Writing guides for a living, I usually leave the menu on while I work on each article. However, for this instance with the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero menus, I furiously turn off the game and go to the PS5 home screen. The menus are so irritating that they spiral my brain out of focus!
The most agonizing aspect of these menus is the repetitive voice lines. You’ll hear the same lines over and over, sometimes repeating straight after they've said them. Whether it's the interviewer asking questions to Tien and Android 17 or Goku asking Dende what he’s up to, it quickly becomes unbearable. Even Hercule gets spooked by Goku appearing at his house via instant transmission, which adds to the frustration.
The odd thing about the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero menus is that characters speak without receiving any responses. For example, Dende says nothing when Goku asks what he spends his time doing. This lack of interaction is off-putting. If you're going to have them repeat lines, at least make it a conversation! It’s much better than Goku saying, “Hmm, what do I want?” eight times in two minutes.
Unfortunately, the most annoying element comes when you head to the Shop. Bulma harasses you with the same voice lines repeatedly, wishing that Vegeta would take her on a shopping spree. This incessant chatter makes me want to stop writing about unlocking characters and just turn the game off!
Additionally, they picked the most annoying character for part of the main menu: Zen-Oh. In his high-pitched voice, he constantly asks Goku to play with him. When completing Zen-Oh’s Orders, he repeats lines like, “Hey, hey, what you gonna play today?” and “I’ve got a favor for ya!” He can say that second line five times in a minute, which is a nightmare.
It’s not just the voices that are irritating. The way the menu is structured also grinds my teeth. Goku transitions between each scene that acts as a menu location, making it feel sluggish. If the left analog stick detects a slight input to the left or right, it immediately goes to another menu section. This mild inconvenience happens so often that it becomes agonizing to deal with. At one moment, I even saw Master Roshi in a T-Pose!
Hopefully, Bandai Namco and Spike Chunsoft will provide a patch that allows players to mute the characters. I dread booting up the game due to how annoying the menus are. Thankfully, the gameplay is particularly awesome, making up for the menu issues.
What You Will Learn
- The repetitive voice lines in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero can significantly detract from the gaming experience.
- Lack of character responses in dialogues creates a frustrating environment.
- Annoying characters like Bulma and Zen-Oh contribute to the menu's irritation factor.
- The sluggish menu navigation impacts user experience and may require a patch for improvement.
