You can only tell the same story so many times, and Dragon Ball games are well past their allotment. I've seen Raditz perforated by the Special Beam Cannon more than 100 times by now, and while I love the series' grandiose narrative and iconic moments, it has long needed a spark. Dragon Ball Xenoverse, in spite of its pronounced deficiencies, puts the beloved series back on track. What it lacks in mechanical depth it makes up for in scope and fresh story arcs, and even if you still see Frieza bring Namek to its knees and Cell crumble before a familial Kamehameha, the addition of a customized character shines a new light on scenes that were growing far too dim.

It all starts with your own unique Z Warrior. Instead of reenacting the well-worn script as Goku, Piccolo, or another member of the colorful cast, Xenoverse inserts your own hero into each of the classic scenarios. From his species to the shine of his boots, your character's presentation is entirely up to you, and the depth of the adjustable characteristics allows you to successfully craft your ideal fighter. If you want to make a blue-haired lady-Saiyan with a jet-black outfit, the tools are there to make it happen. While stylish, your protagonist is far from verbose--uttering little more than a grunt and the title of a special attack during battle--but it's hard not to grow attached to this silent soldier as he battles alongside the established heroes. As a child who too often pretended that he could shoot energy from his palms and grow golden hair with a flourish, watching my addition to the roster be acknowledged by Goku and company was an inimitable pleasure.

After establishing a persona, you're brought in by Trunks as a member of the Time Patrol, a team that travels from era to era, correcting hiccups in the timeline that could radically alter the course of history. The villains meddling within the different timelines create problematic circumstances, diametrically opposed to the regular flow of this world's history. What if Raditz broke Goku's grip and avoided Piccolo's shot to the gullet? What havoc could Frieza have wrought if he immediately transformed to his final form instead of brandishing each of his less impressive molds? It's up to you to battle major characters possessed by an indomitable power and restore the timeline to its rightful progression.

Most of what you see, though distorted, follows the established Dragon Ball Z order of events, and if you're unfamiliar with the show, you'll likely find yourself lost among all the spiky hair and massive explosions. Xenoverse expects you already to have an established relationship with the anime, but the latter story missions have characters and content that are entirely new to the universe. It's not always prime material, with the dialogue ranging from fair to dreadful, but it's still refreshing to do new things in a Dragon Ball game. There's a lot to see, and seeing it all through the eyes of someone outside the well-established crew had me rushing to see how the script would be flipped next.

Structurally, this is the most interesting and involved Dragon Ball game in years. The new spin on tired stories provides enough intrigue to keep you playing through even the most tiresome moments, and the enhancements you can make to your created character keep you completing missions well after the natural narrative conclusion. It's rich in content, but the shallow battle system and unnecessarily bloated health bars of some foes make this feel more like a hesitant step in the right direction than a true home run for the franchise. Dragon Ball Xenoverse isn't a good fighting game, but it does have enough interesting supplementary features to make it a consideration.