The Only Dragon Ball Z on Mega Drive, and the Spanish Edition It Never Got
Sega's console saw only one Dragon Ball game, and it arrived late in the system's life. Dragon Ball Z: Buyuu Retsuden was released in Japan in April 1994 by Bandai. It is a one-on-one fighting game in the mould of Street Fighter II and the Super Nintendo Super Butouden games, built on a three-button scheme with special moves triggered by button combinations.
At a glance
- Based on: Dragon Ball Z: Buyuu Retsuden (Mega Drive, 1994)
- Created by: Bandai
- Released: April 1994 in Japan; June 1994 in France and Spain
- Genre: Versus fighting game
- What sets it apart: a split-screen mechanic for firing ki blasts from a distance
The game itself
There are Story and Versus modes and 11 playable fighters, including Goku, Vegeta, Frieza, Cell and Android 18. When fighters move apart, the screen splits so that each can fire ki blasts from range. Reviewers praised the roster, presentation and split-screen system, though many found the pacing and controls short of Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat.
The European story
France and Spain received the game in June 1994 as Dragon Ball Z: L'Appel du Destin. Even so, the in-game text was translated into French only, with French and Spanish instructions. Spanish players therefore got a manual in their language but a game they could not read.
That gap is what this edition fills. It carries a complete fan-made Spanish translation of the game text, plus a Spanish manual, which restores a version that never existed in the 1990s.