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Video Game Guide
Console Games
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A video game console is a modified computer system that is used in conjunction with a display device (a television, monitor, etc.) to display the video game. The term "video game console" is used to distinguish a machine designed for consumers to buy and use solely for playing video games from a personal computer, which has many other functions, or arcade machines, which are designed for businesses that buy them and then charge others to play. All DragonBall console video games are divided up by their respective video game console, along with some supplemental information. Third Generation: Super Cassette Vision | Famicom
Sixth Generation: PlayStation 2 | GameCube
Seventh Generation: Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Wii
Epoch Super Cassette Vision
Epoch's 8-bit Super Cassette Vision was released in 1984 in Japan as the successor to the Cassette Vision. The console had a numeric keypad on the front, power switch, and featured a top-loading cartridge slot, although the cartridges were called "cassettes". The bottom half of the console lifted up to reveal two hard-wired (non-removable) joystick controllers, which remained neatly hidden within the system when not in use. The system sold fairly well initially with about 30 games made for the system, one of which was DragonBall, with the majority of the games being developed by Epoch. The console was quickly overshadowed in Japan by the much more popular Nintendo Family Computer and the Super Cassette Vision soon disappeared from the market.
 Super Cassette Vision
Nintendo Family Computer
An 8-bit video game console, the Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) was released in Japan in July 1983 and eventually made its way to North America in 1985 and most of Europe in 1986. The international release of the system was re-designed and recieved some improvements, and was re-named the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The original Famicom featured a top-loading cartridge slot, hard-wired (non-removable) controllers, and a red and white color scheme. Conversely, the international NES featured a front-loading cartridge slot, 7-pin removable controllers, and a different color scheme. Unfortunately, "The Mystery of Shenlong" was the only Famicom game Bandai imported to North America and Europe, and was released under the title "Dragon Power" with virtually every aspect of DragonBall removed from the game.
NEC PC Engine
The 16-bit PC Engine was developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, and was released in October 1987 in Japan and later in September 1989 in North American. However, the North American version was released under the name "TurboGrafx-16" and was re-designed. It was a very small video game console, due to a very efficient three-chip architecture and its use of smaller data cartridges. This, and other features, made the PC Engine extremely popular in Japan and it soon surpassed Nintendo's Famicom in sales. The PC Engine was also the first console to have an optional CD-Rom module, allowing the standard benefits of the CD medium: more storage, cheaper media costs, and better audio. With its efficient design and additional CD-ROM capabilities, the PC Engine had a very wide variety of software in both formats, including one DragonBall Z release on the CD format.
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Mega Drive was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan in October 1988. It debuted under the name "Genesis" in North America in January 1989 due to a trademark dispute in the region. As one of the first 16-bit consoles, the Mega Drive initially experienced slow sales but soon rose to the peak of its popularity. Unfortunately, this didn't last as long as Sega had hoped, and after the release of the PC Engine CD-Rom module and the Nintendo Super Famicom, the Mega Drive lost its ground. In the end, only one DragonBall Z game was released for the Mega Drive system, which was released in both Japan and North America.
 Mega Drive / Genesis
Nintendo Super Family Computer
As the original Famicom was at the height of its popularity, several companies began launching their own consoles. To compete, Nintendo unveiled plans for a 16-bit video game console and on November 21, 1990, the Super Family Computer (Super Famicom) was released. As was done with the Famicom, the international release was re-designed and re-named as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). One major downfall of the SNES console was its lack of backwards compatibility, meaning fans couldn't play NES cartridges. The early 90s saw a rivalry between Nintendo and Sega, causing a mass production of games and features. Unfortunately, by 1996 the 16-bit era of gaming had ended and a new generation of consoles caused the popularity of the SNES to diminish, although it wasn't discountinued until 2003.
Bandai Playdia
The 32-bit Bandai Playdia was released in September 1994 in Japan, and was never released in North America. The Playdia was marketed mostly towards children, as it had basic commands for very basic games. The majority of the games released consisted of a lot of animated material with very little input required by the user. Most, if not all, of the games were based on Anime franchises, such as DragonBall Z, Gundam, and Sailor Moon. As the only traditional console ever released by Bandai, it couldn't stand up to the competition and lasted a little over a year.
 Playdia Sega Saturn
The Sega Saturn was released in November 1994 in Japan and in May 1995 in North America. At one point in time, the Sega Saturn actually ranked higher than Nintendo's Super Famicom in Japan. Unfortunately, the Saturn was rushed into the market with very few games, causing it to slowly lose market shares to Sony's PlayStation. As price drops continued throughout the 32-bit era, the system board design of the Saturn wasn't as easy to condense in a cost saving manner and Sega fell behind on price drops offered by Nintendo and Sony. Ultimately, only two DragonBall Z were released for the Sega Saturn, with "The Great DragonBall Legends" receiving an additional release on Sony's PlayStation.
 Saturn
Sony PlayStation
The PlayStation was launched in Japan on December 3, 1994 and in North America on September 9, 1995. Before the release of the PlayStation, Sony had never held a large portion of the video games market. Also available at launch were a host of peripherals including a memory card, a link cable to connect two PlayStations together, an S-Video Adaptor, and a Multitap Unit. The PlayStation was also slim, sleek, and gray, with a revolutionary controller that was years ahead of it's competitors. In September 2000, Sony produced a redesigned version of the original console, called the PSone. On March 23, 2006, Sony announced they would stopped production of all PlayStation one units. Having lasted over 11 years, the PlayStation enjoyed one of the longest production runs in video game industry.
Sony PlayStation 2
Released in March 2000 in Japan and in October 2000 in North America, the PlayStation 2 (PS2) is the successor to the PlayStation. The PS2 is backwards compatible with older PlayStation games, allows for DVD Video playback, and supports older memory cards and controllers. For the first time, Sony released games that supported online play, with the purchase of a separate unit called the "Network Adaptor". Also, since its initial launch, the PS2 has undergone some major revisions with the most recent being a smaller and thinner version with a built-in Ethernet port. However, the latter slim models had more issues with playing PlayStation games than the first PS2 revisions. In the end, the PS2 became the fastest selling gaming console in world history, beating the previous record holder the original Sony PlayStation.
Nintendo GameCube
The GameCube is Nintendo's fourth home video game console, and was the most compact and inexpensive console of its time. Released in September 2001 in Japan and in November 2001 in the United States, the GameCube was designed for ease of portability. The GameCube also uses a unique storage medium, the GameCube Optical Disc, approximately 8 centimeters (3 1/8 inches) in diameter which are considerably smaller than the CDs or DVDs used in their competitors' consoles. Therefore, to its disadvantage, it had no DVD Video playback capabilities. The system also had the unique capability of connecting to Nintendo's portable Game Boy Advance. This connection between the two systems utilizes the transfer of game data, allowing the Game Boy Advance to be used as a controller. However, despite Nintendo's best efforts, the GameCube was unsuccessful in competing with Sony's PlayStation 2.
Microsoft Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and was the first American consule to feature a Japanese produced DragonBall game. The Xbox 360 was released on November 22, 2005, in both the United States and Canada, and on December 10, 2005, in Japan. Due to its early launch, the Xbox 360 had a one-year lead on both of its competitors, Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii. The Xbox 360 was originally available in three standard variants; the "Xbox 360 Arcade", the "Xbox 360 Premium", and the "Xbox 360 Elite". Each edition retailed at a different price and comes bundled with specific features, items, and games. The Xbox 360 comes equipped with Xbox LIVE, which allows players to compete online and download arcade games and content such as game demos, trailers, TV shows, music videos, or rented movies. On June 18, 2010, Microsoft discontinued all previous 360 consoles and released a slimmer Xbox 360, which included a 250 GB hard drive and integrated Wi-Fi functionality.
Sony PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The system was first released on November 11, 2006 in Japan, and November 17, 2006 in the United States. It was the first console to utilize a next-generation storage media, Blu-ray Disc, though it also supports DVDs and CDs. The PS3 uses the Sixaxis, a controller that is very similar in appearance to that of its predecessors, except it contains a PS ("home") button and a USB mini-B port for charging the internal battery, but has no vibration feature. The PS3 supports up to 7 simultaneous controllers over Bluetooth. There were originally multiple models of the PS3, denoted by hard drive size; 20 GB, 40 GB, 60 GB, & 80 GB. On September 1, 2009, Sony discontinued all previous PS3 consoles and released the PS3 slim, which included a 120-320 GB hard drive, DualShock 3 controller support, and integrated Wi-Fi functionality.
Nintendo Wii
The Wii is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo. The console is the direct successor to the Nintendo GameCube. Released in November 2006 in the United States and in December 2006 in Japan, the Wii was designed to target a broader demographic than that of Microsoft and Sony. A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect acceleration in three dimensions. This design allows users to control the game using physical gestures as well as traditional button presses. The controller connects to the console using Bluetooth and features rumble as well as an internal speaker. The Wii console is Nintendo's smallest home unit to date, being the near-equivalent of three DVD cases stacked together. The front of the console features an illuminated slot-loading optical media drive that accepts both 12 cm Wii Optical Discs and Nintendo GameCube Game Discs. Overall, Nintendo broke the mold of video game play and set a new standard with the Wii.
 Wii Remote & Wii Console |
Information/Images by: Hujio
