I’ve never been one for arcade-style fighting games. Trust me, I’ve been through the works: Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Tekken, Dead or Alive… They all had their specific differences, but the gameplay was consistent. I had high hopes for Injustice: Gods Among Us because, much like Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, the use of super heroes and super villains finding a way to work together was a concept that was intriguing to most of us. But, as much as I hate to say it, Injustice didn’t quite do it for me.
There were things that worked for this game. Each character had a distinctly different fighting style that was consistent with the moves that have traditionally been used in their comics. Not to mention the specific special move of each one that gave you a reason to take the time to see them all. The range of Black Adam and Green Arrow were very different than the heavy pounding of Solomon Grundy and Doomsday; the mobility of Batman and Catwoman different from the quickness of Aquaman and The Joker. Every character had their benefits and setbacks, and you had a reason to explore those.
This game was designed to be an excellent multiplayer experience. Its arcade style made it an excellent house party gem, but the story mode was weak. The completion time was exceptionally short and the story itself was confusing and bizarre, to say the least. When a game has to rely on crossing dimensions in order to justify some of its key plot points, it is never a good sign. I understand that we had to have a logical reason for Batman to fight Batman and Superman to fight Superman, but it made it extremely difficult to keep up with who had sided with who and what was going on. The vocal cast was well done though, with entertainment favorites such as Alan Tudyk (A Knight’s Tale, I Robot), Adam Baldwin (Serenity, Chuck), and Kevin Conroy (any Batman animation every), but the weak dialogue didn’t give them much to work with. I do want to take this time to mourn the absence of Mark Hamill’s Joker interpretation. Come back to us anytime, Mr. Skywalker. We will always welcome you.
Although it wasn’t for me, that doesn’t go to say that it’s not for anybody. If these kind of games are your style, then you may just enjoy it. But, from my experience, Mortal Kombat seems to be the reigning champ of this style, and it continues to be after this installment in the genre. There was a lot of potential here, but it definitely could have been better.
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