Injustice 2 (2017)

Not a big fan of the first one and while this sequel is not awful, it still didn't do much. I found that during story mode I was compelled by the plot, but a large majority of the characters were so one-dimensional and just disappeared! It was so jarring to have almost the entire rooster just vanish and the characters are not mentioned ever again, strange choice. While the story was alright, I found the character selection to not be as innovative as it could have been with a lot of repetitive fighters. The gameplay was good at least, but some of those ultimates were... interesting to say the least. The game also needs a graphic glow-up, it just looks like it's a decade behind other fighting games. Overall, I only played this game since it was free in the PlayStation store, otherwise, it is not worth any money to buy, rough out here for DC.

I played both this and Gods Among Us back to back since both have very short campaigns, so both are still fresh in mind as I write this. The main thing in which I2 sets itself apart compared GAU is obviously the visuals. Graphically, this game is stunning, and this addresses one of the main issues I had with the original: all models have been remade with a high level of quality and fidelity, and their faces look a world better than what we had seen in 2013. Another thing that’s better here is the story conclusion, not so much the actual narrative but the fact that you now get a choice of going down 2 very different paths that result in 2 very different endings. This was something I wasn’t expecting and really appreciated. There seems to be a 3rd game in the cards, and it’ll be interesting to see if your choice carries through. Two other things I enjoyed, though these are minor in comparison: 1) you being able to choose from two different characters at certain points is a cool addition, and 2) combat feels slightly punchier than in GAU, though it’s hard to put my finger on it and I don’t know if this was more due to personal perception rather than a specific technical improvement.

Everything else in the game, I feel, is either at the same level or below the 1st one in quality. The main downside for me is the considerable amount of unnecessary fluff for a fighting game, which stems from a weird mix between the need to appease players and the will to push evil microtransactions. This makes for odd progression pacing and an impossibility to reach a high level with your fighter of choice if all you focus on is the main story. And speaking of story, not only does it feel more convoluted and less inspired than GAU (and unlike the original game has characters often turning on each other with little rhyme or reason), I2 features a ton of drawn out cutscenes that at times make it feel more a superhero movie than a video game. Apart from these things, my opinion of the characters is pretty similar to GAU, with the exception that here you have more choice which is always welcome. Surprisingly, I had more fun playing as Harley Quinn, Blue Steel and Cyborg than I had with any other character.

So when all is said and done, Injustice 2 comes out as fairly similar to Gods Among Us in an overall score. It definitely improves on some aspects, significantly so, but some of its inclusions feel useless at best and frustrating at worst. I would give it the same as I gave the original - 6.5/10 -, which considering this will probably never be my ‘type’ of game, basically means I found quite a bit of enjoyment in it and could easily recommend it to everyone.

Pros

• Surprisingly easy to pick up and get used to
• Really fun and creative gear system
• Multiverse is pretty fun to play
• Characters are (mostly) pretty diverse [gameplay wise]

Cons

• Story mode lacks innovation
• Some characters don't belong, because they are either too similar to other characters (i.e. Poison Ivy and Swamp Thing, Superman and Supergirl) or they show up for one 'meaningful' fight in the story mode and then disappear (Atrocitus and Swamp Thing)
• It seems unusually hard to level up characters

I grew up loving fighting games in the 90s, and even the market became flooded with mediocre titles, I still love to pick up a new Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat game. Back then, what made Mortal Kombat stand out from the other games was its shocking gore for the time, but as the franchise has continued for decades now, the series has evolved, making the actual fighting even more fun, but also introducing solid and twisty storylines that draw in the player narratively in a way that fighting games rarely can. This is what made Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm Studios such a perfect choice for the Injustice franchise.

In many ways, the world of Mortal Kombat has an almost superhero logic, with characters coming back to life, multiple universes and insane combat. Tone down the blood just a bit, and it’s an ingenious playground for superheroes. The first Injustice game found a great narrative reason to have all these heroes and villains fighting each other, but also did this with a great fighting system that felt more advanced than anything that had been done in Mortal Kombat up to then.

I’ve weirdly always loved Mortal Kombat for the story, and again, story is what draws me to Injustice 2. The story mode is nicely thought out, and doesn’t seem ridiculous, even when random characters appear to fight and then run away. It’s a solid story that works for these characters, and makes me curious about what happens to these characters in the third installment.

This is also an extensive roster that makes me want to play as each of these characters. There are a ton to choose from, with the obvious choices like Batman and Superman, to more obscure and off-the-wall choices, like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hellboy, and Captain Cold. I played through a tower mode with each of these characters, simply to see what the end of their story was. Not because the game was asking me to, but because I wanted to know and play as each character.

As much as I like how expansive this cast and story is, I think maybe Injustice 2 is too big. Injustice 2 introduces the idea of characters that level up, and gear that advances your characters. Every character can be leveled up to level 30, and even after playing this game for about fifteen hours, my most-played characters were only up to level 10. For those who are going to play Injustice 2 for months, there’s so many opportunities to keep the game going and constantly increase the abilities and stats of your characters.

But I don’t want to play this game for that long, and the game reminds me that I should be like the players that dedicate months to this experience. One of the game’s primary areas is a group of multiverse challenges. While some can be done at even the lowest levels, to finish an entire multiverse, the player has to be somewhere between level 20-30. I played what I could of the multiverse matches, but knowing just how long it would take for me to reach that level made me give up out of frustration.

Not only that, but there are exclusive multiverses for each individual character that are unlocked once the character is maxed. Again, Injustice 2 is showing off a major part of the game, knowing just how insanely long it would take to play through all of these. While I’m sure there’s some way to cheat the system and level up faster, I can’t imagine it taking less than 100 hours to level everyone up and complete everything this game has to offer. As much as I like this game, I don’t want to make that type of commitment. But hiding so much of the game behind those types of requirements is disappointing.

It’s also very clear that Injustice 2 wants players to level up and gain loot through online matches. I don’t have a strong enough internet connection to do that, so again, I feel like I’m missing a major part of the game. From what I have played, it looks like I was only able to unlock about 10% of the game’s costumes, while the game implies that more can be found through online play. As cool as those outfits are, there’s no real way for me to get them without online capabilities.

While I theoretically like the idea of the loot boxes, I also don’t see much of a change in my characters utilizing the new gear I received. Again, once I level up to ridiculous levels, I’m sure I would see a difference, but even at level 10, I couldn’t see much change that new gloves or boots was giving me in battle.

I do love that Injustice 2 gives players so many things to do, and that this world is full of things to explore and unlock and level up. But unless a player wants to spend a ridiculous amount of time fighting for slightly better face masks or whatever, much of Injustice 2 is locked away for those not willing to make a huge time commitment. I want to see all that Injustice 2 has to offer, but it doesn’t give me enough reason to play for the tons of hours I would need to do so.

I'm not a fan of either DC or fighting games, but I had a lot of fun playing Injustice a few years ago. The same held true for its sequel. I just enjoy looking at all those super moves and exploring maps.

The only thing that was maybe worse this time were some really long cutscenes at times. I really still don't care about the story or the characters, at all.

But overall this is a good way to spend a few hours. Would never pay the full price for it though.

Damn! I did not expect, for this game to be this good!

Now, i wasn't the biggest fan of the first Injustice, it felt like a much softer and boring version of MK (2011) aimed at fans of DC, but the second game blows it out of the water, everything is improved, to be honest, i think this is NetherRealm's best game and possibly DC's best 'movie'?

I love the story mode, even though i know nothing about the universe, i was thoroughly entertained and engaged, i just feel like this time, they got it right, it's big and silly, it's epic and dumb, the characters are all sassy dorks and are incredibly fun to watch, mainly to the brilliant facial animations and great performances, the scenarios are all ridiculous and bigger than life, as it should be. The game is polished, it looks stunning in motion, it's fun to play, runs smoothly, there's tons of additional content and really i just can't recommend it enough.

For someone who doesn't care about fighting games and DC Universe, i loved it!