Dragonball fans have a lot to be happy about these days. Not only is there a new animated film on its way to North America later this summer, but original series creator Akira Toriyama has also announced his involvement in a new Dragonball  TV series – the first in almost two decades.

But what has helped keep the franchise fresh in the minds of fans during its downtime? The never-ending release of Dragonball video games, of course.

The newest addition to the Dragonball video game series is Dragonball XenoVerse. Being the 15th Dragonball game to date, it would be a safe bet to assume that XenoVerse would be repetitious and predictable. XenoVerse, at least, makes a strong attempt to switch up the storyline. Instead of treading familiar ground and going through the same gauntlet of fights from the different TV shows, the player is introduced to a new, original story. In this new spin, time and space in the Dragonball universe are collapsing, threatening to throw the universe’s history off course and create a false timeline. Trunks, now a Time Patrol member who is in charge of defending the flow of time, is in need of help. That’s where you come in as a unique create-a-player fighter. The create-a-player XenoVerse is one of the most detailed, giving the option of picking your race – such as Saiyan, Namekian, Frieza, Majin or plain, old Earthling. Each race has its own strengths and skills, as well as its weak points.

The fighting and presentation of XenoVerse is basically the same as most previous releases. It follows the same setup as recent Dragonball games, with the action taking place in a 3D environment, where all buildings and landscapes can be destroyed and players are free to fly or run around in the midst of battle. The gameplay has minor improvements with easier-to-use controls than last year’s Battle of Z. Special maneuvers, for example, are executed using the trigger buttons and are divided up into Super Attacks and Ultimate Attacks, from which popular Dragonball moves like the Kamehameha Blast can be utilized. All of this is useful information when in battle, but first, you must wander aimlessly at the beginning of the game to find your way to an actual fight, which is a glaring annoyance for the eager fight fan.

XenoVerse is a mixed bag for casual fans of fight games. It incorporates an open-world element that some may find tedious and mundane – a roadblock to the bombastic action that most will want to get right to. Die-hard Dragonball fans, however, will be pleased with the stretch XenoVerse attempts with its storytelling and effort to push the franchise in a fresh direction.

For more, visit dragonballxenoverse.com/en.

By Jason Savio