Does “Injustice: Gods Among Us” live up to the expectations set forth by Netherrealm Studios, or is it just “Mortal Kombat,” but with comic book characters painted on.
Netherrealm studios, the developers responsible for the successful relaunch of the Mortal Kombat series is trying to work its magic once again, this time however they had the task of creating a fighter-based on characters from DC comics. The last time the Mortal Kombat team worked with DC, the result was “Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe,” which by all means was a subpar game.
But not to worry, Netherrealm has since improved and delivers quite the fascinating results in Injustice.
Injustice has simplified the control scheme, attacks simply fall into light, medium and heavy. The game is simple enough for novices to get the hang off, while at the same time difficult to master.
Added in the mix is the character trait button, which gives a unique ability to several characters; this can range from a new weapon stance to a temporary boost in attack. The implementation of the character trait makes all the characters in the game all feel unique, which in a fighting game is quite important.
Speaking of characters, “Injustice” has quite the character roster. The roster size which is 24 characters ranges from the A-listers like Batman, Superman and the Joker to relatively unknown characters like Black Adam and Killer Frost.
The training mode in “Injustice” is among the best in any fighter; not only does “Injustice” have the basic attack inputs and combo directions. It also offers more in depth data for the hardcore players, ranging from frame data to how much damage each attack will cause.
The visuals in “Injustice” are gorgeous to look at; however, every once in awhile, you will notice some awkward and stiff animations from the characters.
Another issue with “Injustice” was with its sound and audio.
In the background, these grand orchestral themes are playing; however, you can barely hear them in the actual game, which often times just leads you to hearing grunts and screams from the characters on screen.
“Injustice” thrives in its single-player modes. While most fighting games tend to just give you arcade training and multiplayer, “Injustice” offers an action-packed story: The Justice League get transported to an alternate universe, and once there, they have to help overthrow Superman, who in that universe has become a fascist dictator.
Along with its story, “Injustice” has the classic ladder modes from Mortal Kombat which range from classic to being poisoned throughout the ladder, etc.
To reward you for playing through these modes, “Injustice” offers a wide variety of unlockables, ranging from character skins background music and concept art. There is plenty to unlock here.
However, the most important aspect of a fighting game is how the online play works.
From time to time, it may be a little difficult to find an online opponent, and lag input rears its ugly head as well. But the overall online experience is quite enjoyable, and the king of the hill option returns from MK9.
Overall, “Injustice” is a fantastic game. With its wide variety of single player modes and good online multiplayer play, there is plenty here for any fan to enjoy. Those loyal to the DC brand will be happy to know that there is finally game that does justice to their beloved characters.