So, I finally got my hand on Injustice: Gods Among Us, a title I've been anticipating from day one. Much to my surprise, when I got it at Wal-Mart, it came with a free copy of Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe (which I already own). I don't really know the point behind this, besides trying to get rid of unsold copies but hey, free game!
I will now tell you what experiences I had with the game, although I'm far from done with it, I still have to complete the S.T.A.R. Labs Missions and I haven't played lots of the many characters available.
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"NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL AN ENTRANCE!"
The game welcomes you with a pretty cool main menu in which we see slow-motion scenes of the DC characters fighting in different points of view, Batman punching Solomon Grundy, for example. The menu's pretty simple otherwise, you have the Single-Player, Multiplayer, Settings and Bonus Features options (which includes a trailer for "Superman Unbound", by the way). The game does feel dark and brutal, which is reminding of Netherrealm Studios' Mortal Kombat, albeit less intimidating by the use of white and blue colors instead of the bloody and fiery red tones.
"WISH THE OTHER TITANS COULD SEE THIS!"
Injustice's graphics, are far from ground-breaking but it's beautiful overall, on par with Mortal Kombat 9's graphical quality. As always, cuts and bruises are seen on the characters after a brutal battle and sometimes missing patches of skin revealing the flesh underneath. And that's not surprising considering the brutal moves that can be pulled off. The arenas are also interesting, each of them has some cameos from other DC characters as well as little touches alluding to their presence, such as Poison Ivy's grown plants on Arkham Asylum's walls or Stargirl's statue in front of the Hall of Justice. Overall, Injustice looks good but not great but it doesn't distract from the fun.
"THIS'LL BE A BLAST"
Is Injustice fun to play? Indeed it is, the gameplay shows how Netherrealm progressed, it's smooth and enjoyable for casual and hardcore figthing gamers alike. The basic attacks are divided into Weak, Medium and Strong categories, most of the hard-hitting blows being on the "X" button, including hits that trigger transitions. Each character has a signature move they can use with the "Circle" button with effects depending on the character. For example, Batman can summon mechanical bats to attack his opponent with whereas Superman can boost his strength temporarily. It does add an interesting tactical touch to the overall gameplay, especially with some characters like Bane, whose signature move boosts his strength for a while but leaves him weakened.
Mortal Kombat players will feel the gameplay is pretty familiar, it does work like Mortal Kombat's own system, the special moves are easy to pull off by using familiar combinations on the D-pad. Decent combos can be done by mashing buttons but serious players can get the most out of every move by tagging techniques in the Moves List menu, gibing the possibility of planning damaging combos.
As introduced in Mortal Kombat, Injustice has its own Super Bar, which can be used to enhance special moves or, when full, be spent on a devastating Super Move. Managing this Super Bar is an important aspect of the fighting system, sometimes using an enhanced Special Move can be more beneficial than using a Super Move.
But the Super Bar can be wagered in a Clash, an event that can be activated by pressing forward and R2. When the Clash starts, each fighter can wage parts of their Super Bar to gain additional Super at the end. Winning a Clash lets the attacker do bonus damage or regenerate part of the defender's health bar.
Overall, the gameplay is much more akin to Street Fighter's and Mortal Kombat 9 than past MK games, even though the balancing is not good enough for e-sporting.
"I'M THE KING OF ATLANTIS! I ANSWER TO NO ONE!"
Nothing much to say about the musical score and sound effects, both are pretty good and correctly convey the epic brutality the fighters can show during their battle for freedom. The soundtrack has some nice tracks befitting the battle between the Justice League and the One Earth Regime, giving Injustice's Story Mode a very cinematic feeling. And it does help to have some good voice-actors to go with it, such as the great Kevin Conroy as Batman or George Newbern as the Man of Steel. Richard Epcar does a decent job as the Joker and of course, Tara Strong shows she can walk in Arleen Sorkin's shoes with great competence as the Clown Prince of Crime's henchwoman. Futurama's own Phil Lamarr provides Aquaman's voice, giving the King of Atlantis a very strong, royal-sounding voice that just reminds you of Aquaman's authority. The cast is, overall, very competent.
"YOU'RE EASY MONEY! I LOVE MY JOB!"
So, overall, is Injustice worth it? It definitely is, for those DC/Mortal Kombat fans who don't take their fighting too seriously, I don't think we'll be seeing many Injustice e-sport events. It's still good old fun with an unoriginal but entertaining story mode and challenges that will prepare you for the inevitable online matches. The controls are very smooth and combos are easy to pull off and there's enough of a variety in the roster to please just about any DC Comic afficionado. It does have its flaws but they can be easily overlooked.
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