The Legacy of Goku II Q&A

Infogrames recently announced a sequel to The Legacy of Goku for the Game Boy Advance. The game will feature a number of improvements on its predecessor, including multiple playable characters, a tweaked combat system, and a larger world. We had a chance to speak with Murray Kraft, project manager for The Legacy of Goku II, and Dana Dominiak, president of Webfoot Technologies, to learn more about the game.

GameSpot: How happy are you with how the first Legacy of Goku turned out?

Murray Kraft: We think everyone who worked on the first Legacy of Goku would agree that if we could do it over, there are things we would have done differently. We are confident the benefits of that learning experience will come through in the sequel.

Dana Dominiak: The great news is that we had a longer development cycle for The Legacy of Goku II, and the gameplay, length, and quality reflect this significantly. There are several hundred areas to explore in Legacy II, you can play multiple characters, there is over an hour of music, and the world map is in 3D! It's an amazing amount of gameplay packed into a Game Boy Advance cartridge, and we're very proud of it.

GS: How much did user feedback influence where you went with the next game?

MK: We received some great user feedback. Fan response for the most part confirmed what we had anticipated needed to be changed for the sequel. We think the biggest surprise we got out of The Legacy of Goku was the response to the wolf, or "the blue dog," as it is so affectionately referred to. Many people now have a special, dark place in their hearts for the blue dog. In retrospect, he was awfully cute to be as evil as he was.

DD: There are many young DBZ fans here at Webfoot, so we pretty much agreed with the fans' wishes for the sequel. For example, we agreed with fans that the next game should be many times longer. The Legacy of Goku II has about 20 to 25 hours of gameplay for experienced gamers. The combat system has been greatly improved, which is something fans requested and we had wanted as well. Another big wish of fans was to be able to play more than one character, and their wish has been granted in The Legacy of Goku II. There are also other "surprise" improvements in the sequel, like a 3D world map.

GS: What can you tell us about the story behind The Legacy of Goku II?

MK: It follows the Trunks, Androids, and Cell sagas from the series. A very powerful kid named Trunks has arrived in a time machine with an awful revelation about the future of Earth. It's up to Goku and the other Z-Fighters to prevent this future from happening. Goku gets seriously ill early on, so it's mostly up to the others to get things done. A huge effort was made to represent the storyline and world as accurately as possible.

GS: Which characters will we see in the game? Will there be as many cameos as in the original Goku?

MK: Almost all the major characters from this section of the series are represented in the game. There are several more people to interact with in The Legacy of Goku II than in the first game. They all have a lot more to say and do as well.

GS: What can you tell us about the gameplay? Has it changed much?

DD: Even though the basic type of game is the same, the gameplay itself has significantly changed since the original. In The Legacy of Goku II, the world gradually opens up and different regions can be repeatedly accessed throughout the game whenever the player wants by flying around on a giant world map.

MK: There are also five playable characters now--Gohan, Goku, Trunks, Vegeta, and Piccolo. Gohan dominates the beginning of the game, and as the story progresses the other four become available. Once other characters are unlocked, the player can switch characters at save points throughout the world. Certain situations will play out differently depending on which character the player decides to use at the time. The fighting system is also much more advanced now, with more attacks, better response, and diagonal movement. In particular, I think people are really going to enjoy Super Saiyan mode.

There are too many enhancements in this sequel to name them all--suffice it to say that it's all much improved!

GS: Will there be any multiplayer components?

MK: Not in The Legacy of Goku II.

GS: When can we look for the game?

MK: Look for it at the end of June.

GS: Thanks for your time.