The latest entry in Bandai Namco’s incredibly lengthy Dragon Ball video game series looks to bring the barrier between the games and anime into an absolute close. As a fighting game it damn near gets the job done, closer than any Dragon Ball released prior, however as an RPG it doesn’t bid so well.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse is an 2015 action-rpg fighting game, It is developed by Dimps and published by Bandai Namco Games. It is available on PC, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Having been a Dragon Ball fan since it’s arrival in America as well as being an avid video gamer, you can only imagine how exited I would get whenever the two worlds would collide. admittedly the last crop of Dragon Ball games have been fairly mediocre, but Dragon Ball Xenoverse has done a damn fine job breaking the barrier between the anime and the video games, in fact I’d go as far as saying it got the replication of the former about 80% or so correct. The RPG elements is what throws Xenoverse off a bit.

Changing the fabric of time and space, one fight at a time.

THE GOOD: Dragon Ball Xenoverse, as far as story and the fighting gameplay mechanics go, is the Dragon Ball game fans have long for. A fantastic score, an even more fantastic story, and more fantastic than that you ask? The amazing gameplay. Fans have longed for more than one character on screen during a battle, and Dimps delivered with flying colors.  Xenoverse’s fighting mechanic is just damn fine gameplay.

An excellent showing of story.

THE BAD: The only issue as far as gameplay is concerned, was the lack if ability to raise ki at well, which has been a staple of both the Dragon Ball anime and the video games in the past. I’m sure Dimps felt removing the mechanic for what they thought was more practical, which is understandable, but it kind of comes off as clunky from a fan’s perspective. The RPG elements also felt a little flat for what they were trying to achieve.

Relive the past restore the future.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Dragon Ball Xenoverse is the best video game adaptation of the anime of the same name to date. Big time fans of both the anime and the games will love it when it’s time to head into combat, but the RPG elements felt fairly meh in comparison. The lax RPG elements aside, Dragon Ball Xenoverse is a Dragon Ball game that can’t be beat if you’d played the last four or five.