Rating
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse
Dragon Ball Xenoverse is the first installment of the Xenoverse series and the Dragon Ball game developed by Dimps. It is the first fighting game to feature full 3D battles similar to the Budokai Tenkaichi series. Fighters can traverse the levels free-roaming in large spaces and can fight on ground, in the air and underwater. The game features spok...
Details
- Released
- February 5, 2015
- Developer
- Dimps
- Genres
- Fighting · Action · Role-playing (RPG)
- Publisher
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
How it plays
Up to 3 players
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Dragon Ball: Xenoverse Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
Dragon Ball Xenoverse is an impressive cocktail of genres and a well-deserved face lift to an already successful franchise.
Dragon Ball Z has a good track record in the world of video games, especially when compared to other animated franchises. Some of the games have been undeniable duds, and none of them do much in terms of bringing in the uninitiated, but the good ones are appealing and do a good job of pleasing fans of the show. The latest entry continues that track record by being a solid fighter that is too shallow to recommend across the board.
The Final Word Dragon Ball Xenoverse is a game for fans of the show, fighting games and MMOs alike. Although some elements are technologically challenged or more or less average, this game is enjoyable. With fleshed out leveling, combat and skill systems, Dragon Ball Xenoverse can keep you engaged for months to come.
On the surface, Dragon Ball XenoVerse seems like a great game for someone like me who enjoys anime, fighting, and role-playing games. Customizing my own character’s equipment and move pool is fantastic...but it’s hard to get excited when combat feels hollow, especially for a franchise all about heroes stronger than Superman. The unique story features a nice change of pace from the anime’s sagas, but unfair missions left me annoyed. Considering how boring the competitive multiplayer is, I found cooperative Parallel Quests to be the best way to take the action online.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse will bring all the frenzied battles between Goku and his fiercest enemies, such as Vegeta, Frieza, Cell and much more, with new gameplay design!
Dragon Ball Xenoverse is excellent fan-service and has a ton of potential, which makes it frustrating as hell to see it held back by technical issues and repetitious combat.
Fans of previous Dragon Ball games will no doubt have a field day with XenoVerse. Aside from the immediate sense of familiarity, it has a shedload of content to wade through, including a trove of iconic items and clothing that can be used to customise your own unique character. Online play is also quite the boon, allowing you to saddle up with friends in a Monster Hunter kind of way. Inevitably, however, there will be those who simply don’t see the appeal of XenoVerse’s core gameplay, and it ultimately grates as it becomes repetitive no matter how much you enjoy it at first.
I still had more fun than not when playing Dragon Ball Xenoverse. This was a great direction for the story and the RPG elements that give a sense of progression are certainly welcome. There is still room for improvement as some small tweaks to the in-city travel and chaotic combat would go a long ways towards improving the product as a whole, but the game we have now is still one that I easily sunk a lot of hours into.
Dragon Ball comes to the next generation consoles and unfortunately it fails to live up to the expectations.
Fans of the series will definitely find some enjoyment out of creating their own character and watching them fight and grow alongside Goku, Vegeta, and everyone’s favorite, Gohan. However, Dragon Ball Xenoverse has some of the worst design decisions ever embedded into a videogame. There are no menus, the story mode’s difficulty is all over the place, and the game’s best aspect, creating characters, is locked behind hours and hours of frustrating play. It certainly has its moments and the core fighting mechanics are great, but the game falls flat in too many other areas to be standout title.
The majority of this takes place in Toki Toki City; the main hub on which you depart on Time Patrols (main quests), online/offline battles (up to 3v3) or Parallel Quests (side quests). There a lot of quests to partake in, and every now and then you can participate in quests involving bad guys. What if you fought with Raditz when he fought Kakarot or Piccolo? These delicious slices of ‘what if’ scenarios are an absolute joy to play and see as a DBZ fan, it’s just a shame that combat is frustrating.