After landing a sweet and surprising announcement a few days back, Bandai Namco is now showing us more of Dragon Ball FighterZ in action. The gameplay trailer shows the game's signature 3 vs 3 battles with a bunch of familiar characters duking it out. The graphics are notably beautiful 2D models which isn't surprising given that the developer is Arc System Works, the team behind the awesome Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series.

The video itself shows a number of interesting tidbits. Firstly, mainstays such as Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta are all represented perfectly here. Everything from their moves to their body language to their (Japanese) voices feel straight out of the anime.  The same is true of the villain team made up of Frieza, Majin Buu, and Cell.

The tag and assists are also used a number of times in the trailer, giving a distinct Marvel vs Capcom vibe when it comes to the 3 vs 3 system. However, Dragon Ball FighterZ invokes a unique flavor to the gameplay with some interesting aerial combat and insta-teleportations reminiscent of the TV show. Even the small details like characters exploding into a ball of light to chase after a launched opponent fell fresh and distinctly DBZ.

The coolest portion of the video is when Majin Buu finishes off Vegeta with ender that causes an explosion that can be seen in space. Cinematic super moves are nothing new but its the fact that the stage changes into a lava-filled crater after this is what stands out. Does this mean we'll have multiple versions of the same level just with different amounts of wear and tear? Dragon Ball is known for its terraforming clashes between godlike beings.

The game also shows some transformations including the usual Super Saiyan blonde-ning. However, Frieza is shown to change into his Golden form, which is a reference from the recent 2015 movie Resurrection 'F'. Seems like Dragon Ball FighterZ will be taking elements from more modern additions to the franchise.

Currently the release date for the game is early 2018 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One (it even made an appearance at Microsoft's E3 press show). There's also a closed beta that supposed to happen for the console versions at the end of this summer. After watching the (below) gameplay trailer multiple times, and getting nostalgia pangs, it's impossible to say I'm not excited for this one.