Injustice: Gods Among Us has recently won the well-deserved D.I.C.E. award for “best fighting game.” Although it did not really have much competition, it is still considered a success for NetherRealm and High Voltage. In light of the game’s success, GameLuster has decided to review it. So without further adieu, here is the review of Injustice: Gods Among Us.
The story of Injustice is very unique, and at times the cutscenes reminded me of DC Universe Online because of the epic score in the background. The Justice League and their nemeses have collided, having a battle in the middle of Metropolis. In the middle of all this the Joker, perhaps the most notable villain, is nowhere to be found. Batman finds the Joker about to detonate a nuke he has set up, when they are somehow teleported to an alternate universe. The story takes off from there, and you learn what can happen if superheroes abuse their powers.
Injustice: Gods Among Us has a wonderful story, with little to no flaws. The cutscenes transition perfectly into fight sequences, and it allows for the player to feel emotion behind their fights. However, many technical issues plague the opening of the story, which is meant to be the most epic. The re-skinning of characters does not live up to the next-gen standards that have been talked about so often. Also, the frame rate is incredibly low during the first quarter of the campaign, and it made me think that my Playstation was going to crash. Right after the third or fourth fight it becomes very smooth and makes the cutscenes enjoyable, as they were meant to be.
When it comes to gameplay Injustice does not disappoint. There aren’t a lot of maps that come with the game, but that is because they are interactive. Every map can be destroyed, and if the battle takes you to the side of the map you can hit your enemy through a wall, computer, or off a building to access another portion of the battleground. This added feature to a fighting game mixes up every fight, as you may experience parts of the map that you haven’t seen before.
The Playstation 4 and Xbox One version of the game includes a vast amount of characters and skins to use, and they are generally well balanced. A few characters like Deathstroke and Aquaman can be abused by player, which results in spamming the main attack, making it impossible to counter. These characters are generally shunned from online play, which makes the online games fair and fun.
There are also special moves that can be activated after a move bar is filled. This bar is located in the bottom right and is filled by achieving combos, or being hit multiple times. The first form of special move is just a strengthener that adds damage if you press R2 (RT) right after your combo. The second form is a special move that can only be activated by R2 and L2 (RT and LT) if the bar is completely filled. This sends the game into a cutscene that is unique to each character. The final move is a “wager,” which allows for a player to make a small comeback by betting portions of their move bar on who will win a head to head clash. All of these add to the battle by helping the player who is losing make a comeback, but it also allows skilled players to get ahead. This addition is fresh and very helpful for new players to fighting games.
But what if you don’t have an internet connection, or want to play against AI? Fighting games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat usually have an arcade or battle mode that brings the franchise back to its roots. Unfortunately, Injustice: Gods Among Us does not pull this off.
The AI in the game is very uneven, and is the one thing that makes the game not enjoyable at times. I finished the campaign on “medium” difficulty, and it was very easy at the beginning, but near the end it became impossible to beat an enemy on the first try. If you do lose on your first try the AI becomes noticeably easy, and won’t even fight back at times. This becomes disappointing if you want a challenge, especially with the final boss.
Understandably though, the difficulty is supposed to increase over time in a fighting game, but in the “battle” mode it does not. Battle mode is essentially an arcade mode, and completing it on medium is a breeze, but trying it on hard is almost impossible. This unpredictable difficulty plagues the game, and makes you just want to complete a level and never play it again.
This is a fighting game though, so the replayability is very good. If you are trying to get 100% completion of trophies/achievements in the game you are looking at over 100 hours of playtime. There are also multiple types of game modes and unlocks that freshen up certain battle situations.
Injustice: Gods Among Us is truly a great game for people who are both new and used to fighting games. The characters are balanced, and special moves make the game very fun. The game modes and interactive maps create a new atmosphere every time the game is played. Unfortunately the frame rate drops and very uneven AI difficulty plague these positives. Overall, the game is a must buy for all fighting fans, and a rent for those new to the genre.
Positives: Special Moves, Even Characters, Replay Value, Interactive Maps
Negatives: Spam Moves, Unpredictable AI, Difficulty Jumps, Poor Frame Rate
Are you planning to buy or play Injustice? Have you? What did you think of it? Let us know in the comments below!
