Injustice: Gods Among Us Review
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The Good
The Bad
Great fighter introduction for DC. This game finally gave a taste of a game that can be built upon.
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Injustice provides a complex fighter with some unique twists, but is found wanting in features that have become commonplace in its contemporaries.
The Good
- Brutal presentation makes you feel powerful
- New mechanics build upon Mortal Kombat's foundation in creative ways
- STAR Labs missions are a fun distraction.
The Bad
- Minimal educational tools
- Disappointingly dull story
- Lacks replay support.
When it comes to superheroes-turned-street fighters, DC Comics' stable of superfriends have always received the short end of the stick. While Marvel enjoys the steady success of Capcom's legendary Vs. series, the likes of Justice League Task Force and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe have not done DC any favors. Injustice: Gods Among Us, the latest fighter from the house of Mortal Kombat, aims to break this combo with a fighting system that builds upon the lessons of MK, while also introducing a few new tricks. But for all its complexities, Injustice unfortunately falls short when compared to its contemporaries.
If you are familiar with Mortal Kombat, you will feel right at home in Injustice. Character movement has that same deliberate, staccato style that's distinct from the fighting genre's Japanese-developed counterparts. That style feeds into the satisfying weight and brutality of each attack, whether it's Bane breaking you over his knee or Hawkgirl taking her mace to your face. Controlling these characters feels powerful, and the destruction you bring upon your opponent and the environment add excitement to each fight.
While MK and Injustice have a similar feel, their underlying mechanics are very different. Injustice has three attack buttons and a special trait button. Whether it's flight, healing, or a simple strength boost, these traits are unique to each fighter and play into their particular abilities and histories. The distinctions are clearly apparent, and don't just boil down to slightly altered punches and kicks.
Clashes are another interesting mechanic. When activated, they instantly interrupt a combo, and then both players secretly spend an amount of their super meter. If the fighter who initiated the clash spends more, he regains health proportional to the amount spent; otherwise, he takes damage proportional to what his opponent spent. Clashes can be used only once per round, per character, and only if the initiator is down to his second health bar. The threat of a clash adds an interesting dynamic to the back half of a fight. It forces you to constantly reevaluate how much meter to save and spend based on what your opponent has stored.
While clashes are only a two-time threat, Injustice's interactive backgrounds are a constant hazard. Peppered throughout each stage are items--a missile here, a motorcycle there--for characters to use. Different characters use these items in different ways. Some use these objects as weapons to be smashed over an opponent's head, while others use them as springboards to quickly navigate the arena. These items are a fun way to augment your fighter's arsenal and take stage awareness to a new extreme. Knowing that a combo could put your opponent near a deadly item might make you think twice before launching your assault.
It's too bad that so many characters simply destroy these background objects. A stone tablet that Batman can spring off of to reach the other side of the screen, Superman just smashes. Superman--along with the game's other heavyweights--smashes almost everything he touches. In some stages, it is too easy to smash all of the interactive objects early on simply to deny your opponent their functions. This is especially troublesome for characters with limited mobility options who need these items to compensate for their shortcomings.
By
Maxwell McGee, Editor
Maxwell McGee earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Arkansas, and has contributed to The Escapist, GamePro, PC Gamer, and more. His introduction to video games was Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Genesis, and he has never looked back. He welcomes your feedback through the site, or Twitter.
724 comments
Good review. But I've always been more of a Tekken person . So I'll probably pick this one up once the price goes down .
I liked the story compare to stories in other fighting games this was great And they add mini games to mix things up. the combat is slow at first but you quickly catch on. all fighhting games are for beginninger getting better come frm play different ppl not from tutorials but the tutorialis good. just dont expect to win a tournament with just that. each character is different so no clon, side missions and alot of extra content that doesn't involve DLC. the game get a 7.8 in my book and depending on how they do their dlc and patching maybe higher
he said mk comes out 2009 it came out 2011 yea tells ya how good this guy is at reviewing :/
Im enjoying the story and thats ok. Reviews are them judgement of the writer and its ok for them to have a different opinion.
1 Like This is a fighting game written by comic book writers and they expected better from the story, really? I played the Demo, had fun, and know for a fact that I am picking up this game when I get the chance, but the score is really as low as it is because of the story, seriously, what the hell, I play video games to have fun, and when I play a fighting game I will play it for just that, fun, I don't expect a big thought provoking story from this kind of game, if it had one that is great, but that isn't going to affect my personal score as much as if the game is fun or not, that is what is wrong with this review in my opinion, it doesn't seem to focus on what is right in the end.
3 Like I posted this before but liked to clear it up again
Scoring System quote: 7.0-7.5 GOOD: A game within this range is good overall, and likely worth playing by fans of the particular genre or by those otherwise interested. While its strengths outweigh its weaknesses, a game that falls in this range tends to have noticeable faults.
I think it is amazing the amount of people that really don't understand how to review games, what the scoring system means and what difference in fight mechanics are. Yet a simple story mode has made all the difference and blind spotting for anything else negative in the game.
Well i enjoy the game so far, i don't feel like there is anything to stop me from learning the moves and how to play. Story is typical comic book stuff, i'm not sure what else to expect with shazaam and cyborg in the game?
1 Like I found this review to be quite Dickensian, far too many syllables uttered where brevity would have been desirable.
2 things I don't understand:
How does the same guy who gave street fighter x tekken an 8.5 gives this game a 7.0.
Why people are calling 7.0 low when it clearly states good under 7.0.
As a package street fighter x tekken was horrible. Aside from features already present in street fighter 4 the package didn't have anything that would keep non-fighting game enthusiasts playing. Meanwhile, Injustice has a story, though; it wasn't particularly spectacular, it is more than what capcom has ever done with a fighter. On top of that, it has the S.T.A.R. labs which allow players to do more in their fighting game than just fight.
Ok, 7.0 is good. I do agree that it is low considering the package you get with this game, but 7.0 is not a low score. I would say 6.0 and lower are low scores. We have become too accustomed to games getting an 8.0 average and assuming that anything lower is a bad score. I think Gamespot is a little too lax with their ratings. Games that aren't 8.0 are getting 8.0 or higher.
@Jestersmiles So I didn't say you can't or couldn't. You would only need to compare for your personal taste.
@Jestersmiles@Jestersmilesblah blah blah.. Defend the game to the end.. That is all your 're good at. For a review why would you compare two different fighters which is needed to also include standards for technology & gameplay.
@vg3000 well because 7.0 might turn away people who might have really found a game that is probably more fun than most of what they have purchased in past year or so. I stayed up till 6 am fighting batman against catwoman... Batman against Dethstroke...
3 Like As idiotic as the story sounds, they made it true to the comic books and that, in my opinion, is what matters most to fans.
Gamespot PLS STAAAHP. This game from any perspective is solid 8 (unless u r fanboy of mahvel/tekken uhm, McGee pls go and die)
and for DC fans its a Sweet Treat even if you DONT play fighting games.
I really like gamespot, but sometimes it just punches you in the nuts for no good reason.
I don't personally find fighter games that entertaining. I wish I did because this game seems pretty cool.
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 gets bashed, I see commenter's say "This happens so that games like Injustice get hyped, I bet it will get a 9" Injustice gets a low score some commenter's call bullshit. Now it may not be the same guys but it's a trend.
the game is all graphics and no entertainment i got it and was done with it the same day is sad that i wasted my money on this. if you are a comics fan then i guess u be a bit more into it but other than that is mortal kombat in a different dress
@prsansa Yaa i agree, the fact that im a HUGE comic geek actually makes the game for me, especially knowing that the small details voice actorsare most of the cast of former DC animated movies or content. and the comic covers for the hero cards.
But this game does not hold a candle to fighting games like Street fighter, Dead or alive, MK etc. But it is a good game and id give it a 7.5 out 10..and if you are a comic geek like me then 8 out of 10
2 Like I don't get why people bashing the story. It's a fighting game, the fact that it has any story is enough i think haha. And the engine is not so bad. It certainly not as linear as MK9 and have more depth that's for sure.
2 Like @gunslinger20 They're very clearly still in awe of the epic story told by Marvel vs. Capcom 3! Injustice has NOTHING on that thing!
2 Like @Starbuck_X @gunslinger20 I love the story from UMvC3, Remember the part with the guy and that thing happened, that was so cool
@TheLeftHandDoom Marvel appeals to those into whiny teen angst - DC has Batman, but Marvel, holy crap, at least 2/3rds of the Marvel cast fall into that category.
@TheLeftHandDoom Are you serious? Doomasday? Who hasn't wanted to make Superman Knock Doomsday into orbit?
You didn't find it cool when Black Adam flies in from outer space lands and states "I have Returned." lol
From Batman's perspective? I think batman might be thinking at that same moment, "And i need to find a bathroom."
1 Like I'm tired of gaming websites hyping videogames (commercials, interviews, editorials, gameplay videos, and gameplay photos), just to turn around and rate those same videogames low to terrible. I get it though, gaming websites get paid by the publishers to excite the consumers...but jeez, have some dignity and quite being sellouts. NOTE TO GAMING WEBSITES: Stop hyping games that your editors don't give a rat's arse about!
1 Like @LOGICandREASON Umm. did you even look at the review. He gave it a 7, which contrary to popular belief means GOOD. He rated it true to the system, not to what gamers expect a AAA game to get. A seven is in no a way a low or terrible score.
1 Like As a rule of thumb if the user reviews average higher than the GS review score the game is generally better than what the GS reviewer believes. Thats been my experience with GS reviews over the years. Overrated games get 8.5s, underrated games get 7.0s.
@oflow People are just too quick to give a game an 8.5 or higher nowadays. If the game has good graphics and decent gameplay, it's considered "great." This review actually takes into account everything, which is what GameSpot typically does -- hence why their review scores are a lot lower, but usually far more accurate.
2 Like I dont get it they gave marvel vs capcom 3 an 8.5 which was lacking any content. But they give this a 7 really....
1 Like @sanchezm86 while side content is good fighting games are usually rated based on the actual gameplay and it's depth. This game just like MK 9 will be long forgotten while games like SFIV and MvC3 will still be going. Its the truth man. MK 9 still get decent entry on the tournaments around 100 or so major whiles Capcom games are still pulling 500+ per game with over 1500 or so on EVO (per game) from what i heard.
1 Like @sanchezm86 I think they've changed their criteria for giving out higher scores this year and last year
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Injustice: Gods Among Us
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- Publisher(s): Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Developer(s): NetherRealm Studios
- Genre: Action
- Release:
- ESRB: T
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