Dragon Ball has evolved from a simple story loosely based off Journey to the perfect example of a Shonen series. In that time the series has been adapted to a number of different mediums, including video games. Using the world of Dragon Ball to make an online action game worked very well for Xenoverse. Now that Dragon Ball Super is continuing the adventure, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 hopes to tap the original magic and add in the latest adventures. The only question is whether the sequel will live up to the original or is it a quick rerelease to get more money?
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 uses the canon time travel elements to create an organization designed to fix anomalies in the past. This isn’t the first adventure to use the Time Patrol, nor is the basic idea of the Time Patrol original, but it is still a decent way to justify reliving your favorite moments in the series. As you might’ve guessed, since Xenoverse 2 is expanding on the original game, all the best moments and more are included.
It makes for a thrilling revisit, along with a couple of fun inside jokes. Like one of the tutorial missions teaches you how to revive using Krillin as an example and you later beat up Yamcha and Tien. These fun little callbacks to how the community, at least in the West, feel about the game makes an otherwise terrible tutorial more bearable.
The issue with the tutorial is that it’s very long for a fairly straightforward system. With the combat system involving two buttons to attack like Dynasty Warriors, another for beam attacks, a jump/dodge button and a few more for special attacks and flying, you spend about 10 or so minutes doing something that shouldn’t take more than two. This is a terrible way to start the game and sadly, it doesn’t get much better from there.
Similar to Dynasty Warriors, it takes a while for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 to feel engaging. Just randomly pushing the two attack buttons I was able to beat a couple side missions and two story missions taking less than 5 percent damage. In fact, it almost felt like I had to try to let the enemy win to perceive any sort of legitimate threat.
Thankfully the deeper mechanics prevent the gameplay from getting too dull. Those who take the time to master things can have some thrilling battles. The special attacks also have a fair bit of flash, making them more than a fancy way to throw punches or ki blasts.
If you can get past the slow beginning, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 does have some neat things to offer. The town is much bigger than the original and has plenty more going on. Shops also have charming references to the series, such as iconic costumes, making the progression a little bit more fun.
The character customization system is also a fair bit of fun. You can select from the series iconic races, including Buu and Frieza, each including a wide range of faces, noses, eyes, voices and hairstyles. Since this is an RPG, every race also comes with its own strengths and weaknesses, making it a decision one should not take lightly.
In addition to having increased space, the town itself has a lot more to see and do. Training missions will help you improve at the combat system, not that it is terribly important and side missions allow deeper interactions with the side characters. It’s clear that Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 wants to be more than just revisiting the story we love and it is a choice I certain appreciate.
Verdict
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is simple, but certain fun for fans of the series. The combat system is painfully straightforward involving little variety, but the large roster and iconic fights will likely be more than enough for fans. The improvements to the base game show, making Xenoverse 2 feel more like a sequel and less like glorified DLC. Add in some new adventures, return of fan favorites and more to do and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is a solid choice for fans of the original and decent for fans of the series. However, if you’re looking for something completely different or deeper mechanics, odds are Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 won’t be up your ally.
[Editor’s Note: Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 was reviewed on PS4 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
