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Injustice 2 Review for PlayStation 4 (PS4)

Injustice 2 Review for PlayStation 4 (PS4)

“In brightest day, in blackest night, no ass-whoopin’ shall escape my sight…”

It’s not often a game comes along that appeals to every geek fetish I have simultaneously, but Injustice 2 does just that. I’m a fighting game fan, so that’s check one. I’m an even bigger Batman fan… double check there. And last, but not least, I love a narrative-driven story mode. We just hit the nerd trifecta, people!

Injustice 2 continues the tale of a corrupted Superman who, after the loss of Lois Lane, decides he needs to become the Kim Jong-un of the DC Universe. Actually, I should more accurately call it the DC multiverse because, as you’ll learn later, it allows these events to play out simultaneously with our world’s timeline. The sequel begins with Superman locked up and Batman recounting the events of the first game. This transitions into our first playable level, where Batman and Robin (portrayed by problem child Damian Wayne) confront Superman at Arkham Asylum. Some might consider it strange to start off a brand new story by retreading old ground, but most of these details were only privy to those who read the prequel comics. So it was nice to get a little more backstory before diving into the new stuff.

I’m going to avoid giving away any major spoilers, but most will already know going in that Brainiac, and not the Justice League, is this game’s big bad. Characters like Wonder Woman and Black Adam are now in hiding after their defeat, but are preparing a secret weapon they plan to unleash when the time is right. A weapon in the form of a powerful, overly-eager, young blonde by the name of Supergirl. The game’s opening cinematic flashes back to the destruction of Krypton (at the hands of Brainiac in this version of the multiverse). It illustrates how she was tasked with being the protector of baby Kal-El before her ship gets knocked off course, causing her to remain in hyper-sleep much longer (thus explaining the age gap between her and her cousin in present day).

The story quickly kicks into high gear as Brainiac begins his invasion of Earth. With the assistance of The Society, a group of super-villains led by Gorilla Grodd, the evil alien forces begin touching down all over the world. As the destruction quickly escalates, the former enemies soon realize they may need to join forces in order to survive. This opens the door for many of our evil heroes from the previous game to turn over a new leaf and redeem themselves. Flash and Green Lantern are two central examples; however Batman is not as quick to trust Lantern at first. Aquaman later joins the fray, once Atlantis is under siege, as well.

The remainder of the story mode plays out as you’d expect, with a trade-off between long cut scenes intertwined with stints of bone crushing action. You’ll run the gamut of virtually every character on the roster, giving you the opportunity to sample what each one has to offer in regards to combos, special abilities, and super moves. In fact, this is somewhat of a double-edged sword and what I see as the game’s biggest achilles’ heel. Even though I love an immersive story in my games, there is almost too much of it and not enough gameplay in Injustice 2 at times. At one point I went so long between matches (due to these long, drawn-out cut scenes), my console’s screensaver kicked on. I mean, that’s a LONG time to go without touching the controller.

But at the end of the day, a good fighting game’s mojo is dependent on its controls. If it’s intuitive and flows well, then that makes for a great experience. If it’s clunky, no amount of writing or features can save it. Fortunately for Injustice 2 , they have the team behind one of the best fighting games ever to shepherd them along. Ed Boon and NetherRealm Studios (of Mortal Kombat fame) have essentially taken a DC shell and slipped it over their MK engine, which they’ve already spent years perfecting. The mechanics aren’t super hard to pick up and they’ve done well to lay things out in a tutorial menu that’ll walk you through the basics. After only a minimum amount of practice, I was pulling off multi-hit combos, super moves and chaining specials together for maximum damage. Nothing feels more solid than ending the match with a perfect KO, and Injustice 2 should satisfy even the most hardened fighting game fan.

Injustice 2 Screenshot

Although I will admit, after having to sit through the long animation of my character’s super move for about the 20th time, I started wishing there was a way to skip it and just jump back to the match. The same can be said for the stage transitions, which are spectacular at first, but taxing after a while. However, the clash system is a neat addition, which is essentially like a mini version of Russian roulette. You’ll bet with your super meter on who you think will win the face-off, and the winner is rewarded with additional health (while the difference is taken away from the loser). I’d love to see this concept expanded more in future sequels.

Injustice 2 Screenshot

After a while of battling it out against the CPU, you’ll no doubt find yourself venturing online to take the fight to a human opponent. There’s nothing too surprising here, as you’ll find the typical features you’d expect. There are private matches, ranked matches, or player matches that don’t count towards overall rankings (player matches are a great way to feel out the online component without killing your record at first). But if you’d like to keep things old school among a group of friends on the couch, you can set up tournaments for local play as well. I wasn’t able to try the local multiplayer, but I do know that any victories over the net will allow you to level up, something which is essential for customizing your characters.

You might be thinking that adding a leveling system to a fighting game is an odd pairing of two mechanics which seem like they don’t really go together, but it oddly works somehow. NetherRealm Studios borrows heavily from games like Call of Duty , allowing you to create loadouts for each character. Here you can upgrade various aspects of their armor, change out equipment and customize abilities to cater your fighter to your needs. You can also change up things like shaders, which will palette swap the costumes in fun and interesting ways (check out the Boba Fett present for Batman when you get the chance). There are also custom skins that will change the character model entirely, like golden age Flash for example. Many of these upgrades can be earned, which you’ll unlock via Mother Boxes. In a nutshell, these are like FPS supply drops that will randomly give you upgradeable gear (which can also be purchased with in-game currency).

Injustice 2 Screenshot

Another really cool way the developers tried to add replay value is via the Brother Eye menu, which gives you a window into the multiverse. Here you’ll find a variety of daily challenges and fun things you can do that are not cannon in the normal game’s story mode. You’ll get to fight alternate versions of characters, via their infinite Earth counterparts, and earn lots of XP and gear in the process. Essentially these are like the Challenge Towers from Mortal Kombat 9 and Mortal Kombat X , just with a DC sheen to them.

Injustice 2 isn’t the best fighting game I’ve ever played, but it’s probably my favorite in recent memory. That says a lot, considering some greats released in 2017. And in true NetherRealm Studios fashion, Sub-Zero is one of the many DLC fighters that can be added to your already packed roster. He join the likes of Darkseid, Red Hood, and many others that’ll gradually be released over time.

If you’re a DC fan and want a gripping continuation of the Injustice storyline, there’s really no good reason not to fire this baby up and crack some skulls. Hey, oddball entries like Swamp Thing and Blue Beetle alone are worth the price of admission!

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.0 Graphics
While the facial animations leave a lot to be desired, the game takes a large graphical step up from its predecessor. 4.5 Control
Easy combos, two-button super moves and a fluid thumbstick is all you can really ask of a good fighter. 5.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The voice acting is top notch and provides a real cinematic experience. Plus Kevin Conroy returns as Batman and the original master of fear Robert Englund voices Scarecrow…so extra points there. 4.5 Play Value
With the daily challenges and multiplayer component, this is a game you can enjoy for years after the story mode is finished. 4.5 Overall Rating – Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Featuring a massive selection of DC Super Heroes and Super-Villains, players can personalize iconic DC characters with unique and powerful gear earned throughout the game.
  • With every match, players earn gear to equip, customize and level-up their favorite DC Super Heroes and Super-Villains that meaningfully impacts not only how they look, but also how they fight.
  • Players can choose from the biggest DC roster ever offered in a fighting game, from classic fan favorites such as Batman, Superman, Supergirl, The Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Blue Beetle, to astonishing new villains like Atrocitus, Gorilla Grodd and Deadshot.

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