Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2: Deluxe Edition

Editor's Notes

Digital Deluxe PS4 version reviewed.

Introduction

2015's 'Dragon Ball Xenoverse' was a triumphant return to form for Namco Bandai's 'Dragon Ball' adaptations. The games had been largely hit-or-miss since 2004's 'Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3,' but 'Xenoverse' featured enjoyable combat and an MMO-style hub world that players could explore before going on missions. Now one year later, developer Dimps looks to expand upon this solid foundation in 'Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2.'

'Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Deluxe Edition' includes the game and the Season Pass. That means players will get all four DLC packs as they are released, which will include new characters, quests, masters to train under, stages, and various customization options (accessories, skills and costumes). Characters confirmed to be DLC include Goku Black, Future Trunks, Cabe and Frost from 'Dragon Ball Super.'

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

Similar to its predecessor, 'Xenoverse 2' puts the players in the shoes of a time-travelling police officer who makes sure that history is kept in order by making sure events go down how they were supposed to. It actually takes place two years after the events of the first game, and the hero that players used last year (if they still have the save data) has a statue celebrating his accomplishments in the center of the new hub world. While things had been relatively peaceful for the time cops, things once again go awry as villains Towa and Mira appear to start trouble.

The setup will feel a bit too familiar to those that played 'Xenoverse,' but a few key elements help make this the highlight of the game. First, the dialogue is extremely well-written, and fans of the series get to see a wide range of 'Dragon Ball' characters interact with each other. Watching the oddball villains from the movies fail to cooperate in the game's cutscenes is highly entertaining, and the time traveling motif gives Dimps another excuse to allow players to relive famous moments but with a twist. 

Fixing history is actually easier than I had originally anticipated, as it all revolved around making my created character (I chose to create a Saiyan, but there are several different species to choose from) pound in the faces of various ne'er-do-wells. The combat in 'Xenoverse' is fast-paced, and I typically began every combat exchange by flying around (which is done by holding in the left trigger), locking-on to an enemy, and then starting a combo attack by hitting the square button as I flew closer. This chain of actions is always fun to do, but it does get a bit repetitive.

The problem is that 'Xenoverse 2's combat is overly simple from an offensive point-of-view. Simply mashing on the square button will get players to unleash a 20-hit attack, and that single combo can carry players through much of the game. Players can switch it up by also using the triangle button in order to unleash some different closers to combos, but it's still largely a two-button fighting game for those who want to deal damage up close.

Thankfully, the game's defensive mechanics make up for the simplistic attack structure. Players can teleport out of the way of attacks with a well timed press of the cross button, and I often found myself in battles where two warriors would barely avoid taking damage several times in a row. This helps make each battle encounter feel intense, as the person who is pounding on the attack button might be on defense at any moment.

Since players can fly around at a tremendous speed, 'Dragon Ball' games have often run into issues where the battle areas felt too small. 'Xenoverse 2' fixes that by having attack combos send the players back towards the center of the stage. This smart trick meant that I only saw the invisible level barriers a few times while playing, and I never felt like I was battling the stage as well as my opponent. It's also symbolic of 'Xenoverse 2' as a whole, as there aren't a lot of huge sweeping changes from the original, but Dimps have made a more polished game that has small improvements that start to add up.

Perhaps the biggest change comes in the form of a new hub world called Conton City. Unlike the original game's boring hub, Conton City has a diverse landscape that I enjoyed exploring. There are lakes filled with fish, small sub-villages filled with quest-givers and notable characters that will train the player's abilities. It actually felt like I was getting to interact as part of the larger 'Dragon Ball' world, which is something the games have been missing for quite some time.

Since the hub world is much more fun to be in, I found myself getting a lot more into the game's copious amount of side-quests. Most of these are rather simple and only require defeating a few enemies, but they also have the tendency to spiral out of control into more extravagant battles. This is due to most missions having hidden objectives (such as defeating a character quickly or not losing health) that then trigger additional events.

Doing these quests led to a really satisfying grind of leveling up my characters, customizing his special attacks (of course, I equipped the legendary Kamehameha as soon as I could), and purchasing accessories that were from the series itself (such as Yajirobe's sword). There is a lot of really fun nods towards the series itself, and it was awesome getting to create a character that was able to unleash the signature attacks of my favorite characters.