Written by Shiggins
With FighterZ coming out this week, I thought it was a good idea to go back and remind myself of the last major Dragon Ball video game series that was released, to see if it was better or worse than I remembered. Developed by Dimps, best known for the Budokai trilogy, this was the game people had been begging to happen for many years. And was it worth the wait?
It has to be said that the covers of these games are just... so boring. |
Which is why my heart is broken at how much the potential is wasted. What could have been an amazing montage of 'What If' scenarios quickly devolves into fighting the exact same foes as usual but slightly stronger than they were in the canon. Movie characters like Broly and Janemba make appearances but other than glowing purple, they don't do anything unique or interesting. They just pop into the scene, you fight them, then the scene is over. Games in the past have been extremely clever with possibilities, like when Devilman fought Frieza, so there was definitely something that could have been done.
I will never understand the amount of love the movie villains with zero personality get from fans. Is it just nostalgia? The cool designs? The badass Lego-teleporting? |
That brings us to the combat, which is a lot of button mashing. A lot. Combos are basic and don't require much thought, so you'll end up seeing the exact same animations several times during every battle. The only way to really mix up every fight is by using the Super Moves, which are lovingly varied. Kamehameha waves, Light Grenade, Destructo Disk, Nova Strike... If you can name it, Xenoverse probably has it.
Any game that has Hit in it can't be bad! |
On the bright side, there are tons of characters. If quantity is important to you, then you'll be pleased to see that both Xenoverse games have a varied roster. Dozens of forms of Goku and Vegeta, obscure movie villains like Lord Slug and Turles, strange ones like Great Saiyaman and Appule... Z, the movies and GT are well represented here. Sadly, no love for the original... Also, there isn't much difference between all of them. They all have their own unique combo animation and some are much weaker than others, but they rarely feel that special.
Xenoverse 2 severely overestimates how much I care about Turles. |
It might sound like I hate these games, but I honestly don't. I'm just disappointed at what this could have been. Everything is nice and simple but stretched too thin, like not enough butter on too much bread/Bilbo Baggins. If the plot was stronger or the fighting was deeper, this could have been a amazing game series. As it is, it's fine. I had fun with it for a while, but eventually grew tired of mashing the square and triangle buttons in the overlong battles.
This image is just... so surreal. |
In summary, Xenoverse was not an awful series, but it was one packed with flaws that many won't be able to overlook. A fun experience that eventually becomes a tedious one. If Xenoverse 3 ever does manage to be born, it will certainly need to make sure to fix its predecessors problems before coming out of the closet.
Next week; FighterZ review!
Xenoverse 1 Rating: 7/10
Xenoverse 2 Rating: 7.5/10
Best Part: Character customisation.
Worst Part: Bullshit RNG.
Well, at least it isn't the Kinect game. |
Born under the stars of the Dark Gods, Shiggins owns the power of the Great Eye and is utterly magnificent in his omniscience. If you dare to discover more about someone as great as him, then go ahead. And to all my friends and family members, YOU are wrong and I should be disappointed! Not the other way round!,. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/
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