Hands On With Injustice: Gods Among Us
When Injustice: Gods Among Us was first shown at E3 earlier this year, I wasn’t too excited for it. The last time the team behind the Mortal Kombat series tackled DC heroes (MKvsDC), it wasn’t spectacular. At San Diego Comic-Con this year, I had the opportunity to play Injustice at the DC Comics booth and I’m glad to say I was wrong! The demo on the floor had eight playable characters: Batman, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Solomon Grundy, Nightwing and Cyborg. The player select screen also showed most of the slots locked out, which at first glance would make the game have a full roster of 24-26 characters.
Following suit from their latest Mortal Kombat game, Injustice feels very smooth. Each character feels incredibly unique and different from one another. Characters like Grundy feel slow, yet terrifyingly powerful whereas Nightwing is very mobile and agile. Aside from the moves that make each character their own, moves like jump kicks and crouching uppercuts look and feel very much like classic Mortal Kombat. The destructive environments and the ability to punch your rivals through levels (with a simple charge of a button) is incredibly satisfying. On top of different animations for the environmental objects, it seems as though each character has their own specific animation for each object as well. For example, I witnessed The Flash beat down Batman using his super speed against one of many computers in the Bat Cave whereas Superman would just smash you through it.
Like Street Fighter 4, there are super meters that fill up periodically throughout the match. They build up by damage you dish out as well as the damage you take. Once filled, each character has a unique super move that can be unleashed for a critical amount of damage. On top of that, each character has a unique move with the Y/Triangle button. For instance, Batman’s summons a team of bats to his aid. The game’s presentation is downright incredible with each character having their own intro and outro. Seeing Superman fly towards space only to fly back down to Earth after a moment is a sight to see on an HD screen. Screenshots definitely do not do this game justice as the game flows seamlessly between and during matches. I’m very excited to see what other characters (here’s hoping for Hal Jordan!) they’ll add down the road. 2013 seems so very far away right now.
[...] in July of last year during San Diego Comic-Con, I had a chance to play an early build of Injustice. Ever since my short time playing the game, I’ve been yearning for another chance to play. [...]