Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3: Can Bandai Namco Actually Teach an Old Saiyan New Tricks?
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Jeff dives into the recently announced Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3, weighing up whether Bandai Namco can fix the aging combat and repetitive storytelling of its predecessor to create a truly modern Saiyan epic.
Right, pull up a chair and grab a cold one, because I’ve been tinkering with some news all morning that’s got my digital beard tingling. It seems the wizards over at Bandai Namco have finally decided to stop adding floors to the leaning tower of Xenoverse 2 and actually build a new house. That’s right, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is officially a thing, announced during the recent Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour, and honestly? It’s about bloody time.
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of why this matters, I’ve got to give a massive shout-out to Ryan Epps over at Polygon, who laid out a brilliant roadmap of why the sequel needs to be more than just a fresh coat of paint. He’s spotted the same patterns in the digital tea leaves that I have, and frankly, he’s spot on about where the franchise needs to head if it wants to keep us hooked for another decade.
You see, Xenoverse 2 is the Keith Richards of fighting games—it just won’t quit. It’s outlived almost every other Dragon Ball title, surviving on a diet of DLC and sheer fan willpower for nearly ten years. I reckon it’s one of the most celebrated entries in the franchise, but let’s be fair dinkum: it’s starting to show its age. It’s like a high-level spell that was cast in 2016; it still glows, but the particles are looking a bit pixelated around the edges.
As someone who’s spent way too many hours in Conton City, I’ve got a real soft spot for the 'secret sauce' of this series: the character creation. There’s something undeniably magical about dropping your own custom-built freak of nature into the middle of Goku’s greatest hits. But as Epps rightly points out, if Xenoverse 3 just gives us the same three body types and a handful of hairstyles, I might actually throw my controller into the phantom zone. We need more—more body types, more customizable transformations, and maybe, just maybe, the ability to actually look unique instead of like a background character from a filler episode.
And then there’s the combat. Oh boy, the combat. If I have to deal with one more 'stamina break' that leaves me helplessly watching my character get pummeled for thirty seconds, I’m going to lose it. It’s one of those 'cheesy' mechanics that felt fine back in the day but now feels like a glitch in the matrix. Xenoverse 2’s fighting is fun, sure, but it’s got the stiffness of a wizard who’s been sitting in a library for three centuries. For the third installment to really sing, it needs to be fluid. We’re talking expressive combos, better hit feedback, and a reduction in the exploits that make online play feel more like a math problem than a martial arts epic.
Now, let’s talk about the story. I love Raditz as much as the next bloke, but if Xenoverse 3 asks me to protect the timeline by fighting him for the five-hundredth time, I might just let him win. We’ve done the canon retreads. We’ve saved the Saiyan Saga. We’ve stopped Frieza. It’s time for something wilder. Epps suggests leaning into the 'multiverse catastrophe' vibes of Super Dragon Ball Heroes, and I’m 100% on board. Imagine a narrative where our choices actually branch the timeline—not just a 'yes/no' prompt, but actual, world-altering consequences. In a world where Web3 tech is constantly banging on about 'digital legacy' and 'player-owned stories,' wouldn’t it be nice to see a major studio actually give us a narrative that feels like it belongs to us? No blockchain required, just good old-fashioned branching paths and high stakes.
But let’s talk about the 'boring' stuff that actually matters—quality of life. Loading screens in Xenoverse 2 are long enough for me to go make a sandwich, eat it, and contemplate the heat death of the universe. We need faster navigation, cleaner menus, and a Conton City that feels like a living, breathing metropolis rather than a fancy lobby. And please, for the love of Shenron, fix the Parallel Quest RNG. Spending three hours grinding the same mission for a single move isn’t 'content,' it’s a chore.
I’m cautiously optimistic about this one. Bandai Namco has a habit of playing it safe, but the leap from Xenoverse 1 to 2 was substantial. If they can take the DNA of what made the second game a legend—the social hubs, the custom heroes, the sheer scale—and modernize it with 2026-era tech, we could be looking at the definitive Dragon Ball experience.
Will they actually do it, or will they just give us 'Xenoverse 2.5' with a higher price tag? I’ve got my skeptical wizard hat on for now, but I’m genuinely excited to see if they can catch lightning in a bottle twice. Or thrice, technically.
What do you reckon? Are you ready to dive back into the time-stream, or have you had your fill of Senzu beans for one lifetime? Either way, keep your scouters tuned here, because I’ll be watching this story like a hawk (or a very curious digital familiar).
Tags: Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3, Bandai Namco, Action RPG, Gaming News, Dragon Ball Z
Original article: Polygon