Injustice 2 Review

Multiplayer:

Injustice 2 is a masterful balancing act between accessibility and depth. Much like Mortal Kombat X before it, I2 somehow manages to provide as much enjoyable, tailored content to complete fighting novices as it does the expert fighters that make up the pro circuit. This is great news for DC-diehards who have little interest in the genre but want to enjoy another story in the worlds they love – and its exactly this kind of mashup that is likely to introduce fighting games to a lot of people who never cared before. I foresee a lot of these types of newcomers having way more fun than they initially anticipated.

This is thanks in no small part to Injustice 2’s elegant use of the super bar. Players on the receiving end of damage are going to build their supers quick, with entire bars filling before the end of the first round. What this means is that as weaker players get punished, they are given more and more ability for an easy-to-pull-off super move that can kickstart a comeback (these flashy moves are initiated with a simple trigger pull).

Alternatively, you can burn this meter to power up various moves, which gives a better overall return albeit at the risk of unfortunate whiffs and broken combos, or use it to interrupt a particularly painful assualt being launched against you. You can also initiate a clash in the second round of your health bar, which asks players to blindly wager their super meter against one another in the hopes of gaining a large chunk of health back (or taking a large chunk off their enemy). Its this myriad of options – whilst all remaining easy to digest and understand in the heat of a frantic battle – that really brings Injustice 2 to life in a unique way, and incorporates classic fighting head-games into what could have otherwise been a brainless brawler.

Whilst this weighted system where the loser benefits might seem strange at first, it serves to make every match that much more interesting, with a dynamic give and take that asks both players to constantly be aware of each other’s potential. Dominant players will have to use their super bar judiciously as they wont get as much of it, whilst players on the ropes are encouraged to burn meter regularly to get back in the game.

It’s because of these systems that Injustice 2 really excites me at a tournament level, and that’s amazing. It wasn’t too long ago that NetherRealm were making fighters attuned more to the party atmosphere, so when they announced they were working hard to make their fighters tournament-ready, I’m not sure many people took them seriously. An hour with Injustice’s juggle-heavy, smartly-weighted combos should quell these kinds of concerns from any naysayers. It’s a balance they managed to nail down with Mortal Kombat X, and I’m thrilled to see this pattern continue here. Should you want to further your game and really dig deep into the myriad systems Injustice 2 offers over genre peers, know that there’s an incredible high skill ceiling to chase. I’m really excited to see I2 at this year’s EVO tournament.

Presentation:

As if all the above wasn’t enough, Injustice 2 boasts the best presentation in fighting games, bar none. Whilst you might not love the grim take on superheroes that DC has been refining this last decade or so, you can’t help but be impressed by how well it works in a fighting game helmed by the same studio that brought us the festival of viscera that is Mortal Kombat. In fact, whilst I personally think recent cinematic attempts directed by Zack Snyder et al. are a little too gritty for their own good, Injustice 2 pulls it back and remembers its colourful roots in silver age comic books to be fun and lively in turns as well as dark and moody.

The cast bleeds character at every opportunity, from their bespoke animation to the tailored dialogue quips each unique pairing will exchange before fights. It helps that characters look unbelievably good here, with some of the finest animation I’ve seen in any videogame. Watch Harley Quinn strut around for a couple of crazy minutes in a cutscene and you’ll not only be convinced she’s a total mental trainwreck but that she’s a living, breathing entity that just so happens to live inside your TV. It really is an impressive feat that I can’t do justice to in words, just go check it out. Whilst a couple of sideline characters aren’t as ludicrously detailed as the main cast, it’s entirely forgiveable when you think just how much work must have gone into putting these people together.

The audio holds everything up wonderfully, with A-list acting ensuring all that animation brilliance doesn’t get squandered on sub-par voices. The soundtrack also feels like it’s been ripped straight out of a Summer blockbuster, and the entire piece knits together very well to enhane the brooding mood of the storyline.

 

Conclusion:

“Injustice 2” is a phenomenal achievement, proving once again that NetherRealm is the best in the business. In every way Injustice 2 excels, from it’s beautifully balanced approach to punishment and power in the super bar to it’s unparalelled presentation. Your mileage with the small missteps I’ve listed will vary, but your enjoyment at everything else likely won’t: even for a diehard Marvel fan such as myself Injustice 2 is a joy from start to finish, and a game I expect I’ll be playing for years to come.

Bravo, NetherRealm, bravo.