Fighting game with Ultimate Z super saiyan and destroy enemies.

Fighting game with Ultimate Z super saiyan and destroy enemies.

Of course, it doesn’t really matter how much content there is if the game isn’t fun to play. Fortunately, Xenoverse 2 has a solid--if not particularly deep--fighting engine that provides a good foundation for the rest of the game to build upon. The controls feel solid and responsive, and the default button layout allows easy access to all your normal and special attacks, as well as crucial guarding and dodging maneuvers when necessary.

The simple goal is to fight the opposing ninjas and to win by reducing their health to zero. There are special techniques and jutsus that can be used. Some characters feature the ability to activate special mode by inflicting the special techniques which enhances their status and gives them new abilities. It also features several items, like super kamehameha and strike bomb. The games are quite different from the often-compared, they use a "behind-the-back" third-person camera perspective. Also different from the goku ultimate series, each form is treated as its own character, with varying stats, movesets and fighting styles.

The Ki gauge can also be used to use moves referred to as Blast 2 skills. Every character has a unique set of Blast 2 skills that allow the character to use special moves such as Ki blasts and physical attacks. Characters also have a self-recharging numeric gauge called Blast Stock that allows players to use techniques called Blast 1 skills. Blast 1 skills usually have a supportive effect such as allowing characters to regain health or immobilize the enemy. Players can also power up into a mode called Max Power Mode normally by building up their Ki beyond full at the cost of Blast Stock bars.

What about the fact that you will often be playing two-on-two battles? Does the screen have room for all of that information, and would you be able to parse it mid-battle anyway? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding “No!”, and Spike recognized that. While your teammate’s life bar gets shrunken down to the lower left corner, a “ring” for opponents is shifted to the background with that character, rather than taking up prime real estate in the forefront. Attached to this ring is the opponent’s life bar. It is a genius move, and a showcase that Spike honestly does pay close attention to these types of display elements.

The lack of the extra two shoulder buttons creates a few awkward situations, though, where “Select” acts as your transformation button, and up and down on the d-pad act as your hovering up and down in the air… which means you have to stop controlling your character momentarily to move your character in a different way.

There is an alternate control scheme which switches up the hovering to a combination of the “X” button (the normal dash button) plus the right shoulder button, which in turn results in the down button on the d-pad being changed to swapping which opponent you target on.

Actual character control in battle is mostly responsive and as you would expect from a developer with four games of this ilk under their belt. There are quirks to the game play that you will need to get used to (such as being unable to cancel out of certain melee combos if you press the square button too many times; get used to punching at air every so often), but beyond that, it is relatively easy to pick up, get accustomed to, and start whacking away on a baddie.