Games

Injustice 2

• 21st May 2017

This game was reviewed on Xbox One.

Injustice 2 kicks off in the both in the midst of it’s predecessor, and also years ahead of it’s time. The opening sequence sees us watch the demise of Krypton, as Kal El and his cousin, Kara, make their way from the dying planet to their new home. As Kara’s spaceship gets set off course, we soon find ourselves watching Bruce Wayne speak in front of a tribunal, years later, recounting the events of Gods Among Us, and the role of Superman’s tyrant in the world.

Superman is, now, behind bars along with a few of his subservients. The world may not be a better, but it is a safer place. That is until a new enemy makes itself known. Following the investigations of Gorilla Grodd and his Society, Batman and his cohorts soon learn of an extra terrestrial being named Brainiac, and his plan to doom Earth.

A decision must be made; does Batman trust his former friend to help him defeat this foe, can he depend on Superman to be decent once more, or will the World’s Finest fall to the might of the martian.

First things first, Injustice 2 betters God’s Among Us in almost every way. The gameplay here is superb, thanks in no small part to NetherRealm’s fantastic system. The guys behind Mortal Kombat have been developing this kind of beat em up format for a while, and the talent is obvious; the fighting style has only sightly been altered from the first game, but for the better.

What big changes have been made can be seen in the characters; these style of fighting games are not readily known for the time and effort put into the characters, especially their faces. But with Injustice 2, the animation behind the facial expression is fantastic, as good as you’ve seen in the best of games. And for a platform that doesn’t necessarily need it, it’s encouraging to see the details as something of a surprise.

The plot, while muddled and leaves a lot to be believed, is enticing and reads, to it’s credit, like a comic book. The artwork and how scenes are depicted, panelling from one to the next, this could be on paper. For any fan of the source material, you don’t necessarily feel like you’re in a game. This could be an interactive film. Again, the reasoning behind fight after fight leaves little to be desired, but for a game such as this it’s a tough bridge to cross in any other fashion.

The fighting itself is great, both easy and articulate. Newcomers to the franchise, and even this gaming genre, can get by with the basic buttons for a while. More experienced gamers can enjoy the different dimensions of the fighting styles, right down to the character special moves and player clashes, which can be a game of wits between combatants.

While the story mode is enticing, fighting games are not worth their weight if the multiplayer is anything less than enjoyable. Here, as you’d expect with NetherRealm, there is no such issue. Hours upon hours of multiplayer fun await, be it online or at home. The online has it’s own system for combating any lag which may occur, but the nuts and bolts of it are in the local multiplay. Jostling your friend as you demonstrate how much better Green Arrow is than Aquaman is exactly what fighting video games were built for.

Injustice 2 has a lot to offer for all levels of gamers, the graphics are insane, the fighting interesting. That said, it’s also very good. The most entertaining fighting game that’s been released in recent years, one that’s easy to get into but doesn’t actually need that much commitment. A game that’s easy to pop in and out of, and for that all the better now when attention span is at an all time low. But above all else, it’s fun. Really, really fun.