Injustice: Gods Among Us

Genre: Fighting Game

Players: 1-2 Competitive (Local)

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Review:

Injustice is a Fighting Game released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U in 2013, prior to the release in an Ultimate Edition of that game released on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox 360 that same year. Injustice follows in the footsteps of Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe, with developer NetherRealms crafting a new fighting game engine and a story set within the DC universe.

That is no throwaway comment, either. Unlike most Fighting Games, where the story is throwaway, the story in Injustice is one of the biggest attractions to the game. To say that this game’s story is absolutely brilliant would not be an understatement – not only is this game lauded for its reverent treatment of the DC universe and its characters, but it forges an original story that has gone on to inspire years of tie-in comics.

The premise of the story is that one day, as the Justice League is in the midst of fighting their usual array of villains, a group of them is transported to another reality. In this alternate reality, years have passed since the Joker manipulated Superman, resulting in the death of Lois Lane and the destruction of Metropolis. In his grief and rage at what happened, Superman brutally slaughtered Joker, setting that universe on a path to the current day where most of the Justice League rules over the Earth in a cruel dictatorship in the name of eliminating crime and bringing about world peace. The transported Justice League members now find themselves enlisted in the cause of this alternate-universe’s Batman, seeking to unseat the bloodthirsty and despotic Superman and his regime.

It’s a story that could have easily been an easy excuse to get DC’s various superheroes fighting against one another, but the way this story is delivered gives everything a weight and gravitas that truly sells the tragedy of these events and the horrific dystopian nature of the world it has led to. This is in part thanks to some absolutely phenomenal voice acting, featuring returning DCAU cast members Kevin Conroy, George Newbern, and others, along with other competent voice actors filling in the blanks.

The graphics on display here are about on par with what one might expect from a PlayStation 3/Xbox 360-era game, but they’re still quite good, with some excellent detail in both the 3D characters and backgrounds, making all the details on Batman’s suit stand out and giving nice little touches to the cells in Arkham Asylum to give you an idea whose cell is who’s. There are a lot of great touches throughout the game that make all sorts of fun references to any DC fan who’s paying attention, and it’s clear that the people who worked on this game were either huge DC fans themselves, or really did their research.

For the gameplay itself, the game differs somewhat from the way the Mortal Kombat games control (there’s no dedicated block button, for one thing), but there’s still some of that same sort of stiffness in the controls. On the other hand, this game does some creative stuff with its super meter, allowing players to expend it in a variety of ways, including wagering parts of it in a stand-off with the other player. And of course, the real treat is when you get the opponent in one of the game’s super combo moves, which have each individual hero doing something truly spectacular that fits their character – Flash, for example, literally runs around the entire planet to deliver a light-speed punch, while Batman shocks his opponent and runs them over with a remote-controlled Batmobile.

There are a few other things I should address when it comes to this specific version of the game. First, it seems that online play for the Wii U version of the game is disabled, so if you want to play against a human opponent, they’ll need to be sitting next to you. Also, the game’s price is now $20, which is pretty good, but keep in mind that this price doesn’t include any of the extra content included in the Ultimate Edition, with that DLC costing players $5 per extra character, not to mention the added cost if you want to get extra outfits.

Because of this, Injustice ends up being a truly great game that’s unfortunately at its worst on the Wii U, not due to any fault of the console, but simply because the world has moved on and left the Wii U behind. Make no mistake, this is still an outstanding Fighting game, and an absolute must-have for DC fans… but if you can get it on any other platform, you probably should.

tl;dr – Injustice is a Fighting Game that takes place in a world where a tragedy caused Superman to turn down a dark path, bringing the rest of the DC universe down with him. The story here is absolutely phenomenal, with a great presentation that truly shows a lot of love for these DC characters and the world they inhabit. Unfortunately, the Wii U version no longer works online, and doesn’t include any of the Ultimate Edition content, making this possibly the worst version of the game. If you’re a DC fan, I still think you absolutely need to play this game, but if possible play it on another platform.

Grade: B+

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