'Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2' brings motion control features to Nintendo Switch

By Gabe Gurwin September 5, 2017

DRAGON BALL Xenoverse 2 - Features Trailer | Switch

Last year’s Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 released to fairly positive reviews, with critics praising its story, art style, and improvements over the previous game. But it’s 2017, and that means that any game worth its salt better be hitting Nintendo Switch. The game hits the portable hybrid system in just a few weeks, and a new features trailer will get you caught up to speed on the new version’s unique features.

The trailer — narrated with Future Trunks’ signature raspy voice — shows a player doing the one thing every Dragon Ball fan wants to do in a game: launch an energy attack with their hands. By using the two Joy-Con controllers and their straps, you can draw back your arms to charge up a shot and thrust them forward to send it barreling toward an enemy. Piccolo’s “Special Beam Cannon” attack even makes you point the Joy-Con at your forehead as you charge it up. Screaming at the top of your lungs is completely optional during all of this, but are you really getting the full experience if you don’t?

If you want to bring a friend into the mix, the Nintendo Switch version of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is your best option. Using handheld or tabletop mode, you can battle in one-on-one battles, and you can even each use one Joy-Con turned sideways if you only have one system. Have a group of friends who all brought their own Switch? You can do local cooperative play with up to five at a time. The trailer shows these people playing together in either an apartment or a coffee shop. If it’s the latter, you probably shouldn’t use the motion controls or practice your scream.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is currently the only game in the series with a planned Switch version, but it might not be the last. Dragon Ball FighterZ, out for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One next year, could also come to the system if fans demand it. Producer Tomoko Kiroki said that the system’s lower technical specifications shouldn’t affect its ability to run the fighting game.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is out for Switch on September 22.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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