STACK October 2016 Issue 144

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Following the highly-successful first instalment back in 2015,
Bandai Namco are back with Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, the most
expansive video game in Dragon Ball history. Words Alesha Kolbe
Afighting RPG, Dragon Ball
Xenoverse 2 will once again
allow fans of the Dragon Ball
anime to immerse themselves in this
colourful world, taking on enemies
as a Time Patroller and helping to
keep the universe safe. If you have
a save file from the first Dragon Ball
Xenoverse, you’ll even be able to
import your Time Patroller from the
previous game to feature in a number
of different, cosmetic ways.
DBX2 takes place a few years
after the events of the first game,
in a new central city (‘hub’) named
Conton City. It's seven times the
size of the hub in the previous game
(Toki Toki City), and will allow 300
users to be online simultaneously.
Players will have an even more
immersive role in DBX2, as decisions
they make will change the past (and
future) of the Dragon Ball universe.
A large element of the original
DBX game was freedom of
customsation, and that doesn’t
change with this year’s installment.
Players creating characters will be
able to choose from one of four
different kinds of Ki Blasts for their
avatars – Power, Burst, Freeze, or
Bomb – in addition to choosing from
one of five available races – Humans,
Saiyans, Majins, Nameckians, and
Frieza’s Race. Depending on the race
you choose, different sidequests and
minigames will become available to
you, offering rewards such as new
items and skills.
Parallel quests will also be
revamped, meaning the addition of
new questlines as well as revisiting
those from the original DBX game;
when completed with different
characters and conditions, these
You can join forces with
up to five of your mates
to take on some of the
bigger bosses in-game
quests also offer rewards similar to
the race-specific minigames.
One element that has been
improved upon since the first game
is the battling; the introduction of
a new team-based battle system
means you can join forces with
up to five of your super mates to
take on some of the bigger bosses
in-game – Great Apes, anyone?
Another interesting inclusion this
time ‘round is a soundtrack curated
by none other than acclaimed DJ
Steve Aoki (Delirious, What We
Started), who, strangely enough,
also appears as an NPC in Conton
City that players can interact with.
Including characters like Goku and
Goku GT (and his different Saiyan
forms), Future Trunks, Piccolo,
Frieza (and Golden Frieza), Cooler,
Cell, Vegeta (and Super Saiyan 4
Vegeta) and Super 17, the title has
something for everyone, no matter
what kind of fan you consider
yourself.
The multiplayer component of
the original Dragon Ball Xenoverse
has, of course, not been overlooked,
with two new multiplayer modes
being added in the second game.
'Endless' removes the battle timer
in multiplayer battles, allowing
you to simply fight to the death,
and no-level matches have been
introduced to level the field
and put everyone on an even
playing ground, with no stat
changes. The battle arenas
of DBX2 are also, naturally,
impressive, with areas like
Planet Namek, Hell, and the
Archipelago all being included in
Japanese developer Dimps’ new
release.
Developed specifically to fully
utilise the impressive power of
current-gen consoles, Bandai
Namco’s Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
is the perfect adaptation for gamers
and fans of the anime alike, and
running at a shiny 60fps, the game
is a great follow-on from last year’s
title. It’ll be easy to spend well over
9,000 minutes on this one.
• Dragon Ball
Xenoverse 2
is out Oct 28
4 greatdragons
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66 OCTOBER 2016
GAMES
FEATURE
EXPANDING
SHENRON
When it comes to Dragon Ball,
there are few who can think of the
anime without picturing that huge,
green, magical dragon.
He's basically a genie
that lives in the
Earth's core.
TOOTHLESS
Toothless is the lovable Night Fury
from How To Train Your Dragon .
Essentially the pet every kid (and
adult) wishes they'd had, he's a
handful, but a friend
for life.
DRAGONITE
First seen in the Pokemon anime
delivering mail to ash in Pokemon:
The First Movie, Dragonite isn't
someone you'd want
to cross in a dark
alleyway. Still cute
though.
FALKOR THE LUCK DRAGON
Though he may not be a dragon in
the normal sense, everyone's second
favourite flying puppy creature (to
Appa) is Falkor. Fun fact:
in German, it's Fuchur,
but it was changed
in English.
XENOVERSETHE