We check out Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 behind closed doors at E3.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse was a big success when it launched in 2015, bringing back the quality of the acclaimed Budokai Tenkaichi series and, amongst other things, giving the beloved Dragon Ball universe a home on the current generation of consoles. Just a year later, Xenoverse 2 is on its way and I got to check it out in a behind closed doors presentation at E3. While the presentation was brief, it’s clear to see that developers Dimps have taken in fan feedback and created a more well-rounded, polished Dragon Ball experience this time around.
Fan feedback was constantly mentioned throughout the 15-minute presentation, and that, I think, is what shaped a significant portion of what Xenoverse 2 has inevitably become. The ability to create your own avatar within the world of Dragon Ball was, at that point in time, an awesome way of experiencing one of the most beloved universes in the world. That will continue on in Xenoverse 2, and, if you’re picking up the game on the same console you played the original on, you’ll be able to transfer your avatar over to Xenoverse 2. Mind you, however, that what I took away from this news was that you won’t be able to actually use your Xenoverse 1 character, although they will have some sort of importance in the sequel.
As disappointing as that may be for some players who threw many, many hours into the first game, be safe in the knowledge that creating a new avatar in Xenoverse 2 will provide you with a lot more on the customisability front this time around. Similarly, the race you pick will also determine dedicated rewards and missions you’ll be assigned throughout the game — a feature that was lacking in the original.
Canton City, Xenoverse 2’s new hub world, was described in the presentation as being seven times larger than Xenoverse’s hub world, and as a new feature players will be able to traverse the area by flying. As well as this, you’ll also be able to navigate around the area in vehicles, with Canton City also housing up to 300 players per server.
During the presentation Dimps showed off a fight as well, with Turles taking on Future Gohan in the Cell Games Arena. There are new effects and visual changes that have been implemented in Xenoverse 2, although they appear to be more minute than the presenter had initially mentioned. When moving into the Super Saiyan stage, ground particles will now pick up from the ground. Further, particle effects seem to fly around when you’re traversing close to the ground during a fight. It’s a neat, subtle change, but one that isn’t major in having an effect on gameplay — it’s purely aesthetics, and I’m not sure it’s going to be something that’ll ‘wow’ you or anything like that after a couple of fights. In saying that, though, the game generally looks better than Xenoverse, although the graphical changes don’t seem too major. What is major, though, is the game running at a silky smooth 60 frames per second, making Xenoverse 2’s fight look much smoother than anything I’d previously played in the original.
The fight I watched during the presentation was fairly standard, although the presenter mentioned a couple of new mechanics and additions to fights, though they didn’t particularly stand out to me. A homing dash has been added, allowing you to fly straight in on your opponent to take them on. This, of course, can be countered by the opposing player, though it seems like a very useful addition to the game considering how vertical, fast, and intense fights usually tend to be.
The presentation concluded with Dimps noting that Xenoverse 2 will be filled with timed events and free updates post-launch, giving the game a good amount of longevity for those invested enough to throw many hours into it after all is said and done with the story. It seems like Xenoverse 2 has been, quite noticeably, shaped by fan feedback. It’ll be interesting to see how it all pans out when it launches later this year, although what I took away from the presentation is that Xenoverse 2 will be more of the same with what made the original great, with a plethora of slight improvements and adjustments to make the experience a better and more fulfilling one for fans.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is set to launch later this year on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.