Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension
Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension | |
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Developer(s) | Tose |
Publisher(s) | Bandai |
Producer(s) | Takeo Isogai Toshihiro Suzuki |
Designer(s) | Ichi Fuji Laru Itagawa Ni Taka |
Programmer(s) | CLQ Happy Hasei Maruko |
Artist(s) | Ganchi Sarusaru |
Composer(s) | Mitsuhiko Takano |
Series | Dragon Ball |
Platform(s) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Fighting |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension[a] is a 1996 fighting video game developed by Tose and published by Bandai for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Based upon Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball franchise, it is the last fighting game in the series to be released for SNES. Following from the Freezer arc to the conclusion of the Majin Buu saga, its gameplay is similar to the earlier Super Butōden entries, consisting of one-on-one fights using a main six-button configuration, featuring special moves as well as multiple game modes.
Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension was created over the course of 15 months by most of the same team who worked on the previous three Super Butōden entries for Super Nintendo, with producers Takeo Isogai and Toshihiro Suzuki returning to helm its production, alongside staff from both Toei Animation and V Jump magazine assisting with its development. Hyper Dimension garnered positive reception from critics, but the European version received criticism for its absence of a story mode. The game has never been officially released outside Japan and Europe, although a fan translation exist.
Gameplay[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ec/SNES_Dragon_Ball_Z_-_Hyper_Dimension.png/220px-SNES_Dragon_Ball_Z_-_Hyper_Dimension.png)
Similar to the earlier Super Butōden entries on SNES, Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension is a fighting game reminiscent of Street Fighter II.[1][2][3] Players fight against other characters in one-on-one matches and the fighter who manages to deplete the health bar of the opponent wins the bout and becomes the winner of the match.[4][5] The title features three modes of play, however, the story mode is excluded in the European version.[3][6] The roster consists of ten characters; Goku, Majin Vegeta, Gotenks, Gohan, Vegetto, Piccolo, Majin Buu, Kid Buu, Frieza, and Perfect Cell.[1][7]
Hyper Dimension employs a customizable six-button control scheme;[5] special moves and meteor combos are executed via button combinations. Characters can dash back and forth by pressing L and R respectively, and charge their Ki gauge by holding the Y and B buttons to unleash a Ki blast attack.[5] Unique features of the game are the ability to send a character to the back of a stage and the "Rush Battle System", which are Ki blast counterattacks when both fighters strike at the same time, as well as desperation moves available at low health.[1][3][7] The combat system was changed, removing the split-screen system and the lifebar now acts as both health and Ki meters;[3][5] when executing special moves, the character's health is automatically decreased while recharging Ki increases it.
Development and release[]
Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension was the last full-fledged fighting game in the Dragon Ball series developed and released for the Super Nintendo.[7][8] The game was created over the course of 15 months by most of the same team who worked on the previous three Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden entries, with producer Toshihiro Suzuki returning to helm its production alongside assistant Takeo Isogai.[2][9] The music was composed by "Chatrita", Mitsuhiko Takano, "Nakajima" and "Tonkupon".[9] Members of Toei Animation and V Jump magazine also assisted with its development.[9] Early previews showcased both forms of Majin Buu under the working names Buu and Original Buu respectively.[10]
Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension was first slated to be released by Bandai in Japan on March 22, 1996 before being pushed back for a March 29 launch of the same year instead and was later released in Europe on February 1997, housed in a 20-megabit cartridge using the SA1 enhancement chip.[4][11][12][13] Prior to launch, it was showcased to attendees of Shoshinkai 1995, with Club Nintendo magazine announcing that the title was planned to be released in the Mexican market.[12] On April 20, 1996, a compilation album containing music from the game, as well as from Dragon Ball Z: Shin Butōden and Dragon Ball Z: Super Gokuden – Kakusei-Hen was published exclusively in Japan by Columbia, featuring arranged songs composed by Kenji Yamamoto.[14][15] The title has never been officially released outside Japan and Europe, although a fan translation exist.[16]
Reception[]
Publication | Score |
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Consoles + | 89%[17] |
Famitsu | 24/40[18] |
HobbyConsolas | 84%[11] |
Jeuxvideo.com | 16/20[19] |
Joypad | 88%[20] |
Player One | 89%[21] |
Super Play | 71%[2] |
Nintendo Acción | 80%[1] |
3+ (C+)[22] | |
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Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension received mostly positive reception from critics and players.[18][24] In a poll taken by Family Computer Magazine, the title received a score of 23.6 out of 30, indicating a large fan following.[25] However, it sold approximately between 162,729 and 220,000 copies during its lifetime in Japan, less than the three previous Super Butōden entries.[26][27]
Super Play's Tim Weaver praised the audiovisual presentation, addition of the eight-player tournament mode and removal of the split-screen mechanic. However, Weaver stated that Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension felt very similar to the three previous Super Butōden entries and fell short when compared to Street Fighter II.[2] Christophe Delpierre of and gave praise to the detailed visual presentation and technical gameplay system but criticized the sprite animations, music, lack of story mode and innovations. Nevertheless, Delpierre regarded it as a quality game.[21][23] Grégoire Hellot of commended various features such as the graphics and controls, but criticized the lack of additional stages and other aspects.[20] Likewise, Richard Homsy of gave positive remarks to the graphical presentation and sound design but criticized the character animations and control latency with command inputs.[17] Ultimately, Homsy stated that the title was very far behind of Street Fighter Alpha 2 as a fighting game.[17] Hobby Consolas's Sonia Herranz stated that the game ranked below Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 in terms of roster, criticizing the slow-paced characters and sound design but praised the playability and fun factor.[11]
Nintendo Acción's Javier Abad criticized the exclusion of story mode in the European release. However, Abad highly praised the visual presentation of both characters and stages, as well as the addition of the "Rush Battle" system.[1] Likewise, Marco Häntsch of commended the audiovisual presentation and gameplay but criticized the lack of story mode.[22] Jeuxvideo.com's Rroyd-Y gave high remarks to the animated graphics, gameplay speed and controls but noted that the story mode is only present in the Japanese version. Regardless, he stated that Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension established "itself as the ultimate fighting game" based on Toriyama's universe.[19] An editor of Spanish website Vida Extra stated that it was the most comprehensive fighting game based on Toriyama's work released on a 16-bit console, regarding it to be "A farewell letter to the fans and, at the same time, a love letter to the manga that conquered the world."[3]
Notes[]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Abad, Javier (February 1997). "Super Stars - Super Nintendo: La batalla definitiva para el rey del manga - Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension". Nintendo Acción (in Spanish). No. 51. Hobby Press. pp. 36–37.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Weaver, Tim (September 1996). "Import Review: Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension - Funny, this. Because, you know, I'm sure I've seen it all before somewhere..." Super Play. No. 47. Future Publishing. pp. 48–49.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Frankie MB (August 2, 2020). "Dragon Ball Z Hyper Dimension: la última batalla de Goku en los sistemas de 16 bits". Vida Extra (in Spanish). Webedia. Archived from the original on 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Torishima, Kazuhiko (March 1996). "Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension". V Jump (in Japanese). No. 41. Shueisha. pp. 18–21.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Dragon Ball Z: Ultime Menace instruction booklet (Super Nintendo Entertainment System, EU)
- ^ "Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension". Anime Mix (in Portuguese). Vol. 1 no. 1. . 1999. p. 49.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Reportage - Le Japon En Direct: Dragon Ball Z n'en finit plus de mourir! - Dragon Ball Z Hyper Dimension". (in French). No. 53. . April 1996. pp. 10–11. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- ^ Silva, Peixoto; Noboru, Sérgio (1998). "Dragon Ball vem aí!". (in Portuguese). No. 30. Magnum. pp. 14–23.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Tose (29 March 1996). ドラゴンボールZ: ハイパー ディメンション (Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension) (Super Famicom) (in Japanese). Bandai. Level/area: Staff.
- ^ Torishima, Kazuhiko (January 1, 1996). "「DRAGON BALL HYPER DIMENSIONの秘密」". V Jump (in Japanese). No. 39. Shueisha. pp. 48–51.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Herranz, Sonia (February 1997). "Novedades – Super Nintendo: Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension – Un regreso esperado". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). No. 65. Hobby Press. pp. 54–56. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Shoshinkae - Dragon Ball Z". Club Nintendo (in Spanish). Vol. 5 no. 3. . March 1996. p. 69.
- ^ "Line Up". Dragon Ball Game Portal (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2020-08-31. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- ^ "COCC-13345 | Dragon Ball Z Game Music Saisei-hen". vgmdb.net. VGMdb. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ Fuentes, Edgar S. (January 24, 2018). "Vandal Game Music: Dragon Ball Z. Los arreglos de Kenji Yamamoto - Dedicamos un repaso a las bandas sonoras de los juegos a cargo del ex músico de Toei Animation". Vandal (in Spanish). El Español. Archived from the original on 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ Kurland, Daniel (July 23, 2020). "SNES: 10 Rare Super Nintendo Games You Can Only Find On Emulators - The SNES game library is full enough, but there are Super Nintendo games that were canceled or only in Japan. But with emulators, you can play them". GameRant. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Homsy, Richard (February 1997). "Dossier - DBZ: Hyper Dimension (Super Nintendo)". Consoles + (in French). No. 62. M.E.R.7. p. 74.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ドラゴンボールZ Hyper Dimension". Famitsu (in Japanese). ASCII Corporation. 1996. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Rroyd-Y (December 8, 2010). "Test de Dragon Ball Z : Hyper Dimension sur SNES par jeuxvideo.com". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Hellot, Grégoire (January 1997). "Test Super Nintendo: Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension". Joypad (in French). No. 60. Yellow Media. p. 96.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Delpierre, Christophe (November 1996). "Tests - Super Nintendo: DBZ - Hyper Dimension". Player One (in French). No. 69. Média Système Édition. pp. 68–69.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Häntsch, Marco (March 1997). "Test - SNES: Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension". Total! (in German). No. 45. X-Plain-Verlag. p. 54. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Delpierre, Christophe (January–February 1997). "Test - Super Nintendo: Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension". Nintendo Player (in French). No. 39. Média Système Édition. pp. 30–31. Archived from the original on 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
- ^ Walter, Joseph (April 24, 2019). "25 Classic 90s Dragon Ball Z Games That Only Super Fans Knew About - Dragon Ball came to the west rather late, meaning that fans missed out on some of the best DBZ games from the 90s". TheGamer. Archived from the original on 2019-05-01. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ 超絶 大技林 '98年春版: スーパーファミコン - ドラゴンボールZ HYPER DIMENSION. PlayStation Magazine (Special) (in Japanese). 42. Tokuma Shoten Intermedia. 15 April 1998. p. 342. ASIN B00J16900U.
- ^ DRAGON BALL スーパーデータ DRAGON BALL VIDEO GAME DATA. 30th Anniversary Dragon Ball 超史集 - Super History Book - (in Japanese). Shueisha. 21 January 2016. p. 216. ISBN 978-4087925050.
- ^ "Game Search". Game Data Library. Archived from the original on 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
External links[]
- 1996 video games
- Bandai games
- Dragon Ball games
- Fighting games
- Multiplayer and single-player video games
- Split-screen multiplayer games
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System games
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System-only games
- Tose (company) games
- Versus fighting games
- Video games developed in Japan