DBZ XENOVERSE!!!!

[Critical_Error]

So, are you guys still playing the game then? Regardless of the downfalls you've all admitted the game has, are you still enjoying it?

 

[Grega]

Im still waiting for a honest to god decent port review before ill even think about dipping in to it.

 

[Darth Revan]

Im still waiting for a honest to god decent port review before ill even think about dipping in to it.

http://www.incgamers.com/2015/03/dragon-ball-xenoverse-pc-port-impressions

 

[pumadace2000]

Im still waiting for a honest to god decent port review before ill even think about dipping in to it.

I don't know if anyone is going to ever bother to make a review that specifically focuses on the PC port.

Here's a few things I can give you from my experience.
Yes, this game absolutely runs at 60fps and considering it doesn't look that spectacular or the fact that there isn't much to any map you visit, you should find no reason for it to ever dip below that.
The keyboard and mouse controls actually work very well. I am not a controller person so the fact that the configuration works as well as it does, makes this bit the highest praise I can give Xenoverse. You can also rebind keys. Now that I think about it I wonder if this game recognizes extra buttons on the mouse because some of the power abilities could have been set to better keys. Let's just say I never knew how ridiculous it is to press ALT+Space
Graphical options are there but considering how much this game looks like shit, any changes won't make that much of a difference aside from turn the tinfoil look on/off.

Like I said, so far I haven't gotten anyone go into some serious details regarding the PC port like Totalbiscuit would, so the next best thing I got is this.
[video=youtube;XWo8ijUjAFY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWo8ijUjAFY[/video]
and
http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Dragon_Ball_Xenoverse

 

[Chakra-X]

I logged in just to make this point.

This is probably one the best Dragonball Z games I have played

Yes the DBZ fanboy inside me helps me glaze over the downfalls, but I was hesitant to buy this game on PC and I regret absolutely nothing.

In my opinion, it's also one of the best looking DBZ games out there. I don't get the fuss over the FPS, I just play at 30 fps and I recently turned motion blur off to get better screenshots, but anyway:

This is not a tweaked Tenkaichi/Raging Blast and I feel that anyone who tells you otherwise has not explored the combat system or cares not to

I say this because I grew tired of the Tenkaichi/RB combat very quickly, which is why I had not purchased a single DBZ game since the PS2 era (except Battle of Z for Vita, it was $10 digital why not :>)

The Tenkaichi/Raging Blast games gradually expanded on the combat, but it still felt very stiff to me, like melee fights were trapped in a "bubble" until someone got launched. Xenoverse controls a lot more like Zone of the Enders or Battle of Z, when it comes to targeting your opponent. You orbit each other, giving you more control as you bob in and out to positions yourself for melee/ki blasts, or to defend said attacks. Coupled with jumping and dashing, it plays similarly to Japanese arcade arena fighters, known for the depth of the their combat despite the relatively simple control scheme.

They give you a healthy amount of pre-listed combos from the start, and the neat thing about that is that different races AND different genders have different combos which is huge. I play a human male who has a combo trips the opponent, then sends them flying down, bouncing off the ground. However, Saiyan males have a combo that props them upwards, allowing for a juggling combo.

Outside of all these other variations, you make your OWN combos by combining it with vanish follow ups, boost dashing, and cancels. That's not even counting the PLETHORA of "Strike Supers", which are melee-based special attacks. Flurry attacks, attacks that drain stamina, attacks that you can charge that break guards, you can essentially tailor your character to the way you want to fight. That's not even considering that the actual visual physique of your character determines the damage of your melee and ki attacks.

Yes random drops are annoying, yes the server needs a lot of work to become more stable, and yes it can be unfairly hard sometimes, but as someone who was not feeling the newer DBZ games as of late, I have devoted many hours to this game thus far and still have so much to unlock.

I didn't even cover how important "Z-Soul" buffs are to your style of play, or how you train under one of the many heroes/villains in the series to learn their specials moves, or how huge the maps are which allow fights to organically move throughout the scenery, or how transformations actually make a huge difference and are not only their for fan service.




TL; DR

I do not like the combat in the Tenkaichi games anymore, and for a DBZ game, this has tons more fluidity, depth, and excitement than previous titles in my opinion. Do not let random drops or inconsequential graphics issues stop you from enjoying this game. Here is a video to demonstrating how free form melee/movement is (cursing at the end from me, if that matters to anyone)

[video=youtube;Iqi3fsxK0P0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqi3fsxK0P0&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[><((('>]

Or better yet if you don't want to be a green slug pick Neil's Z soul which regenerates your HP while you have full KI.

Or be a green slug AND also use the Z-soul. Destroy all the ultimate attacks with your FACE and get away with it.
The green part sux tho. I made my namekian black. Lel, who cerz bout manga canons, if you can be a super alien nig.

 

[Grega]

Err video is private. Cant watch. might want to switch to just unlisted.

 

[Chakra-X]

Oops, fixed

 

[Critical_Error]

Interesting read Chakra-X... I might consider buying it today on your recommendation. I've been looking for a new game to play, and it's a DBZ game as well, so win win.

 

[RavenTrunks]

--- edit ---

I logged in just to make this point.

This is probably one the best Dragonball Z games I have played

Yes the DBZ fanboy inside me helps me glaze over the downfalls, but I was hesitant to buy this game on PC and I regret absolutely nothing.

In my opinion, it's also one of the best looking DBZ games out there. I don't get the fuss over the FPS, I just play at 30 fps and I recently turned motion blur off to get better screenshots, but anyway:

This is not a tweaked Tenkaichi/Raging Blast and I feel that anyone who tells you otherwise has not explored the combat system or cares not to

I say this because I grew tired of the Tenkaichi/RB combat very quickly, which is why I had not purchased a single DBZ game since the PS2 era (except Battle of Z for Vita, it was $10 digital why not :>)

The Tenkaichi/Raging Blast games gradually expanded on the combat, but it still felt very stiff to me, like melee fights were trapped in a "bubble" until someone got launched. Xenoverse controls a lot more like Zone of the Enders or Battle of Z, when it comes to targeting your opponent. You orbit each other, giving you more control as you bob in and out to positions yourself for melee/ki blasts, or to defend said attacks. Coupled with jumping and dashing, it plays similarly to Japanese arcade arena fighters, known for the depth of the their combat despite the relatively simple control scheme.

They give you a healthy amount of pre-listed combos from the start, and the neat thing about that is that different races AND different genders have different combos which is huge. I play a human male who has a combo trips the opponent, then sends them flying down, bouncing off the ground. However, Saiyan males have a combo that props them upwards, allowing for a juggling combo.

Outside of all these other variations, you make your OWN combos by combining it with vanish follow ups, boost dashing, and cancels. That's not even counting the PLETHORA of "Strike Supers", which are melee-based special attacks. Flurry attacks, attacks that drain stamina, attacks that you can charge that break guards, you can essentially tailor your character to the way you want to fight. That's not even considering that the actual visual physique of your character determines the damage of your melee and ki attacks.

Yes random drops are annoying, yes the server needs a lot of work to become more stable, and yes it can be unfairly hard sometimes, but as someone who was not feeling the newer DBZ games as of late, I have devoted many hours to this game thus far and still have so much to unlock.

I didn't even cover how important "Z-Soul" buffs are to your style of play, or how you train under one of the many heroes/villains in the series to learn their specials moves, or how huge the maps are which allow fights to organically move throughout the scenery, or how transformations actually make a huge difference and are not only their for fan service.




TL; DR

I do not like the combat in the Tenkaichi games anymore, and for a DBZ game, this has tons more fluidity, depth, and excitement than previous titles in my opinion. Do not let random drops or inconsequential graphics issues stop you from enjoying this game. Here is a video to demonstrating how free form melee/movement is (cursing at the end from me, if that matters to anyone)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqi3fsxK0P0&feature=youtu.be

All good points you pretty much explained it how I would but I feel as though some of the "mechanics" left out are worth mentioning.

in addition to what he said about the fighting theres just a few more in-depth things about the combat.

Some people tend to dislike the fact that the fighting in this game doesn't feel as "DBZish" as previous games, but fail to understand the approach they are taking with this game. with counter/parry, stamina management, and cross-ups (yes cross-ups) this game is going a bit more away from a casual direction and into a more "skill" base approach. This game can remind me of a turbo street fighter game when I match up against a higher player and we both start playing conservatively.

I've ran into a few things in the game that still remain untapped like "dash teleporting". I made up the term since I've yet to see any guides or anyone mention this maneuver. I might make a small video on what i mean by it since I can't find anything on it, unless it has a name and I just don't know it.

 

[Chakra-X]

Yup, there are absolutely advanced techniques like that "dashing teleport". It takes no Ki, gives you another option of approach and I BELIEVE you can dodge a lot of ultimate with it too.

IMO this has been the most DBZ-like fighting game I've played. Maybe one could argue that previous titles that focused more on cinematic-moves had more fan service, seeing giant explosions, craters, etc. But being able to ping pong enemies across the map and incorporate very unique special attacks wherever I see is appropriate in my combo string feels very anime-like to me. Like, my natural reaction to ending a combo string with a knock away is to just fire a Gallic Gun and seeingund the beam smash them in to the pavement has been rewarding every time.

Also, similar to Battle of Z, there is strategy to fighting on the ground/against a wall. Ground combos, depending on the character, allow you to initiate trips, because your opponent will just fall if you do it in the air. You can also prop them back off the ground MvC style. You can sometimes smash people against walls and they will briefly stick to it, allowing you to continue your attack. If you are in the air, you can harness more follow ups because certain attack that smash the characters downwards can be followed up with a vanish to their destination. If you are too close to the ground, you will just vanish in place.

Man I love this game hahaha

 

[Nebulisreconx]

Combat doesn't feel very responsive, and preforming almost any action locks you out of the entirety of the controls until that action is completed.
So missing any attack(and you will miss allot because of the poor auto-lock) means you will pay with a good portion of hp which is also quite limited.

Melee has terrible range for the kind of versatility they tried to add with flight and movements. The basic combo and attack requires you to have an enemy literally within arms reach.
Stamina is what determines your ability to snap vanish and for most characters will allow you to do at most three in a row before it recharges(and only does so when not attacking, or flying).

First impressions are not bad, the game feels somewhat solid with a good illusion of control and mostly functional mechanics. Combat can be rough and greatly rewards players who spam just the right moves.
It rarely offers much in trying some of the other approaches to combat which are suggested but comparatively useless.
The online mechanics have been suffering pretty badly, many moves don't act or connect as they are supposed to.

The main story is really where the game shines, by setting up familiarly different situations than those seen or read in the series and manga; and is a delightful twist on what is all to well known.
It's not a bad game considering this is the developers first time making a full 3D fighter, but it does lack the quality polish of informative playtesting.

 

[SG_SSJ!]

It's not a bad game considering this is the developers first time making a full 3D fighter, but it does lack the quality polish of informative playtesting.

It's their second time making a 3D Arena Fighter actually, they did Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers in 2013.

 

[RavenTrunks]

yeah you can dodge Projectiles (balls) including ultimates, so long as it doesn't have a ridiculous homing(i'm looking at you minus energy ball). I love doing it through a spirit bomb and come out of the teleport with a hard hit smashing them down.
It doesn't work so well to dodge beams as that's self explanatory, unless your close enough to end up behind them.

 

[SG_SSJ!]

Or you could use "Change The Future".

 

[RavenTrunks]

You could but that is assuming you have the ability equipped. This technique is a free alternative that everyone has the ability to do no matter what

 

[Critical_Error]

What does "Change The Future" do, exactly? I got the game... and it's meh? Its pretty much how Nebulisreconx said it is. I'm level 11, and I'm still having fun. Last night, though, I got so frustrated with the mission where you have to fight Recoome and Ginyu at the same time I just straight up rage quit; they hit like a blood truck, especially their grabs. I can't find any new Parallel missions... I guess I have to grind earlier missions, huh? If so... that's bad game design 101 - already forcing me to go back and re-do missions I just did.

 

[RavenTrunks]

The idea is to re-do the Parallel quests and you can aim for getting new skills or whatever that can come from the missions for a bit. There are intentional level walls just so someone can't just speed run through the game. It's like most rpg's if you rush yor going to end up in a higher place at a lower level.

 

[Grega]

Yea but from what i hear, new techniques and that stuff are random drops. Meaning its like an RPG where levels are given with a random % chance.

Its a skewed mentality that forces a player to grind to artificially extend the game beyond what it really is. And everyone and their mother is doing it. From shooters unlocking the same equipment for different guns to pseudo fighters like this one. This is not an RPG, if it were, then you could level up by grinding VS fights against the AI. Each fight should give you experience towards your levels, but from what i understand, you are forced to go though the same quest over and over. And that is bad design.

 

[SG_SSJ!]

What does "Change The Future" do, exactly? I got the game... and it's meh? Its pretty much how Nebulisreconx said it is. I'm level 11, and I'm still having fun. Last night, though, I got so frustrated with the mission where you have to fight Recoome and Ginyu at the same time I just straight up rage quit; they hit like a blood truck, especially their grabs. I can't find any new Parallel missions... I guess I have to grind earlier missions, huh? If so... that's bad game design 101 - already forcing me to go back and re-do missions I just did.

Are you doing Parallel Quests between Story Missions? It should help a bit both in getting into a better level and getting new skills/clothes, also there are some Parallel Quests in TokiToki that NPCs give you, so look out for those if you haven't.