BurtonReviews Injustice 2: Let Them Fight

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The multiverse is an expansive concept with endless parallel universes full of endless possibilities. So with that logic, somewhere out there on one of those Earths that are just a dimension hop away, our greatest heroes could be our greatest villains, instead of holding up truth and justice, they crush it with their steel fists. This is an idea that developer Nether Realm executed perfectly in 2013 with the release of Injustice: Gods Among Us, that saw a grief ridden Superman, still raw from being tricked into killing his wife – Lois Lane – and their unborn baby by the joker, kill the clown prince of crime, and then go on to become the totalitarian leader of the world. But not only did Nether Realm create such a compelling universe, with their Mortal Kombat franchise on fire since the release of MK9 the year before, they constructed a damn entertaining and technically impressive fighting game too out of the tension ridden dark future for the DC universe that pits friend against friend and turns enemy into hero. But with such a rich story and interesting universe set up, of course we’re coming back for a sequel, but can the second entry hold up the innovative track that Nether Realm set up in the first game, or just become another mindless punching and occasional heat vison simulator.

(Video sourced from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSpIKf0CdWc)

The story of Injustice 2’s campaign picks up years after the closing scene of the first game. Superman has been imprisoned, his regime torn down, and now it is up to Batman and his once rebel fighters to pick up the piece of the world that Superman has left shattered on the ground. Not an easy task for one man in a bat themed cowl. Thankfully that’s the only problem on Batsy’s mind, well until a skull shaped space ship enters Earth’s orbit, begins to steal cities and threatens to blow up our little green and blue planet. So, after so long of infighting between the heroes of this Earth, it’s finally time for them to do what they do best, punch some badguys right in their monologuing faces.

While the campaign for Injustice 2 opens up with a surprisingly emotional rendition of a scene we’ve all seen play out more than a handful of times by now, and the rest of this 3-5 hour campaign is filled with epic set pieces and the introduction of even more fan favourite DC characters, the plot overall just isn’t as interesting or attention grabbing as the first.

Injustice: Gods Among Us completely flipped the traditional landscape of the DC universe we all know and love completely on its head and saw alliances broken as the titans of this world clashed over some heavy discussions of right and wrong that always escalated from discussion to brutal beat down. Injustice 2 on the other hand is a more basic and by the numbers DC story that doesn’t really bring anything new or interesting to the universe, sure there is an added layer of tension with Batman having to slowly trust Superman again as they must unite against this common enemy, but in the end the fight against skull-ship flyer - Brainiac, plays out the same as it would if they were best buddies.

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On top of the story not being as interesting as the first, there are some major plot holes and unexplained, or even unrecognised story beats that really detract from the quality of the story, and the apparently high stakes this alien invasion is supposed to have. For how emotional the beginning of the campaign is, it was surprising how many emotional beats towards the end of the story were glossed over and their resolution/consequences going forward in this messed up world were left completely, and dissatisfying, unanswered.

Saying all of this, the story was still an entertaining ride that has more than its fair share of jaw droppingly cool moments. From a badassed 3D version of space invaders that has its action cranked up to 11, to epic choreographed Earth shattering combat in some of the stories more exciting cutscenes, Injustice 2’s campaign is definitely better than the current crop of animated DC movies being released.

And what helped make me become invested in the story was a new feature in the campaign that saw a chapter feature 2 heroes instead of just one, and letting you choose who you would play as in the fight. This made it so both you weren’t forced to play as a hero you really just didn’t click with, and it also makes you feel as if you’re helping form the story, lining up classic faces offs and tailoring the experience to your preferences.  

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But with animated DC movies in mind, I wish that they would lean into the animated DC movie format abit more and streamline the experience. Being 3-5 hours long, not every fight or scene felt necessary. In-fact the filler moments of this campaign hit the pace and my interest in the story hard, feeling like just an excuse for you to see a character that is also in the game instead of a moment to progress the story or give us another interesting character beat. Hell the first chapter could be completely taken out and the story would’ve been better for it, but it is the only chapter that Robin is in his original costume and that is the version you will be using if you play him outside of the story so I guess it had to be forced in there.

However one aspect of this game that never failed to impress me were the graphics. Wow does this game look unbelievably good, not Uncharted 4 or Horizon Zero Dawn tier, but it’s not too shabby for Injustice 2 to be regarded as an impressive step up from the graphics of another jaw dropping flex of the new systems power, inFAMOUS Second Son. The facial animations alone are outstanding, the emotion these characters can now convey thanks to how expressive just a single eyebrow can be is flawing. This amount of detail coupled with a cohesive real world aesthetic, with its leather and armour levels raised to 9000, equals a visually enthralling DC experience that can easily rival any live action DC property out right now.

But the characters don’t only look good, each one from DC’s vast and colourful library both feel appropriately strange, unique and damn good. Picking up a new character is like learning to play a whole different kind of fighting game, from Black Canary’s fast paced expertise when it comes to hand to hand combat that make you feel like the most dangerous MMA fighter with a scream that can shatter glass and bone alike, to playing as the hulking lava vomiting red lantern Atrocious as you crush your enemies while being accompanied by your devilish cat. Every character in the game brings something new and terrifying to the table and will have you shouting “COOOOOL” for hours on end, whether it be because you’re nergasming over the DC accuracy, or just damn impressed by the awesomely over the top super moves that have characters being flung around the sun or bashed through time.

(Image sourced from https://attackofthefanboy.com/articles/injustice-2-closed-beta-hands-on-impressions/)

And if you’re a novice button masher like me who wants to finally take the leap and commit to actually learning characters in this game, then Injustice 2 has you nicely covered. The tutorials on offer are quick and easy and give you all the basic tools you need to atleast start as a competent fighter in the game. The moves are easy to master and mercifully simple to remember, at least for the basics. All this lets you enter the training grounds of online and the multiverse ladders with enough knowledge and confidence to start to learn on the job and slowly but surely be able to execute the more complicated moves and become a combo juggling god.

Speaking of Injustice 2’s online and Multiverse ladders, these are both great modes that will have you sticking around after the campaign’s credits to better hone your skills as an Injustice fighter.

So far I have had no issues with the online service for the game, matches are fast and easy to jump into with no debilitating lag or any instances of it crashing on me completely and you’re never waiting too long to find a worthy opponent.

The multiverse ladders bring a refreshing twist to the classic ladder system seen in Nether Realm’s previous fighting games. Instead of just fighting a random assortment of characters to go against the big boss of the game, now the ladders have been turned into timed and constantly rotating events. With the setup that you are being sent to other Earths to help stop the spread of tyranny, each ladder not only has a uniquely constructed version of the characters of the game, with their gear giving them whole new and terrifying advantages, but the whole ladder has a special twist to it. Whether it be extra health being thrown out onto the field or time limits. These ladders are constantly being changed and refreshed, making the whole experience never feel stale and is a great place for you to sharpen those Black Canary knee dives or Supergirl space ports for the real challenge of crushing living and breathing enemies online. Plus you get a shed ton of cool and high level gear from these ladders, so no scale ever feels without merit.

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But what is gear you’re probably asking. Well, have you ever wanted to make your own version of the Flash’s somehow friction resistant spandex, or add even more pouches to Batman’s unbelievably heavy utility belt. Well now you totally can. As the tagline for the game proclaimed: Every Battle Defines You. With every battle you enter, you will leave with some piece of one of the various characters costumes. Attached to that Black Canary Mask or Superman S shield is a stat boost that makes you’re character become stronger and stronger until one day you look and the character on screen isn’t just Superman anymore, it’s your Superman, a wrecking ball of fire and wall shattering punches, and that prospect is more than tantalising for any fan who has always wanted to create their version of a character.

Gear is delivered through the now tried and true method of loot boxes (when did that become the way we get rewards by the way?), and while the random nature of the loot drops can be irritating, finally getting a platinum box and getting gear for everyone but the three characters you actually play as; the frequency with which you get loot boxes is fast enough that you never feel cheated out of a reward or sweet new cape because the next box of mouth-watering gear is just around that corner, behind the scary looking Batman that’s gone from man in bat costume to cybernetic winged beast of the night.  

(Image sourced from https://www.polygon.com/2017/3/2/14786160/injustice-2-gear-system-dr-fate-reveal)

And if you’re scared that this war of escalating shoulder pads could potentially ruin the oh-so-delicate balance every fighting game needs to find between its various characters, then don’t worry, the effect of the gear can be turned off in matches. But so far I haven’t been paired up with someone that is hugely out of my league, instead with players on a similar level of gear to me, so the games still feel as fair and nail-biting as ever instead of the unfair fashion show they could have become.  

And maybe most importantly you can’t just buy the best piece of gear and attach it to your character, not only does each piece of gear have a level to it that your character needs to be at to wear it, but if you’re using real money to get loot, you can only buy loot boxes, and as I’ve said, the randomness of those things makes it near impossible to be able to play the system and cheat your way to the top.

Overall Injustice 2 is an incredible fighting game. The characters are completely accurate to their comic book counterparts, super moves are epic celebrations of their unique and devastating powers and the road to mastering your favourite hero is made easier and fun by the game’s tutorials and multiverse ladder training grounds. While the story doesn’t live up to how intense and innovative the first game’s was, it is still an action packed thrill ride and no matter how big the plot hole, it always looks jaw droppingly good. Plus you can construct your own superhero costume, what kid never wanted to do that?!

Injustice 2 = 9/10

Why not check out my YouTube channel, BurtonReviews, where I upload awesome gaming montages put to badass songs or scores every Sunday. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbUfnyezvQsVsDgN3TGRh1Q