Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Genre: Fighting
Platforms: Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 / Wii U
Released: April 16, 2013
Website: www.injustice.com

Ratings

Story: 8.1/10
Design: 9.2/10
Gameplay: 8.9/10
Presentation: 8.0/10
Overall Score: 8.6/10

Any clash between comic book characters has always been a topic of wild interest to fans. Whether it’s a TV series, cartoons, big-budget movies or video games, everyone wants to see these people with incredible powers duke it out in the most superhuman of ways. With the Marvel stable having found success in video games thanks to its ambitious crossover with Capcom, it was only a matter of time before DC Comics threw their hat in the ring, creating their own crossover game with the Mortal Kombat team. Fast-forward to 2013 and we now have the developers once again delivering a powerful fighting game beat-down of the DC characters with Injustice: Gods Among Us. Does the game deliver a super-powered experience, or is it still suffering from the effects of Kryptonite?

While it’s never really expected for fighting games to put major emphasis on the storyline, Injustice does things a little differently. Set in an alternate timeline, the game sees Superman witness a catastrophic event that ends the life of his beloved Lois Lane among a city full of innocent civilians. Torn by the loss of his wife and his failure to prevent the deaths of so many, Superman decides to abandon his old cause and make use of his powers to rule over humanity with an iron fist. This splits the group of superheroes into two major factions, one that support Superman’s newfound cause, and the other led by Batman who oppose it. Thus, through a series of events that involve alternate timelines and super-powered drugs, the titanic clash between godlike characters is on, as each side fights for supreme victory. While it’s nothing extraordinary or groundbreaking as far as narratives go, the plot does deliver some out-of-this-world action, and provide justification for how someone like Green Arrow can toss Doomsday through buildings and withstand a jet falling on him.

Characters

Coming from the house of Mortal Kombat, you’d expect the game to be played exactly like the ultra-violent fighting series, just with the characters swapped. In truth, Injustice changes things up with the regular formula, enough so that it doesn’t feel like the game it’s inspired from. There’s a cast of 24 characters from the DC universe that all look, play and feel differently. Each character fits into two archetypes for the game – power users and gadget users – which works in tandem with the various abilities at their disposal. The combat system incorporates three different attack buttons and a character-specific special power button that fits in with their special abilities. The Flash can tap into the Speed Force, for example, and Bane can make use of the special Venom serum to give himself stat bonuses. In addition, the fighting system now incorporates blocking via the back button, which makes true cross-ups finally possible. The standard fighting formula remains intact, with one having to use chaining combos, launchers and special moves together to gain an edge over the opponent. The new environmental hazards give a more strategic take on battles, as using the right object in the background could tip the scales in your favour. Stage transitions are big cinematic moments that show a flashy transition while outputting considerable damage to players. The combat system also extends to super moves for each character, along with a new combo-breaking system where each player wagers their super meter for a variety of benefits.

Features

Outside of combat, there’s a whole ton of features in the game. Players can jump into ranked and unranked matches online, joining a host of lobbies that support tournament-style play, and even allow spectators to bet on the outcome with experience points used to level up your profile. Unlockables such as extra costumes and new backgrounds can be obtained by acquiring special Armory Keys or through the iOS companion app. Additionally, the game contains an extra mode similar to the Challenge Tower from Mortal Kombat called STAR Labs that offers extra missions for each character. These features do a nice job of providing a break from the competitive fighting experience, as you familiarise yourself with the various moves and complete objectives in order to unlock more content. For the truly obsessed, there’s even a detailed practice mode that allows you to tweak various options and displays information such as frame data and percentage damage for a more thorough understanding of the system’s mechanics. The fighting engine is relatively easy enough for players to jump into, and supports the depth and complexity that can allow seasoned tournament veterans to really dig into the experience.

Bringing to life some of the most influential comic book characters of all time, Injustice supports a visually entertaining package for the most part. Character models seem to be adequately detailed, and the alternate costumes and getups are a welcome addition for certain characters whose default looks just don’t appeal. In the cases of a few unfortunate characters though, there’s just no hiding the fact that something is seriously messed up with them (Wonder Woman is a notable example here). The environments are bright and imaginative, buzzing with activity as you pound your opponent through a set of walls or launch them into a helicopter in the background, and the stage transitions are fun to watch for their over-the-top action. Likewise, the voice acting puts some good talent behind the characters, though we do miss the original Joker. Add to that the notion of the current generation of consoles ending, and you have a game that, while not breaking any new ground, looks and sounds good enough for the part.

The verdict

Gods and mortals clashing for the ultimate battle in an alternate DC universe certainly does make for a great set-up in an action-packed fighting game, and Injustice: Gods Among Us plays the part just right in a lot of respects. The robust fighting mechanics make it a pretty good fighter to indulge into despite the minor flaws, and a host of extra content and good support for online play does keep you invested in the game long enough after you’ve powered through every hero’s respective story mode. All in all, it’s a good fighting game that you should definitely check out.