Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) has announced that the sequel to last year’s hugely successful Dragon Ball ® Z: Budokai™ game has shipped to retail stores nationwide. Dragon Ball® Z: Budokai™ 2 for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, takes the best-selling fighting game of 2002 and 2003 (through October)*, Dragon Ball ® Z: Budokai™, and transforms it into a heart-pounding new way to immerse fans in a quest to recover the seven Dragon Balls and the battles between good and evil that define the DBZ® world.

Dragon Ball® Z: Budokai™ 2 features many new and updated features, including the addition of the mighty villain Buu™, an all-new single player mode, and the ability of certain characters to perform Fusions and Absorptions to create even stronger fighters. The game’s combat system has been improved, and the graphics in Dragon Ball® Z: Budokai™ 2 get a complete overhaul with the addition of cel-shaded character models that are much closer to DBZ® creator Akira Toriyama’s original style and immerse players more deeply into the DBZ® universe than ever before.

“Atari has sold over 3.5 million units of Dragon Ball® Z games worldwide, which speaks to the enormous passion fans have for this compelling epic” said Nancy MacIntyre, vice president of marketing for Atari. “We’re confident that Dragon Ball® Z: Budokai™ 2 will surprise and thrill fans with its new features and animation style.”

*According to The NPD Group, Inc.

Dragon Ball® Z: Budokai™ 2 brings players a whole new way to experience the most explosive DBZ® confrontations of all time. The game features over 30 of the toughest Dragon Ball Z® fighters ever created, including the mighty villain Buu™, who can be played in three forms. Characters battle in one of eight destructive arenas, and certain characters have the ability to perform Fusions, the merging of two characters to become even more powerful. Some Fusions are exclusive to the video game and cannot be seen on the TV show. Also, players will be able to earn valuable capsules based their original Dragon Ball Z®: Budokai™ saved game data.

Dragon Ball® Z: Budokai™ 2 also features an entirely new single player experience. Dragon World is an all-new single player mode that lets players join forces with a team of Z Fighters that they control on a quest to find all seven Dragon Balls. Dragon World offers more variety in selectable characters and match-ups, including some that never occurred in the animated series, and it allows players to earn more capsules through combat. This, in turn, grants players the ability to customize their characters faster with more powerful capsules. It also gives players the opportunity to create their own DBZ® adventures.

In addition to Dragon World there are a variety of multi-player modes, including Versus Mode, Tournament and Training modes, giving a massive range of Dragon Ball Z® playing experiences that players will be able to enjoy time and again.

Developed by Dimps, Dragon Ball Z®: Budokai™ 2 is currently available at retail stores for a suggested retail price of $49.99. For additional information on Dragon Ball Z®, visit www.dragonballz.com.

About FUNimation
Focusing on providing the best in high-quality entertainment properties, FUNimation Productions, Ltd. is a full-service brand management company with in-house production, licensing, Internet, marketing, and home video sales and distribution divisions. The company manages brands such as the international phenomenon Dragon Ball Z®; Dragon Ball®, now airing on Cartoon Network's Toonami block; Dragon Ball GT®, the highly anticipated sequel to Dragon Ball Z that is now showing on Cartoon Network; Yu Yu Hakusho®, a popular series seen by millions on Cartoon Network; Blue Gender™, a true sci-fi anime airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim; movies for Lupin the 3rd™, one of the longest running anime classics; Fruits Basket™, based on the top-selling comic book in Japan; recently announced mega-hit known in Japan as Detective Conan; and fan favorites like Kiddy Grade, Tenchi Muyo! GXP and Sakura Taisen.

About Atari
New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company’s 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre-defining games such as Driver™, Enter the Matrix™, Neverwinter Nights™, Stuntman™, Test Drive®, Unreal® Tournament 2003, and Unreal® Championship; and mass-market and children’s games such as Backyard Sports™, Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues™ and Dora the Explorer™, Civilization®, Dragon Ball Z® and RollerCoaster Tycoon®. Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext 5257), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com.

Posted By: Adam Paoli - 297 Reads

Go Back | News Archive | 4 Comments

::Hot News::

· Namco Announces Tekken 5 Premium Bundle

· PSP Launch Date & Lineup for US Confirmed

· LucasArts Announces New Star Wars Title

· Finalists Annouced For 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards

· SWAT 4 Candidate Open Beta Mission - Sign Up Now

::Sponsored Links::

DS - GBA - GC - NGE - PC - PS2 - PSP - XBX

February 09, 2005