Luke Owen gets hands on with Injustice 2…
Whether you like the DC Extended Universe or not, it’s almost impossible to look at the work NetherRealm Studios have done on Injustice 2 and think, “damn that would make an awesome movie franchise.”
The revival of the Mortal Kombat series via Mortal Kombat 9 has spread through into their DC output, starting with 2013’s very good Injustice: Gods Among Us and into its sequel Injustice 2. It’s got new characters, new movesets, new combos, new locations and a whole new improved feel.
What’s impressive about Injustice 2 is just how inclusive the whole thing feels. Mortal Kombat X, for all the praise one could give it, at times felt like it was aimed at fans of the franchise who want to spend hours, days and weeks learning every single combo technique possible. It felt like a game that was purposefully built just for professional tournaments. And while the single-player campaign was fun (though new players are struggling to get their hands on it due to a game-crippling bug), Mortal Kombat X really thrived on its multiplayer aspect. And in order to get on with that, you had to be damn good at the game. Injustice 2 has the opposite effect.
From the very simple tutorial system, Injustice 2 is a proper ‘pick-up-and-play’ fighting game. Each character has similar combos and easy-to-pull-off special moves (much like Mortal Kombat X) but there’s less gameplay mechanics surrounding it. Newcomers can grab a pad, get the basics down, and just have fun with it. Hardcore gamers and fighting fans can still pour their souls into learning every aspect and secret, but Injustice 2 allows casual gamers to simply enjoy being their favourite characters and beating up their favourite villains. It’s like a great big toy chest full of action figures, and everyone has been invited to play with them. Though not everything is a home run. For example the Clash system – where players can gamble their super meter to gain or lose advantage – really bothers the flow of play. It doesn’t really work either, and it simply isn’t a fun addition.
The key to this ‘toy box’ mentality is that Injustice 2 offers more chances for everyone to get their hands on the unlockable extras, which comes in the form of customizing characters costumes. Through playing the game in either story mode or the Multiverse, you unlock Mother Boxes which contain new items. You can then add those items onto one of the four slots each character has to create new outfits, looks and playing styles. The possibilities are seemingly endless, and it adds an extra level of replayability which is really needed with a 1-on-1 fighting game.
Injustice 2‘s roster of characters has also grown, with 30 to choose from including old favourites like Aquaman, Batman, The Flash, Wonder Woman and Bane, who are joined by some really interesting newcomers like Captain Cold, Blue Beetle, Cheetah and Gorilla Grodd. Injustice 2 has a real emphasis on villains, so it’s great to see characters like Poison Ivy, Cheetah and Scarecrow on display, but the heroes get a good shout to with fan-favourite Swamp Thing. Each of them have a variety of looks – from comics accurate, to Injustice follow-ups, to even Flarrowverse styles – and the graphics for each character are stunning. Superman may have a bit more Michael J. Fox about him than is probably necessary, but it can’t be argued that Injustice 2 is pretty to look at. This is also helped by some stunning animations during super moves. Just when you think you’ve seen the craziest thing possible – like Batman calling in the Batwing to blow his opponent out of the sky or Swamp Thing pulling victims into the ground to beat them up in a tunnel via giant fists – you’ll find a new one to be impressed by. As with Mortal Kombat X, however, once you’ve seen The Flash run his opponent into a T-rex for the third or fourth time, it gets a little tiresome.
The real selling point of Injustice 2 – outside of playing as the great DC characters – is how simple it is to learn but tricky to master. You can pick the game up and breeze through its story and Multiverse mode and have a brilliant time, but you can also dedicate weeks of your life mastering a character of your choice. Watching professional Injustice: Gods Among Us players at last night’s press launch showed just how much detail one can go into with Injustice 2, while the press tournament (which yours truly made it to the Quarter Finals before being knocked out) displayed the more ‘pick-up-and-play’ mentality. Simply put, Injustice 2 is a glorious game with amazing graphics, great sound and a wonderful combo system. It really could be one of the best fighting games of 2017.
Pros
+ Easy to pick up and play
+ Great roster of characters with a gripping story
+ Stunning to look at
Cons
– Clash system is a little clunky
– No variety on special moves, which leads to them becoming repetitive
– No Booster Gold
Rating: 9/10
Reviewed for PS4 (also available on Xbox One, Android and iOS)
Injustice 2 is available now in the US, and Friday in the UK.
