Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is a potent Genki Dama to the series’ longstanding issues, and a bigger, better game than the original by every stretch of the imagination. A true must-have for any Dragon Ball fan.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is a love letter to the series’ biggest fans. Newcomers might not understand what’s happening, but fans will appreciate the high-octane supernatural martial arts. The attention to detail is astounding, from the lovingly made hub world to the cutscenes that recreate classic scenes from the anime. The story takes about 15-20 hours, but building up your custom character and completing quests easily quadruples that number.

Xenoverse 2 feels more in line with what I wanted the original game to be, with its flexible combat engine, wealth of compelling content and an online component that actually worked properly from day 1. Even with the issues with the frequent crashes and the dumb AI, this is still a wet dream for DBZ fans and comes highly recommended.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 should be an instant buy for long time fans of the series, and warrants a deep look from everyone else. I’d love to see a bit longer of a gap between this and the (hopefully) inevitable Xenoverse 3 than the year between the first and second titles to really hammer out some of the game’s issues, but until then we’ve still been left with a fighting game that does enough well, and enough different from its competitors, to stand worthy as it is.

Dimps has created a sequel to Xenoverse that doesn’t quite feel like a massive advancement in the series, but there is no doubt that this is a larger and more improved experience. Dimps has decided to keep things similar and use the first game as the foundation to build this sequel on. What this means is that there is so much to do, even when one has finished up the 15 hour single player story quests.

While Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 may be a better game than the original, it is by no means excellent. The story seems like an uninspired rehash, and the minimal roster changes makes it feel like a director's cut instead of a true sequel. On the PC in particular, the online community is practically extinct, and the game's semi-frequent crashes disappoint. If you're willing to put up with all that, you'll be treated to a game that feels like what the original should have been, and the fighting system is chaotic and fun. Provided this one does well, here's hoping that another sequel manages to get everything right.