By Trejon Baynham, Staff Writer
With recent releases such as the disappointing “Battle of Z,” “Ultimate Tenkaichi,” and “Dragon Ball Z for Kinect,” the video game adaptations of the well-loved Dragon Ball franchise have been in desperate need of a “zenkai” boost.
Thankfully, Japanese development studio Dimps—creator of the acclaimed Budokai series—delivers with “Dragon Ball: Xenoverse,” a refreshing experience wrapped in nostalgia with fresh approaches to elements of the story and gameplay that fans of the franchise are sure to enjoy.
The goal of the game is to preserve the history of the Dragon Ball franchise by creating custom characters, who then become the star of the game. This was the intent of the game’s developers, who hoped that by creating your own characters and making them an integral part of the game, you could have the experience of inserting yourself into the franchise’s universe. As one of five races that can be chosen for a player’s character, each with unique base stats and passive abilities, players will fight both alongside and against key protagonists and antagonists from the series.
In an effort to thwart the endeavors of antagonists such as the time-warping villains Towa and Mira, players are wished upon by Future Trunks from the Eternal Dragon Shenron for their power to preserve the history of the Dragon Ball franchise, and prevent famous events, such as Goku and Vegeta’s first encounter in the Saiyan saga, Goku vs the Ginyu Force in the Frieza saga, and Teen Gohan vs Cell in the Cell Saga from being altered. This dynamic, albeit gimmicky, crisis through time allows players to play through the sagas original to the series, content from its now implied non-canon sequel Dragon Ball GT, and the recently released “Battle of Gods” film in an interesting way.
Beyond the main story mode, over 50 side missions called “Parallel Quests” are available for players to participate in to accumulate experience, skills, equipment, items, materials and rankings. As a result of this feature, gameplay is somewhat of a hybrid between that of a fighting game and role-playing game (RPG) with offerings for both casual and competitive audiences. Although the combo system itself is relatively simple and shared across all characters, the battle system in its entirety possesses potential for a moderate amount of complexity as its style and execution vary depending on the character players select, the way in which players play, and their understanding of the game’s mechanics.
Everything from Ki (energy or beam) and strike (physical) related attacks to evasive moves, power-ups and transformations (currently “exclusive” to the Saiyan race) are available for players to pull off in real-time 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 matches. The potency or power of these attacks is dependent on interactions between a player’s selected character’s height, weight, Attribute Point (AP) distribution, and mastery of the game.
An obvious skill gap exists between the adept and the amateur, which could become narrower were the game to include a practice mode of sorts, rather than having players rely solely on trial and error through online/offline play. Unfortunately, the game was crippled with severe server instability that prohibited players from online interaction of any kind for nearly up to a month after release. Although the issue has since been rectified, many problems with the game still persist. The game can become quite “grindy” requiring multiple runs through Parallel Quests due to a random number generating (RNG) system in order to obtain that super cool move or gear piece that would complement your character’s skill set.
The upside is that all skills, equipment, items, and materials are universal amongst your characters. In addition, the hub zone, Tokitoki city, in which players interact, purchase items or equipment, and queue for battles is relatively small. The party and chat systems are also limited in their scope and would benefit from an increase in features.
Nevertheless, Xenoverse remains an addictive source of flashy, fast, and intense entertainment. Battles successfully capture the spirit of Dragon Ball which propelled the franchise into the popularity that it has maintained since the ‘80s. “Dragon Ball: Xenoverse” receives a 4 out of 5.
