Injustice: Gods Among Us (April 16, 2013) excites my inner nerd in two ways: the comic book nerd and the Mortal Kombat nerd. My first introduction to Mortal Kombat was at the arcade. If you possessed the fighting chops, you could hold the machine hostage for hours while the hopefuls lined up behind you to wait their turn to challenge your dominance for a quarter, or token. Eventually, the game released for the Sega Genesis about the same time that arcades became a thing of the past. I played a lot of games over the years, but only John Tobias and Ed Boon could keep me playing the same game for hours trying to perfect combos, special moves, and fatalities.
Moovin!
While Injustice may feature DC heroes and villains, it plays like an MK game. Each match is a best two out of three utilizing a double life bar instead of designated rounds. Heavy, medium, and light attacks are still mapped, on the 360, to the X, Y and A buttons respectively. Most of the special moves are simplified to match a Scorpion/Sub Zero/Johnny Cage special move: down towards attack or down away attack. Away towards attack usually involves a rush or projectile weapon. While the special move mapping steals a bit of individualism from the character’s fighting system, it makes Injustice a bit more approachable than a Mortal Kombat title, and gives the game more of a pick up and play quality, which fighting newbies will especially appreciate. Building up the character’s power meter will allow players to double trigger the character’s super move and deal some serious damage to their opponent.
The Story
Single player story mode provides a scenario where Superman, in a parallel universe, unintentionally, by The Joker’s design, takes a role in the destruction of Metropolis, killing Lois Lane and his son in the process. Superman kills the Joker during an interrogation conducted by Batman, which leads him down the path of worldwide oppression under a single Superman government. Opposition to this government, meta-human or otherwise, is crushed. Only a handful of rebels remain to stand against the oppression: Batman, Lex Luthor, and Deathstroke are the beacons of justice in this world. Batman brings some of the heroes from our universe, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Batman, along with The Joker, to help put an end to Superman’s destructive regime and restore the world to its proper state of imperfection.
The story mode in Injustice tells a far better tale than any piece of MK fiction, which are inevitably variations of Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon. Players can unlock alternate endings by playing through the Classic combat mode, similar to ladder Kombat in MK. Single player also features several different takes on ladder Kombat, like Poisoned, which features a declining health meter. Beating these modes will unlock more modes, giving single player combat unlimited replayability. The S.T.A.R. Lab feature presents a separate series of stories, featuring objective-based battles. Completing objectives earns up to three stars that the player uses to unlock more Lab content. Players gain experience, through either versus or SP combat, to gain levels and unlock content: alternate costumes, concept art, etc. This game has a shit ton of content.
Most of the character balancing issues from the last game are also resolved: if you spent hours trying to defeat Shao Khan using Raiden in the last Mortal Kombat, then you understand how important balance can be in a fighting game. The end character battle, against Superman, seems almost an even match compared to the last game. Even in multiplayer, there is no one character that can defeat all others, like Noob Saibot from MK Trilogy or Shao Khan from the last Mortal Kombat.
The Way It Was Intended
Yeah, Injustice features a lot of great single player content, but fighting games are not meant to be played alone. The best way to enjoy any fighting game is side by side on the couch, trash talking and eating Doritos, and Injustice is no exception. MK veterans will likely make associations between these DC fighters and their MK counterparts. The closest thing to Liu Kang in Injustice would be Catwoman: she’s fast, fluid, and capable of landing a 10-hit combo in the right hands. The largest fighters like Solomon Grundy, Bane, and Doomsday, are slow but powerful, and best countered with a smaller, nimble fighter like Nightwing or Catwoman. I found Green Arrow to be the least capable fighter, but strangely, one of my favorites: he has too much personality to be left on the sidelines. Never, under any circumstance, pull out Green Arrow when facing a capable human opponent using Aquaman or Catwoman. Aquaman was the big surprise of the game: although his combos are short and tough to string together, his special moves are quite powerful and his superpower is the best in the game. Environments are not only destructible, but many items can be used as weapons, and who doesn’t enjoy broiling a buddy in jet flames or driving over a friend with a motorcycle?
DC Online
The last Mortal Kombat game will be remembered as a great fighting game, but also remembered by its tragic online play. The prevalence of dropped matches, poor hit detection, and horrific lag produced some of the least enjoyable online play in recent memory. Has Ed Boon and company found the rotten apple in the barrel? Hell, yeah they did! Not only is the online version completely playable, it plays just as well as the couch version. I played several matches with SofaKingSpecial, and we experienced none of the online drama that characterized Boon’s last fighter. Online is good to go!
The Verdict
Ed Boon and the Netherrealm gang produce some of the best fighting games, period. They have been around for a very long time, because they’re good at what they do. Injustice: Gods Among Us will never convert hardcore Street Fighter fans, or cause fighting game haters to finally embrace the joys of the uppercut and 10-hit combo, because that's not what it is designed to do. It’s designed to give some brutal interactivity to DC fans, and give Mortal Kombat veterans a change of cast and scenery. Injustice is well written, immersive, exciting, fun as shit, with a ton of content and replay value. This is a must-have for fighting fans, and a good way to entertain guests for other gamers. Injustice: Gods Among Us gets a perfect score.
