I have a love/hate relationship with the Dragonball series. On one hand it is a classic series that has spanned generations, on the other it is as cheesy as anime come, filled with more tropes than many others in the genre. This is to say it is a cartoon that has plenty of flaws but they are easy to ignore due to the it’s fun and entertaining nature ripe with lovable characters many are very invested in. The Xenoverse series has perfectly captured this idea and the second in the series only perpetuates it. A love letter to long time fans that is far from perfect but those who’ve been watching since the beginning will find plenty of homages to the history of this beloved show.

Without changing much Xenoverse 2 maintains the quirky charm of the original. The story is obviously not at the forefront, with it very much feeling like a plot device to shove characters from across their universes into the game. Not getting too deep into the story, there’s some bad guys who want to ruin the time stream and you’ve got permission from the gods of time to hop into the past and put their shenanigans to rest. You’ll hop through easily recognizable events such as defeating Frieza on Namek or thwarting Lord Beerus’s plan to destroy earth. While it is fun to be a part of these historic battles the combat system leaves players yearning for more.

Combat is identical to the fighting system from the first game. It lacks that tact and skill necessary from the DBZ games of yesteryear. Gone are the intricate combos from the Budokai series (heavy sigh), these have been replaced by mahsing the same two buttons to pull off visually stunning feats. The new moves while simple admittedly make you feel more like a Z fighter than Budokai ever did. It is also incredibly simple to fire off the very flashy signature moves you learn from their respective masters. Firing off Kamehameha like Goku on a cocaine bender, is simply done by hitting two buttons. The best part of this is that you can mix and match these powers and make the character you designed exactly what you want it to be.

Xenoverse 2 has a deeper customization pallet than that of the firsts. You are able to pick between five races majin, human, saiyan, namekian, and frieza. Each of these classes comes with a host of various hairstyles and body customization options. Also available are awakening powers for each race. These powers transform what your character looks like when activated and vastly boost all of your stats. Customizing your character goes even further with various clothes and accessories you can purchase and find throughout the world. Albeit the character design leaves something to be desired but it’s a step up from the last game.

Dragonball Xenoverse 2 is very similar to the last game, leaving players with a desire for more. The content that is in the game is enjoyable to fans of the series but doesn’t have much for those that are new to the anime. A love letter to fans anyone who enjoys the cartoon will feel right at home and should absolutely purchase the game and look forward to DLC that will include more content from the Super Arc. If you’d like to see some gameplay before purchasing go check out our Let’s Play and get some insight into the game. bit.ly/2eB134E