I Went Into The Bandai Namco Showcase With Sparkling Eyes, Only To Be Disappointed

Bandai Namco is a name you’re probably well familiar with. I mean, it flash-bangs you as you boot up Elden Ring (not anymore, thankfully), how much more popular can it get? But the Souls series is but one place you can find it, for it is present in almost every anime game you turn on.

Now did you know that Bandai Namco had a video game showcase not too long ago in the Anime Expo? You didn’t? Well, I don’t think you have anything to worry about, as there was practically nothing you could’ve missed out on, bar one welcome reveal.

Bandai Namco Event — Needlessly Prolonged, And Lacking New Info

I found out about this Bandai Namco showcase pretty late myself. But when I saw the “Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero segment,” I knew I had to watch this no matter what. I went into the event with bright eyes and high hopes, but I returned a defeated soldier, having successfully sat there for nothing.

My first complaint is the poor length-to-content ratio of the showcase. It only had 3 games to discuss, yet it went on for over 100 minutes. Not only that but there was little new stuff in the entire presentation. If it was long but had spicy, never-before-revealed details, I wouldn’t be here complaining about it.

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First was Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream, a game we know enough about already thanks to the beta we got to play thoroughly. Thus, there wasn’t much this segment could’ve added to the knowledge pool. The only new thing it revealed was the Ordinal Scale characters in a new trailer, nothing else.

Next was the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero segment which I’ll be discussing (and raging over) briefly. Next was Gundam Breaker 4, which was pretty much in the same boat. The game already had a closed Network test, so the info was plenty. It did reveal a gameplay trailer, and the exciting Pac-Man collab, but took a little too much time to accomplish this.

https://twitter.com/bweezybird/status/1809382716187767091

All the Bandai Namco showcase did was present a little bit of details about already known projects, and the rest was filled with a cheesy presentation, questionable translation of the Japanese devs’ statements, and a ton of nonsense.

The Sparking Zero Segment Broke My Heart

The real cruelty arrived with the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero section. Let’s be honest. How many people sat down to watch it for SAO? For Gundam? We wanted more Sparking Zero; the possibility of some exciting reveals brought us all here.

And what did we get in return? A whole lot of nothing. No offense to Mr. Satan fans (If they even exist), but he’s not exactly someone you make the centerpiece. Frankly, nobody cares about him. Yet they made the entire segment centered on Mr. Satan. This was done to showcase the “no balancing” point, keeping things true to the lore, but who on earth thought just a Mr. Satan trailer would be justifiable for a showcase?

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Showcase Mr. Satan by all means, but add new and exciting stuff the world is waiting for as well. All Bandai Namco did was present a Mr. Satan trailer, an old UI Goku and Goku Black Rosé trailer, and called it a day.

No GT characters, no brand new roster reveal, no cross-play confirmation or denial, nothing. You have the most hyped game on the planet right now, yet you treat your fans with mega disappointment.

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Bleach: Rebirth Of Souls Was The Only Saving Grace

After being continuously disappointed for one and a half hours, I had lost all hope, but thankfully the last few minutes of the event salvaged some of its image. It’s when Bleach: Rebirth of Souls was announced.

Bleach may have been part of the “Big 3,” but it was extremely unlucky when it came to games. It was the only big shonen without a proper console game, only mobile titles. Thus, the first big-budget Bleach game was a welcome surprise. We saw it coming (thanks to Tite Kubo’s kind clumsiness), but the reveal was still solid enough.

Sneak peak image to the new Bleach: Rebirth of Soul. (A console game made by bandai namco)
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Featuring impressive, TYBW-esque visuals and a story re-creation, video game style, it’s a solid beginning for Bleach fans. The “arena fighter” aspect is still extremely questionable, but I’m hopeful it turns out good.

All in all, The Bandai Namco showcase was one big disappointment. Here I thought I would get some spicy new details about Sparking Zero, but Bandai Namco had other plans.