Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Review

I reviewed Dragonball Xenoverse 2 waaaay back when it first appeared on the PS4 and Xbox One in 2016, and I liked it enough to give it a 91% score. You can read that original review RIGHT HERE. Skip to almost a year later and the game is now available on my new favorite system, Nintendo's Switch. I won't rehash all the details of the first review as the game is virtually identical, but certain questions come up when discussing Switch games, so I wanted to tackle those, along with any differences, in an all-new review for the 3D brawler.

The most important thing to note is that though the Switch is a slightly less powerful system than the PS4 or Xbox One, almost nothing is lost in translation to Nintendo's hybrid device. The graphics are still amazing, and a grey filter has been removed giving this version a slightly more vibrant look when compared to the others. You'll see a few more jagged edges on some objects and distant textures are a little blurrier, but believe me when I say that these are only problems to those who are actively looking for problems. A casual observer would see little to no difference in the way the games look and run, and that's a good thing.

Given Nintendo's approach to online gaming, coupled with Xenoverse 2's heavy emphasis on co-op online quests, some might worry that the multiplayer portion of the game would suffer. It doesn't. Xenoverse 2 still makes it criminally easy to set up lobbies for co-op parallel quests and PvP matches (which are less fun, seeing as the game is less a fighting game and more a brawler with heavy RPG elements), and I didn't see any lag or disconnects in the almost two solid nights I played the game. Beyond speaking to the online modes' quality, that also speaks to how good the game is; if I was up until sunrise two nights in a row, after working two full eight-hour days, you can safely bet that Xenoverse 2 is more than worth your time and money. Also, remember, I'd already nearly 100% completed the game on PS4 less than a year ago, so I was doing all this for a second time. Few games, especially games with the size and scope of Xenoverse 2, can keep my attention through two full playthroughs, especially two full breathless, rapt, late-night, sleep-obliterating playthroughs.

The last thing worth mentioning is the DLC. A number of fighters, outfits and objectives have been released as DLC for the PS4 and Xbox One versions over the past year, and all are available on Day One for the Switch version. The catch? Unlike many late versions of games on new systems, the DLC still costs money, upward of $9.99 per character pack or $29.99 for the season pass. This seems... wrong, and in general conflict with industry practices of providing late arrivals with editions that include all the DLC for free. That's the downside. The upside is what IS offered for free. When you get Xenoverse 2 on the Switch, you get the ability to play as all the characters right from the get-go, without having to unlock them. An even bigger bonus is that the story quests from the first Xenoverse game can be unlocked and played, meaning that you are getting essentially both Xenoverse 1 and 2 in one simple package. Paying for DLC characters in an older game isn't something a lot of folks will relish, but the Xenoverse 1 story missions and all character access more than make up for it.

Xenoverse was a great game on the PS4 and Xbox One, and I'd argue that the Switch's portability makes the game even better. With almost nothing lost in translation from the more powerful consoles, and the inclusion of the content from the first game, this is the version of Xenoverse 2 you'll want to buy if you don't have it already. The paid DLC is a bit of a kick in the chops, but this is still an amazing Dragonball game that would be a perfect fit in any Switch owner's library.