Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Review

Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and even Dragon Ball GT are one of the few series that I watched as a kid and continue to watch now. So any chance that I have to walk/fly in the shoes of a character in the universe and deck Frieza in the schnoz is an opportunity that I will take. After thoroughly enjoying the first Dragon Ball Xenoverse, I couldn’t help but be excited to revisit the Dragon Ball series in the second iteration of the Xenoverse IP.

Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and even Dragon Ball GT are one of the few series that I watched as a kid and continue to watch now. So any chance that I have to walk/fly in the shoes of a character in the universe and deck Frieza in the schnoz is an opportunity that I will take. After thoroughly enjoying the first Dragon Ball Xenoverse, I couldn’t help but be excited to revisit the Dragon Ball series in the second iteration of the Xenoverse IP.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is set some time after the events of the original, with the antagonists from the original Xenoverse game still on the loose and wreaking havoc. For those who didn’t play the original, two evil beings known as Towa and Mira have been travelling back in time and messing with significant past events in the Dragon Ball Z timeline. Initially it is unknown why they are doing this aside from being massive toolboxes. In terms of story, the first half of the game is almost an exact copy of the original, with the same timeline events being distorted in very similar, if not exactly the same ways. The really fresh stuff doesn’t kick in until around a quarter through but boy does it kick in hard.

In many ways, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 builds on the strengths of the original. It uses the same combat system, however things that were overpowered have been nerfed (like my precious Super Saiyan) to help rebalance things while also adding characters from the movies and other Dragon Ball series in the base game (like Pan). These are solid balance changes that alleviate the slightly broken nature of its predecessor. One of the biggest facets where Xenoverse 2 builds on the original however is in the overworld. Previously, the overworld was a rather small hub mainly for setting up multiplayer games, accessing story missions, doing parallel quests (PQs) and buying items. However in Xenoverse 2 they have made the overworld map a lot larger and fleshed out all of the different things you can do. For example, after progressing enough you can actually fly around and talk to NPCs that would otherwise be unreachable. It gives the overworld a more cohesive feel and sense of purpose.

Dimps (the developer) have also added in little areas which add side quests for you to do, meaning you can easily grind a few levels, attain new gear and learn new skills. The quest system is very much fleshed out and works quite well. It’s definitely got RPG elements in it but they’re not so complex as to require much thought. Another thing Dimps have added is expert missions. These are little points on the map where older missions can be repeated but on a much grander and harder scale. Rewards are obviously beefed up so it’s worth the effort that is required to beat these challenging missions. There’s even a secret ending that offers a unique fight with a familiar face if you’ve played the original Xenoverse game.

Visually speaking the game hasn’t really improved, however during the main story it does feature some very good looking pre-rendered cutscenes. Given the way the story goes through the events of Dragon Ball Z, some of these cutscenes feel like a reimagination of the show itself. As a fan I welcome this, as it only adds to the fond memories the show itself holds in my heart. Like most games of this kind, the developers have utilised cel-shading to help retain the anime feel of the game (I don’t think anyone would want to play a Dragon Ball game based off of the terrible live action movie). The simplicity of the visuals have allowed Dimps to impressively do one thing on the Xbox One and PS4 and that is to optimise the game to run at a stable 60 frames per second. This is a perfect case of making a game look good without sacrificing performance – something a lot of developers should take note of. Texture detailing is still good, especially on the character models. Even small things like scratches and marks on characters when their health dwindles are thoughtfully designed.

In terms of audio this is where one the first niggling issues arises. For the most part, the music in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is decent, however it uses a lot of the same music that the original used. I’m all for reusing music for continuity’s sake (especially in Xenoverse’s case where the music is cool and catchy), however it also feels like there could have been more work done to help differentiate between the two titles. Most of the new music is in the overworld and there was an instance where the music was written was in a ⅞ time signature (music nerds will appreciate this) to awesome effect. The new music is once again quite cool and catchy and is very distinguishable compared the reused music, I guess I just wish there was more of it. Composer Steve Aoki has helped put in some creative variations which was pleasant to see. Yes, I did just say Steve Aoki, as in the DJ.

The voice acting is done exactly how it is in the show, which helps make the game feel like a part of the Dragon Ball series. But while the voice acting is good, the dialogue and the subtitles don’t always match up. In some instances the subtitles were completely wrong, showing dialogue lines that hadn’t occurred yet or using grammar that was just plain wrong. This wasn’t a rare occurrence either. I often found the subtitles didn’t actually say what the characters themselves had said. Almost like the sentences were paraphrasing the dialogue with a sprinkle of dumbed-down English.

Final Thoughts

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is a fun game which lets fans of the illustrious Dragon Ball series live in the events of the shows and movies. While the game unfortunately has some sloppy dialogue and subtitle syncing, and borrows an almost criminal amount from the original Xenoverse game, it also builds greatly on what made the first one successful. Additions like the new overworld areas, expert missions and a wider array of characters help make the game feel different to the original. I would certainly recommend this game for fans of the series or just plain anime fighter fans, but if you’ve played the original don’t expect to be met with new content until you play through a quarter of a game you’ve played before.

Reviewed on PS4