Injustice. Or as I like to call it, the superhero based fighting game I didn’t expect to be as good as it is! I mean, okay, I knew before it came out that it was still going to be a good game given it was being developed by the Mortal Kombat guys who despite making a new studio was still made up of people who had been doing this for years but I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I did. 2 years after it came out… Via being given it for free via PlayStation Plus. Actually, it was one of the first games I remember getting via PS Plus so there is some nostalgia lol.
Even ignoring the strange nostalgia I have towards this game, what is it that made this game as great as it is? Well I mean, it’s already just a well-made fighting game with well done mechanics to it, again this was made by Netherrelm Studios, but one of the mechanics is that each characters has a unique power that can be used with just a press of a button. Batman calls down a bunch of bats, Wonder Woman swaps between using her whip or her Pokemon Sword and Shield, Catwoman unleashes a flurry of swipes when you build up enough charge, everyone has a unique and interesting ability and when used right can lead to some interesting combos… Combos that I’m probaply never going to pull off given I have to play these games on easy just to even get anywhere lol. But there’s also stuff like the clash mechanic where once initiated you sacrifice some of your super meter to either defend yourself or for attacking and whoever uses more of there meter wins the clash meaning there’s even more reason to hold onto and save your meter instead of just instantly using it for a super move once max… Or just use them on the Super Moves anyway because the supers in this game are cool as Hell! And so are the stage transitions! Yeah, during fights you can kick your opponent to another area of the stage and just like the supers the transitions are fun to watch.
Another thing I was actually surprised with going in was the story. Because the story in most fighting games that aren’t Skullgirls are usually either an afterthought or just not good at all. Injustice was one of the few fighting games I actually found myself invested in the story as it’s set in a super dark universe where Joker kills Lois Lane and blows up Metropolis, Superman is sent over the edge and becomes a dictator so that this sort of thing never happens again causing a civil war between superheroes and the supes that realize “Hey, our Superman is kinda a massive ♥♥♥♥ right now” bring alternate versions of themselves from another universe to help out. You know, back when Multiverse stories were actually unique and weren’t over saturated? Sorry, I know that’s like a REALLY easy joke to make nowadays but can you blame me? Either way, it’s a cool concept and the story itself has a lot of fun moments in it. Plus, it’s cool seeing some villains actually siding with the good guys two. There is a comic book series that ties into this universe but in my experience, you can just play this without reading those and still get a full experience. Something I also really appreciate two is that the game even has an explanation for how some of the non super powered characters are able to go one on one with characters like Not Homelander and Not Queen Mave and not instantly end with them in a bloody pile thanks to a Kyrptonian Pill. With how I play and get into certain games because of there story, characters and world this is the sort of stuff I enjoy seeing.
So yeah, the original Injustice even now is still a really solid game for anyone who’s into DC or just fighting games in general and is a big recommend. Preferably soon if you can because Mortal Kombat 2011 being delisted has me a little paranoid NGL.
