Dimps has a long history developing Dragon Ball fighting games and they are returning to the series with Dragon Ball Xenoverse. The upcoming game is the first Dragon Ball title for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
During battles, characters will talk to each other and have different facial expressions when they strike an opponent or get hit. Siliconera spoke with Bandai Namco games producer Masayuki Hirano and Masahiro Kashino to talk about developing Dragon Ball Xenoverse and discuss fighting game mechanics.
What can you tell us about the mysterious character wearing the Capsule Corp shirt at the end of the Dragon Ball Xenoverse trailer?
Masayuki Hirano, Producer at Bandai Namco Games: There’s not a whole lot we can say right now. We can say, the character and setting you saw will play a big role in the game.
Previous Dragon Ball Z games have for the most part tried to recreate the anime story as-is in a video game. We want to do something different with this title. We know there are a lot of fans out there that want to relive those great moments from Dragon Ball Z and we’re not going to let them down. We’re going to create something they like, but it’s going to be a little different in Xenoverse.
I noticed there was cancelling in Dragon Ball Xenoverse? Can you tell us more about how this will work?
Masahiro Kashino from Dimps: You’ve got a good eye. It’s hard to say right now, since the game is still in development. We’re doing a lot behind the scenes in terms of balancing, so we can’t say specifically of what kinds of attacks you can cancel at this point. It is in the game, though.
Dimps has a lot of experience developing fighting games from Street Fighter IV to The Rumble Fish. What have you learned as a developer between from when you started to Dragon Ball Xenoverse?
MK: We’ve been fortunate to be able to work on many titles over the years. We’ve taken the experience from developing those games with our team members and bringing those ideas together in the best ways we can, not just from a gameplay standpoint, but from a graphical standpoint.
Since Dragon Ball Xenoverse is a 3D fighting game with a giant field, can you talk about how this is different from making a 2D fighting game?
MK: There’s a huge difference. [Laughs] I feel it’s easier to make a mistake with a 3D fighting game. The cinematography is challenging. For a 3D fighting game, the camera angle could be coming from anywhere and we have to find a camera angle to make this as good as possible.
Ah, yeah I saw there are new facial expressions for Dragon Ball Xenoverse where characters have different facial expressions when they get it and attack. It’s kind of like CyberConnect2’s Naruto fighting games.
MKL Thanks for noticing that! [Laughs] There are more [facial animation frames] than other Dragon Ball games, but the specific number is something we would have to check with the animators.
What do you think will be the biggest evolution for the fighting game genre with the new wave of consoles?
MK: This is my personal option, social features, community, and online features are important for fighting games.
Dimps makes a lot of games that are played at tournaments like EVO. Are you trying to make Dragon Ball Xenoverse more tournament friendly?
MH: We’re not specifically trying to make a tournament fighting game. We are aiming to make a game that people want to learn how to play.
What are your favorite special attacks?
MH: I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me that! Tien’s Tri-Beam because when that special move is used there’s a lot of drama going on. [Laughs]
MK: I like way too many to pick one, but I like when characters use rapid fire ki blasts. There are going to be lots of ways players can use rapid fire ki blasts in the game.
But, wait Tien hasn’t been confirmed for Dragon Ball Xenoverse yet.
MH: [Laughs] He’s my favorite character, so he’s going to be in the game!
