Atari announces 2005 Dragon Ball lineup

Dragon Ball fans anxiously awaiting the launch of Budokai 3 later this month now have even more reason to go Super Saiyan with anticipation. Atari today announced the publisher's plans for the popular manga and anime series, which include four titles spread across calendar year 2005.

The first title to launch in the year will also be the first game in the franchise to launch on multiple systems simultaneously. Slated to ship this spring, Dragon Ball Z: Sagas is an action adventure game that will let players team up to tackle the story mode cooperatively. The story will span across the lengthy animated series' history, from the Saiyan Saga to the Cell Games saga, taking players from Earth to Namek and beyond. Sagas will be the first game in the franchise to ship for the Xbox, but it will also appear on other consoles.

In the summer, Atari will ship Dragon Ball GT: Transformation for the Game Boy Advance. Developed by Webfoot, creator of the Legacy of Goku and Buu's Fury GBA titles, it is the first action adventure title in the series to exclusively feature characters from the Dragon Ball GT spin-off series.

Finally, Atari announced that two more as-yet-untitled games are on the way in 2005. According to the statement, a PlayStation 2 game "will create an innovative combination of action and fighting game elements," and a Game Boy Advance game "will allow players to re-create the most dramatic moments of the second half of [the Dragon Ball GT series]."

More information on the games is scheduled to be released after the 2004 holiday season.