Injustice 2 | Xbox One

---

A fighting game based on pitting DC’s biggest and best superheroes and villains against one another was never going to be a hard sell. We’ve all pondered age-old questions like whether Batman or Superman would win in a round of fisticuffs, and 2013’s Injustice: Gods Among Us provided a tool with which to play out these fantasies, seeing critical and commercial success as a direct result. Selling a sequel, however, can be a much harder prospect, but one that NetherRealm and Warner Bros. have managed to surmount by meaningfully building on the original’s strong foundation.

---

by Sam
​Sant

---

​@SlamShotSam

---

Developer: NetherRealm
Studios
Publisher: Warner
Bros. ​Interactive
Entertainment
​Platforms: Xbox One,
PS4
​Players: 1 - 10

Whether you’re a DC fan and a genre novice excited by the crossover potential in the recognisable cast of characters and locations (29 and 12 to choose from, respectively), or a fighting game aficionado with no attachment to the roster, Injustice 2 caters to your niche. The game occupies a perfect middle ground, being accessible without forfeiting any of the engagement-driving complexity the best fighters are know for.

At a base level, you’ll launch light, medium and heavy attacks to pepper your opponent with shots that land low, mid, high or overhead whilst they endeavour to block the incoming onslaught, and vice-versa. It’s trademark stuff, adhering to the established design philosophy that sees block beat strike, throw beat block, and strike beat throw. Expanding into the realms of Special Moves and combos is easy, thanks to a focus on simple button inputs and relatively forgiving timing windows in which to execute them.

Additional systems are layered atop the fundamentals to add nuance and identity to the package, with interactive environmental attacks and cinematic stage transitions being a particular treat. Each fighter has a unique character power, generally providing a timed summon or buff to complement the rest of their arsenal, whilst both taking and dealing damage throughout the course of a bout charges your Super Meter.

The Super Meter is split into four sections, which, once filled, can be spent individually on modifying Special Moves to deal additional damage and/or present new tactical opportunities, while escapes are a defensive employment that serve as your ticket out of a sticky situation. Each combatant also gets one Clash per match, which can only be initiated when they’re down to their second health bar in an effort to accommodate comebacks. Clashes invite both parties to bet sections of their meter against one another, with whoever places the highest bet, and, thus, puts most of their hard-earnt meter on the line, being deemed the winner before proceeding to either inflict more damage or regain a portion of health, depending on whether they were the attacker or defender respectively.

Whether you’re a DC fan and a genre novice, or a fighting game aficionado with no attachment to the roster, Injustice 2 caters to your niche.

If you elect to hoard your power and fill the Super Meter entirely, you can trade it all in for one devastating Super Move. These signature sequences are an over-the-top spectacle, equivalent to Mortal Kombat’s visceral x-ray attacks that, while far less graphic in their depiction, are, undoubtedly, no less deadly.
​
The tutorial does a sterling job of teaching the above mechanics and more, but integrating these skills against an opponent that actually fights back is a whole new kettle of fish. You’ll need to experiment extensively to figure out what combinations of attacks work, where and when they work, and against who. Though time consuming, it’s part and parcel of the rewarding learning process.

Story Mode is a good place to start out and familiarise yourself with a range of characters, as each chapter sees you take control of someone new to get a taste of the different combat styles on offer. What’s more, the narrative is genuinely engaging and presented with abundant production value, making it the premier attraction when it comes to solo play, as compared to the throwaway nature of the mode in so many other fighters.

Continuing where Gods Among Us left off, Injustice 2 challenges expectations by turning heroes rogue and villains good, though, with Earth’s future in peril at the hands of Brainiac, the sides strike a temporary alliance. The high-stakes tale is brimming with fan service and boasts a seamless, filmic presentation that culminates in an experience that, as cliché as it might sound, is akin to being a part of the latest summer blockbuster.

The lavish presentation really can’t be understated, with gorgeous character models animating fluidly against bustling stage backgrounds that help the visuals pop - especially if you have an Xbox One S and a supporting TV to play with HDR. Injustice 2 is equally enticing for audiophiles as well, with a seasoned and recognisable voice cast complementing the rousing and bombastic soundtrack.

Progress is rewarded with Gear, which can then be equipped to influence a relevant character’s appearance and stats - strength, defence, health and ability - provided they meet the level requirement to use it. You level fighters simply by taking them into battle, earning experience points proportional to your performance at the conclusion of each bout, win or lose. The wide range of character-specific Gear and Shaders available is somewhat staggering, allowing you to extensively adapt each combatant to make them truly your own in terms of both their look and play style. For purists that don’t like the sound of tinkering with the game’s balance, it can also be kept purely cosmetic (which is standard in ranked online play).

The wide range of character-specific customisation options are somewhat staggering, allowing you to extensively adapt each combatant to make them truly your own in terms of both their look and play style.

Gear fiends will definitely want to spend some time in Multiverse mode, as that’s where they’ll see the highest payouts. Multiverse, a universe-hopping staple of the DC comics, is a nice way of contextualising the transition of Mortal Kombat’s Living Towers, with new multiverses constantly cropping up for limited timeframes, each home to a string of encounters against new takes on existing heroes and villains under differing rulesets. Mother Boxes are rewarded for beating a multiverse and function in much the same way as Overwatch’s Loot Boxes, dishing out a random selection of items for a random set of characters when opened.

Mother Boxes can be bought with in-game credits, which you’ll earn a steady stream of and can sell unwanted Gear for, while items you’re fond of can be refreshed with Regen Tokens to bring them up to your current level. The rare Source Crystals, however, which serve to change an item’s appearance while maintaining its stats, are a more premium commodity, requiring you to part with some cash if you want to make frequent use of them. Thankfully, Gear is earned at a fair clip, so you should never be left wanting enough to feel pressured into it.

Joining a Guild is a direct route to more loot, with all members working towards specific objectives in order to share in the victory spoils. Guilds are also a good place to meet like-minded players with which to play online, as, unfortunately, both ranked and player bouts suffer imbalanced matchmaking and opposition that spam the same few attacks.

When you do find applicable human competition, the game takes on new life, with mind games that wouldn’t necessarily be utilised by or against the AI coming into play. Unpredictable use of cancels, delays and cross-ups keep everyone on their toes, making for some edge-of-your-seat encounters. While infrequent and only occurring at peak times, it’s just unfortunate that spotty netcode can occasionally throw a spanner in the works. As is the case with any precision-based fighter, anything other than flawless online performance renders the game near unplayable.

Despite that, Injustice 2 has dethroned the mighty Mortal Kombat X as king of our hill, in the process cementing NetherRealm’s place atop the genre. Sumptuous presentation, unrivalled storytelling, deep customisation systems, endless Multiverse possibilities, and a mostly solid online experience that can only improve with time make Injustice 2 the full package.

Pros

• Accessible without sacrificing any depth
• Stunning audiovisual presentation
• Vast customisation options
• Story Mode puts other fighters to shame
• Multiverse and multiplayer add an immense amount of longevity

Cons

• Some issues with lag in online bouts
• All too common to be matched with a far superior opponent

9/10