Monday , March 18 2024
While Dragon Ball: Xenoverse is clearly directed at its fans, and the primary fighting aspect of the game could use some polish, Namco has created a solid framework for moving forward with the series.

PlayStation 4 Review: ‘Dragon Ball: Xenoverse’

Dragon Ball: Xenoverse is the latest in an unsurprisingly long list of games based on the hugely popular Dragon Ball manga and subsequent anime series. It’s hard to believe that Dragon Ball is 30 years old now, and as a matter of fact, it’s been almost 20 years since the original run of the manga series ended. What is new, is that this is the first time the long-running series has made it to this generation of consoles. Though Xenoverse isn’t perfect, for the most part, the series debut on the PlayStation 4 is a pretty solid effort.

Dragon Ball, Xenoverse, PlayStation 4, PS4, video gameDragon Ball is all about the fighting, and typically, fighting is at the center of every Dragon Ball game. Xenoverse is no exception. However the fighting mechanics in Xenoverse don’t stand up very well against those in other fighting games. Besides being able to string together combos, combat is a pretty simple affair. Weak and strong attacks are mapped to the square and triangle buttons respectively. A Ki blast is executed with the circle button and special moves and dashing are done with the triggers. Guarding is done with the left bumper and the right one is used for the necessary locking on.

Where some previous Dragon Ball games have tried to shoehorn the combat into small arenas and even indoor locations, Xenoverse tries to make the fighting environments more faithful to the source material. In most cases, that means fighting in the air. While that is certainly more epic, it does introduce a new set of problems. With such large fighting areas, there can be a lot of chasing. As in a boxing match where one fighter is clearly ahead, and just staying out of danger, following your opponent around the arena doesn’t make for compelling entertainment.

Dragon Ball, Xenoverse, PlayStation 4, PS4, video gameLuckily, Dragon Ball: Xenoverse does have other things going for it. Unlike the previous games that follow the original Dragon Ball canon, Xenoverse mixes it up a bit and towards the end charts a whole new path. Longtime fans shouldn’t worry too much, though, because the new narrative doesn’t stray too far off of the path. Of course, the primary reason Xenoverse needs a new story is that players actually create their own character this time around. While that isn’t entirely new, it is fairly well integrated this time around.

The RPG elements in Dragon Ball: Xenoverse are surprisingly substantial. You can choose the race and gender, if applicable, of your user-created Z warrior, and from there you have plenty of cosmetic options. It’s not the Mass Effect or even Soul Calibur level of customization, but it should make most fans happy. In addition to hairstyles and skin colors, you can mix and match your abilities, and customize your battle skills. Special and super attacks can also be switched out between missions. Additionally, stat-improving clothing items can be either bought or won throughout the game.

Dragon Ball, Xenoverse, PlayStation 4, PS4, video gameAnother element Xenoverse borrows from the RPG genre, is the town hub. Your character can run around and speak to all of the characters in town, and surprisingly most of them are fully voiced. Rather than utilizing a menu system, everything in the game is done from the hub. That includes both local and online multiplayer and coop. While it is immersive, it can be somewhat time-consuming, especially when network connection issues are fairly commonplace. A new wrinkle to Dragon Ball games, and also accessible through the hub, are the Parallel quests, which are essentially side missions. Of course it wouldn’t be a hub without stores too.

Dragon Ball, Xenoverse, PlayStation 4, PS4, video gameWith the included Japanese language option, Dragon Ball: Xenoverse is undoubtedly for fans of the series, and what it does really well is let fans immerse themselves in the Dragon Ball world. No previous game in the series has done this quite as well. That doesn’t mean everything in the game works well. Individually, a lot of the elements could be improved upon, but as tedious as some aspects are, the entirety of the experience is a giant leap forward. Going forward, if Namco Bandai can just improve upon this framework, the future looks bright for Dragon Ball games.

 

top10_tDragon Ball: Xenoverse is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB for Cartoon Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes. This game can also be found on: Xbox One, and Windows PC

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About Lance Roth

Lance Roth has over 10 years experience in the video game industry. He has worked in a number of capacities within the industry and currently provides development and strategy consulting. He participated in all of the major console launches since the Dreamcast. This videogame resume goes all of the way back to when they were written in DOS. You can contact Lance at RPGameX.com or [email protected].

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