up during the glory days of VHS tapes and the translated anime within, Dragon Ball: Origins for the Nintendo DS is aimed squarely at you. With completely DS stylus-controlled gameplay, Atari is bringing the classic adventure back in a bold new way.

Personally, I got sick of Dragon Ball games by the time we got past the first "Budokai" installment. The main problem is that the stories of Dragon Ball Z, while action-packed, are pretty derivative: some bad guy comes along and blows up a planet, power levels are raised to ridiculous heights (over 9000!), and guys with wacky blonde hair start screaming like they're having their teeth pulled through their noses. Dragon Ball, the original series that started all this, was much more original due to its humor and slapstick charm. Dragon Ball: Origins on the DS will be the first game in years to attempt recapturing the magic, and we're already eager to let Budokais be bygones.

The Tail of the Monkey Boy

In Dragon Ball: Origins, players will be (re)introduced to Son Goku, a mysterious boy with a monkey tail and superhuman strength. The story of DB: Origins will chronicle his fateful meeting with sidekick Bulma, and their quest to gather the seven legendary Dragon Balls. The main gimmick for DB: Origins is its control scheme, clearly inspired by Phantom Hourglass. You'll be able to move Goku and Bulma through the game using only the DS stylus to point the way, along with activating Goku's special moves via specific motions on the touch screen. Everything from power-packed punches to Goku's signature "Kame-Hame-Ha" technique will require certain strokes, which should make the gameplay entertaining and accessible to any player.

Of course, DB: Origins will follow Goku from his Dragon Ball hunt to his battle with Jackie Chun (a.k.a. Master Roshi) at the World Martial Arts Tournament, spanning the first two major story arcs of the series. On a side note, the graphics in this game look AMAZING. With tons of colors and impressively detailed character models, DB: Origins could easily rival the DS's other visual powerhouses -- like Final Fantasy IV and Summon Night: Twin Age.

We're pretty excited to get our hands on DB: Origins, and Atari looks like they have everything well in hand. The Dragon Ball hunting starts in early November, so check back with us in about a week to see if Goku's still got it.