"We are excited to add Dragon Ball Z®: Taiketsu(TM) to the library of authentic DBZ games and provide fans with an explosive fighting-action game for the Game Boy® Advance," said Nancy MacIntyre, vice president of marketing for Atari's Beverly studio. "The enormous success of the Dragon Ball Z® portfolio is a tribute to the power and recognition of the DBZ® franchise."
"After our outstanding success with Dragon Ball Z® Budokai, we are very excited to be working with Atari to bring the first DBZ fighting game to the Game Boy® Advance," said Gen Fukunaga, president of FUNimation Productions, Ltd. "Atari knows how to bring the DBZ atmosphere and action to our fans, and we expect Dragon Ball Z® Taiketsu(TM) to be another great DBZ fighting-action game."
Dragon Ball Z®: Taiketsu(TM) challenges players to fight in one of several animated environments such as Master Roshi's Island or Orange Star City, and choose from a long list of their favorite characters featured in all sagas of the DBZ® story, including Goku®, Buu®, Gohan®, Cell(TM), Piccolo(TM), Frieza®, Trunks® and Vegeta®. Use single-player mode to compete in world tournaments or test your strength in an endurance challenge. Up to four DBZ® fighters (up to two human players and two AI opponents) can battle on screen at once using the multiplayer mode.
With a sell-through of more than two million units in North America(1) alone during the 2002 calendar year, the Dragon Ball Z® video game franchise has quickly mirrored the success the Dragon Ball Z® animated series. Dragon Ball Z®: The Legacy of Goku, released in May 2002, sold more than one million units(1), becoming the year's top-selling role playing game for the Game Boy® Advance. Additionally, Dragon Ball Z®: Budokai for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system became the best-selling fighting game of 2002(1). A version of Dragon Ball Z®: Budokai for the Nintendo GameCube is slated for release in October 2003. (1) All data is according to The NPD Group, Inc.).