Nonetheless being up to date and nonetheless being performed by loads of folks, Dragon Ball XenoVerse 2 is a chief instance of Dragon Ball’s seemingly everlasting attraction. The fighting-RPG is sort of eight years previous, and has simply been handed yet one more shot within the arm by means of this native PS5 port. It is even getting a model new, four-part DLC saga over the approaching months. The longevity is just unbelievable.
If you happen to’re unfamiliar with the XenoVerse pitch, you primarily play as your personal customized Dragon Ball character, who fights to revive corrupted timelines in franchise canon. This acts as the proper excuse to replay iconic battles from the supply materials, all whereas a time-travelling story unravels within the background.
It is a enjoyable premise that ties neatly into Dragon Ball’s tone, however a mixture of slowly-paced plot factors and a few awkward, barely animated cutscenes maintain the storytelling again. Whereas it’s cool to see how varied timelines might twist if left untreated, the overarching narrative is not actually the principle draw of XenoVerse 2.
Certainly, it is the character development that’ll hold most gamers invested. It is a grindy recreation, as you degree up your hero, distribute talent factors, purchase new assaults, and get your fingers on stat-boosting gear. Every mission comes with its personal set of loot drops, and so that you’re inspired to retry quests time and again to get the gear that you simply want.
And that is just about the crux of XenoVerse 2. Even simply the bottom recreation — with none of its many DLC packs included — is completely huge. If you happen to’re completely new, the sheer quantity of stuff will be overwhelming, however as soon as you have settled into the grind, you will in all probability be grateful that there is a seemingly unending provide of missions and subsequent rewards.
The one downside with XenoVerse 2, right here in 2024, is that its core gameplay has by no means actually advanced. Sure, an increasing number of methods to improve and customise your character have been added through the years, however the precise fight feels primary and a contact too finicky by at this time’s requirements. Wailing on CPU opponents again and again with the identical previous combos and tremendous strikes will get repetitive lots earlier than you would possibly assume, and with a lot content material to chew by means of, diving into this title as a newcomer is usually a very tall order.
XenoVerse 2’s excellent longevity should be praised, and it is nonetheless a enjoyable recreation to discover, however it may be tough to suggest. Components of this time-travelling journey have not aged nicely in any respect, and though the sport’s spectacular scope does counterbalance plenty of its flaws, it’s worthwhile to know that the core gameplay loop is an almighty grind — now greater than ever earlier than.
