Injustice: Gods Among Us (Wii U) Review

Injustice: Gods Among Us is the second time NetherRealm Studios has had its mitts on DC's catalogue of characters. The first attempt, Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe, wasn't so great. Thankfully, Ed Boon and Co have brought their A game to this second attempt at a superhero smack down. The key reason Injustice succeeds where MK Vs DC Universe failed, is that Injustice doesn't feel like a neutered, family friendly Mortal Kombat.

It feels like its own game, rather than a spin-off. This is due to a combination of elements; the first being that fatalities are no longer included. The philosophy of, "If you can't do something right, don't do it at all" really pays dividends here. If non-fatal finishers were included, players' minds would drift from, "This is kind of cool," to "Remember so-and-so's finisher from Mortal Kombat 3."

Instead of spending time and money on what happens after a match, NetherRealm has wisely put its resources into making the battles themselves as entertaining as possible. The main area where improvements are noticeable is in the level of interactivity within a stage. Each arena is now made up of two locations. To switch between areas, a player simply has to Falcon Punch his or her opponent through a wall. Yes, 'Falcon Punch' is the technical term. Once an enemy is sent flying, a short transitional scene occurs. This is where NetherRealm scratched its fatality itch. Everything from getting hit by a train to being beaten up by a couple of sparring giants happens between areas.

As well as flashy transitions, each stage contains unique interactive objects. Depending on what type of character you're using characters will use said objects in different ways. For example, an agile character like Nightwing is able to ride the motorcycle outside Wayne Manor. A powerful character like the venom-fuelled Bane sees the same bike as something that should be thrown across Bruce Wayne's driveway.

On top of being able to use items in the foreground and fling enemies through arena walls, objects in the background can also be put to use. At the tap of a button, players can smash their opponent into helicopters and statues. Dismantling vehicles and sculptures with Lex Luthor's forehead, while fun in its own right, actually serves a practical purpose. It turns out bouncing an enemy off a helicopter is a great way to extend a combo past its usual limits.

In terms of how characters are controlled within these levels, Injustice has quite a bit in common with Tatsunoko Vs Capcom. Holding back on the control stick will cause the character to block. Standard attacks (light, medium and hard) are set to three of the face buttons. Pressing a combination of two directions and a standard attack will unleash a special move. Where Injustice differs from most fighting games is in how the final face button is used; it activates a character's special ability.

Some characters like Wonder Woman and Nightwing gain access to a second move set. Other characters like Bane and Superman get stat buffs. Hawkgirl gets the ability to fly, The Flash slows down time, Sinestro gains a combat drone, and Catwoman charges up a combo as she scratches her opponent. These abilities give everyone a unique play style, and with the exception of one or two (looking at you, Joker), they're all very useful.

The big difference between most traditional 2D fighting games and the titles produced by NetherRealm Studios is how open they are to new players. Where games like Street Fighter ask players to perform a finger puppet ballet to execute a character's ultimate attack, Injustice asks that two buttons be pressed at the same time. It's so simple and allows a novice to bypass the 30 - 50 hour learning period, where swearing at the controller because Guile isn't doing what he is told, is pretty common.

With solid game play mechanics as a base, NetherRealm has built an impressive house and the art department has decorated it well. The art style used resembles that of the Batman Arkham games. Compared to the bright and hyper colourful Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Injustice is subdued and realistic. The way the artists draw female characters is still a little questionable (the words 'slutty' and 'mannish' come to mind). That said, overall, the jump from comic book to video game has gone well.

The realistic aesthetic also compliments Injustice's narrative. The developers have taken the somewhat brave decision of making DC's most overpowered superhero turn to the dark side. It's a wise move because if the good guys have a team member who is all powerful and practically invincible, it kind of undermines the drama a little bit. The story works well, not just because the Man of Steel is a legitimately tough opponent, but because the explanation of why he's suddenly gone coco pops is actually believable.

Once the credits do roll on Injustice's somewhat short story mode, there's plenty more to see and do. Each character has an ending to unlock via the Battles mode, and then there's also the S.T.A.R.S mode to finish. No, it's not a mode where Raven and Cyborg tackle a zombie outbreak in Raccoon City. As cool as that would be, S.T.A.R.S mode is akin to the Challenge Tower found in Mortal Kombat. Hundreds of character-specific missions are included, varying from Street Fighter-esque 'Destroy the Car' mini-games, to winning a match with unique conditions. Each of these missions has three objectives, and for every one completed, a star is gained. The more stars acquired, the more missions that open up. It's a nifty little extra, and the developers have done a good job of injecting some personality into them.

There's a lot of content in the game for soloists, but where most fighting games shine is in multiplayer. Injustice is no different; kicking a friend into an exploding oil tanker and seeing them fly through the sky like Team Rocket on a bad day is tres satisfying. For the folks whose friends refuse to play with them, maybe because they get a little too excited when Scarecrow slams Batman through a ceiling, there's always online play.

Injustice features three types of match to participate in online: Classic 1 v 1, King of the Hill and Survivor. King of the Hill is winner stays on, so the King will fight a challenger, while everyone else watches on, until it's their turn. Survivor is similar, except the King starts with the health he had at the end of his last match. If the King completes certain challenges, he can recover some of his health. Survivor is a great mode for levelling the playing field a little; it makes it harder for the top players to dominate.

The online modes are a lot of fun but there are a couple of issues; the main one being that the community is quite small, so finding a match, especially in Survivor or King of the Hill, can be a little challenging. Making use of Miiverse alleviates the problem to a certain extent. The other over sight is the lack of 'friend battles.' It's sad there isn't a feature that allows players to challenge people on their friend list.