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 this native PS5 port. It is even getting a model new, four-part DLC saga over the approaching months. The longevity is just unbelievable.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the XenoVerse pitch, you primarily play as your individual 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 is cool to see how varied timelines may twist if left untreated, the overarching narrative is not actually the primary draw of XenoVerse 2.
Certainly, it is the character development that’ll maintain most gamers invested. It is a grindy sport, as you stage up your hero, distribute talent factors, purchase new assaults, and get your palms on stat-boosting tools. Each 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 just want.
And that is just about the crux of XenoVerse 2. Even simply the bottom sport — with none of its many DLC packs included — is totally large. In case you’re completely new, the sheer quantity of stuff might be overwhelming, however as soon as you’ve got settled into the grind, you will most likely be grateful that there is a seemingly endless provide of missions and subsequent rewards.
The one drawback with XenoVerse 2, right here in 2024, is that its core gameplay has by no means really 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 right now’s requirements. Wailing on CPU opponents over and over with the identical previous combos and tremendous strikes will get repetitive so much prior to you may assume, and with a lot content material to chew by, diving into this title as a newcomer could be a very tall order.
XenoVerse 2’s excellent longevity should be praised, and it is nonetheless a enjoyable sport to discover, however it may be tough to suggest. Elements of this time-travelling journey have not aged properly in any respect, and though the sport’s spectacular scope does counterbalance quite a lot of its flaws, you’ll want to know that the core gameplay loop is an almighty grind — now greater than ever earlier than.
