By Ben Mapp
If you didn’t know already, this month’s free game on PS Plus (at least for PS4 owners) is the critically-lauded superhero fighting game, Injustice: Gods Among Us. I thought I should spend ten minutes on it to see what all of the fuss was about. I mean it is free after all. And after few consecutive hours (and a completed Story Mode) later, and I finally realise why so many people have tipped their hats to the developers of this game. I mean as an avid gamer, but one not so infatuated with fighting games, I was surprised at just how much I was woo’d by the main campaign of Injustice.
If you didn’t know already, this month’s free game on PS Plus (at least for PS4 owners) is the critically-lauded superhero fighting game, Injustice: Gods Among Us. I thought I should spend ten minutes on it to see what all of the fuss was about. I mean it is free after all. And after few consecutive hours (and a completed Story Mode) later, and I finally realise why so many people have tipped their hats to the developers of this game. I mean as an avid gamer, but one not so infatuated with fighting games, I was surprised at just how much I was woo’d by the main campaign of Injustice.
Developed by NeverRealm Studios and released only last year, the story focuses on the DC heroes as they attempt to restore order to a chaotic parallel universe within which Superman has finally gone mad with power and dominated the world. He has turned the surviving Justice League members into loyal servants and has established the ‘One World Order’ under which all of humanity is subjugated. Of course – when multiple universes collide – the actual DC heroes take issue with Superman’s new world order which, inevitably, results in all-out war.
Throughout the game’s central campaign, which can last for several hours dependent on player skill (I got my arse kicked a lot), you work your way through each character’s pivotal role in the storyline. Each character is designated a chapter which shows their role in the war and leads into the next. Whilst the combat is of course what takes precedence in this game, the developers' choice of voice acting and well calculated dialogue is a surprising highlight, and it helps to make the incredulous plot much easier to fathom. Most superhero games, although usually the movie tie-ins, have never really put much emphasis on this area other than some irritable imitations of familiar voices, so it was immediately refreshing to see that NetherRealm prioritised this accordingly. The story of Injustice was clearly designed by those passionate about the DC franchise, those who understand the characters well enough to have them as grounded (and as surprisingly likeable) as they are therein, despite the absurdity and massive scale of the in-game events.
The relationships between the characters are well established from the offset, and the inclusion of dual universes allows for the writers to explore newer areas for certain characters (such as Lex Luthor and Deathstroke, for example). Whilst veteran DC comic fans might already be familiar with some of Injustice’s plot elements to a degree already, I was pleasantly surprised with just how the story unravelled during my playthrough. Then again, my experiences with the DC universe comprise of watching Christopher Reeve flying around in his undies to a score by John Williams during my early childhood, as well as a bit of Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher performing similar feats some years later. I guess I was always more on the Marvel side when it came to comic books as a kid.
Throughout the game’s central campaign, which can last for several hours dependent on player skill (I got my arse kicked a lot), you work your way through each character’s pivotal role in the storyline. Each character is designated a chapter which shows their role in the war and leads into the next. Whilst the combat is of course what takes precedence in this game, the developers' choice of voice acting and well calculated dialogue is a surprising highlight, and it helps to make the incredulous plot much easier to fathom. Most superhero games, although usually the movie tie-ins, have never really put much emphasis on this area other than some irritable imitations of familiar voices, so it was immediately refreshing to see that NetherRealm prioritised this accordingly. The story of Injustice was clearly designed by those passionate about the DC franchise, those who understand the characters well enough to have them as grounded (and as surprisingly likeable) as they are therein, despite the absurdity and massive scale of the in-game events.
The relationships between the characters are well established from the offset, and the inclusion of dual universes allows for the writers to explore newer areas for certain characters (such as Lex Luthor and Deathstroke, for example). Whilst veteran DC comic fans might already be familiar with some of Injustice’s plot elements to a degree already, I was pleasantly surprised with just how the story unravelled during my playthrough. Then again, my experiences with the DC universe comprise of watching Christopher Reeve flying around in his undies to a score by John Williams during my early childhood, as well as a bit of Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher performing similar feats some years later. I guess I was always more on the Marvel side when it came to comic books as a kid.
NeverRealm Studios were always more known for developing their Mortal Kombat titles, having helmed the series’ reboot back in 2011. This is illustrated clearly throughout Injustice as the gameplay wonderfully combines the addictive, frenzied combat style of Mortal Kombat with the well-known settings of the DC universe (such as Gotham, Metropolis and the Watchtower). Due to a convenient plot point (let’s call it a ‘magic pill’), our superheroes and their abilities have been entirely equalised as well. This means that Superman and Batman can go toe-to-toe without Batman being flattened like a bat-flavoured pancake by a single punch. The same goes for the rest of the playable characters. The developers have worked hard to balance out each character’s skill set too, allowing each to have a number of unique assets and strengths, meaning that Catwoman can still put up a good fight against Doomsday. The campaign is sufficiently challenging to get through as the enemy opponents adapt well if you form patterns during the combat. I learned during my playthrough that it was best to keep my moves unpredictable, and to jump around a lot (although this sometimes worked against me).
Despite being cross-gen (having been first released on both PS3 and 360 early last year) Injustice is also a visual treat. Because the gameplay is so simplistic, a lot of development time has gone into making the environments interesting, diverse and changeable. There are always things happening in the background, like skyscrapers toppling over or characters observing due to the destruction caused by your battle. The stages are comprised of multiple areas as well, as your character (as well as the enemy fighter) has the ability to kick his/her opponent into the next room (a little like in those WWE tie-in games), and the finishing moves provide for some exciting, and sometimes amusing, take downs (like Batman calling the Batmobile to run over his combatant). Even after playing the story, you'll want to try out the custom battle mode in order to fully explore each stage.
Whether you’re into fighting games or not, you are sure to get hours of fun out of Injustice: Gods Among Us.
After all, it’s free!
Despite being cross-gen (having been first released on both PS3 and 360 early last year) Injustice is also a visual treat. Because the gameplay is so simplistic, a lot of development time has gone into making the environments interesting, diverse and changeable. There are always things happening in the background, like skyscrapers toppling over or characters observing due to the destruction caused by your battle. The stages are comprised of multiple areas as well, as your character (as well as the enemy fighter) has the ability to kick his/her opponent into the next room (a little like in those WWE tie-in games), and the finishing moves provide for some exciting, and sometimes amusing, take downs (like Batman calling the Batmobile to run over his combatant). Even after playing the story, you'll want to try out the custom battle mode in order to fully explore each stage.
Whether you’re into fighting games or not, you are sure to get hours of fun out of Injustice: Gods Among Us.
After all, it’s free!
'If they prefer chaos, I'll give it to them...'
NeverRealms are currently hard at work developing the newest Mortal Kombat installment, which will release in April next year. After that it widely suspected that they will begin production on a sequel to Injustice, which was a resounding success upon its initial release back in 2013.
Did you play Injustice when it first came out? Did you enjoy it as much as we did? Let us know in the comments below!
Did you play Injustice when it first came out? Did you enjoy it as much as we did? Let us know in the comments below!
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