14 DAY TRIAL // The sentimentalists will definitely be very happy to hear that Atari and Namco Bandai are bringing Dragon Ball: Origins for Nintendo DS to European shores. The original action adventure game will be released in December 2008, probably right before Christmas, for a big boost in sales (not that a Dragon Ball really needs some boost...).
Dragon Ball: Origins takes players back to the original DB series and is surely set to bring back some good old memories. The single player campaign follows Goku and his clever sidekick Bulma as they travel the world overcoming enemies and obstacles to collect the 7 Dragon Balls - something they seem to be doing since forever. Only Goku will be a playable character and his side-mission, so to speak, will be to protect Bulma from incoming enemy attacks using special skills, like fighting with the power pole, or unleashing a kamehameha. However, Bulma won't be just some dead weight to make your life even more miserable: she has the ability to invent machines and weapons - so she'll make a formidable team with you!
Dragon Ball: Origins also has touchscreen support, meaning that you'll use only the touch pad to control Goku. You must draw lines or shapes to direct the character and control the action by tapping on the screen - for example, a double tap on Goku followed by tapping on the Ka-me-ha-me-ha letters unleashes his devastating signature move. And no, it's not as complicated as it might seem to be at first.
Also, Goku can perfect his skills by gaining experience through defeating enemies. The power pole helps our hero and Bulma not only in the battle but also in solving puzzles throughout the game. Even more, for extra Dragon Ball fun, you can hunt down and collect the many virtual figurines hidden in the game world which can then be swapped and traded with friends via the wireless connection to get the full collection. So there are indeed lots of reasons to be happy.