There are very few games I will spend $60 dollars on. There are even fewer games that I would buy a season pass for Downloadable Content. But when DC does a fan service and a very competent fighting game all in one then nerds can rejoice.
When Injustice was introduced it looked like a clone of the lesser Mortal Kombat vs. DC . That wasn't the video game Gotham deserved. I was afraid to touch this game knowing that DC has trouble producing anything not centered around Batman. But then, while night was darkest before the dawn, we started to get wonderful updates of what this game could produce. Rumors of Black Adam, Nightwing and Sinestro started to awaken the lost DC lover. Next came the environmental attacks and the ability to knock your enemy through buildings. Finally we were hooked when we saw Green Lantern throw large aircraft carriers from his ring into the opponent.
It's not the best fighting system or the smoothest. It is loosely based on the Mortal Kombat system. I think it is the most appropriate for a comic game, but the flow of Tekken's fighting system will always be my favorite. You can't just button bash and hope your character does a 10-hit combo with a hadouken. You have to experiment with different three button presses. Superman is one of the easiest characters to control, while the bigger guys Luther, Grundy and Bane have issues feeling fluid. If you are used to fighting games, you will feel more at home with the acrobats like Nightwing, Deathstroke and Green Arrow. Each character has a booster move that helps them on the field of battle. Flash can increase his speed, Cyborg can regenerate and Lex produces a shield. Finally, the super moves are the eye candy that will get any comic boy salivating. Whether it is Superman's space orbit smash or Bane's back breaking combo, every comic book itch is scratched.
Story is based of the comic mini series of the same name. In an alternate universe Superman gets tricked into killing Lois Lane and setting off a bomb in Metropolis. He goes crazy and starts killing villains and creating a one world government under him. Meanwhile, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Joker of our DC universe get transported into that reality and see that the world is very different controlled under the iron fist of Superman. The story was written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray who have worked on Jonah Hex, Power Girl and Hawk Man. It has that DC super event feel complete with the alternate dimensions, cluster fuss of characters and the over the top science fiction feel. The witty writing and voice acting is the only thing that makes the linear gameplay worth the ride.
But there is more than just a great story. In STAR Labs mode you can complete challenges for each character. These range from the simple defeat a character challenge to the more bizarre help Cat Woman's cat sneak a diamond into a museum.
The graphics are a tight and impressive bundle on the PS3. HD, lighting and character models look spot on. The destructive stage designs are truly the cherry on top. The armor and clothing choices seem to favor steampunk and medieval variations of the costumes that we are not used to in the beginning of the game, but you can unlock iconic costumes (or pay money to unlock them). For some reason the women in this game look more masculine. Wonder Woman looks more manly than the Flash.
Characters are a great mix of Justice League, Batman, Teen Titans and various DC universes. In the future they will be releasing new characters like Lobo (girlish squeal) and maybe Martian Manhunter (more girlish squeals). The villains in the game seem to be less colorful and less interesting (minus the Joker who is wonderfully sick and twisted). There is an over abundance of thick meat headed characters with slow moves. Do we really need a Bane and a Grundy?
Playing multiplayer has gotten mixed reviews. You can join King of the Hill, Survivor and Betting Matches and be part of a big online tournament or you can just do 1v1 matches. The online competition almost always resorts to two moves from each character and does them repeatedly until they eventually hit you. It is annoying and it requires that you perform the same moves over again to win. Most fighting games suffer from such horrible monotony from online competition, but it is the quickest way to win.
Superman has always been regarded as a god or a savior. It is his nature to save everyone or impress everyone with his powers. The problem is that Superman could also use his powers to rule everyone as he sees fit. In the story, Wonder Woman says, "man is not fit to rule himself." I don't think the world would mind if we had a king over us who stopped all murders, wrongful deaths, rape and greed from getting out of control. The problem is that we want God to get rid of all the major evils in exchange for free will, but we don't want to give up our personal evils. One of the reasons I don't think God stops all tragedy in our life is because we don't understand how deep the evil goes. It can't just be the big tragedies that God would interfere with, but he would have to control all of our thoughts, emotions, decisions and motivations. Pretty much God would have to control free will in order to see all tragedy go away. But that is not a victory for God or us. He prefers free will and the surrender of our self to his care. He sets an example by sending His own son to Earth to show what giving up our free will means. You want to know how God stops evil? Look at Jesus and his selfless nature to serve others.
Injustice is a very fan pleasing package that wants to celebrate the DC universe. It doesn't have the best fighting engine and hardcore fighter fans might suffer with its lack of depth. But DC Fans and arcade fans will not be disappointed with this tribute to comic geekdom.
Buy It 1/5
+ Tons of stuff to do and unlock
+ Great Fan Service
+ Destructible scenery
- Not so smooth fighting system
- Online is annoying
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