Background
NetherRealm Studios finally delivers another installment in the DC Comics fighter franchise. Injustice 2 released on May 11, 2017 and continues the story of the alternate earth in which Superman’s violent regime of heroes took over the worlds government, and went to war with Batman and his small band of holdout heroes. The game looks great and has some pretty big shoes to fill, but does it live up to the name left by its predecessor? Read on to find out!
Story
Like I said, Injustice 2 picks up where Injustice: Gods Among Us left off. The story sees Superman in his own red sun prison and powerless to escape. With his regime shut down and only a small number of leftovers holding out in hiding. Batman has begun to undo the damage created by the regime. Things change however when Brainiac, an intelligence-consuming hive mind, who has found his way to earth to archive its best and brightest and do away with the scraps.
We see Batman make the tough calls when it comes to the regime and what the greater good really requires. The story just feel shorter than the previous game but it also never tries to stuff itself with filler, making every fight and scene one worth fighting. The ability to play some chapters with one or another character is also a nice break from form as it allows the story to play out slightly differently with some small scenes changing based on who you used. The true fate of the world lies in who you side with in the very end. Will you stand with Batman and put an end to the Regime once and for all, or will you stand with Superman and crush the opposition and rule over earth with an iron fist?
Gameplay
There isn’t much to talk about in terms of the gameplay mechanics as they are the same as they were in the previous title. The goal is the same as every other fighting game, be the first to deplete your opponents health by beating the crap out of them. Injustice 2 features its story mode to play as well as the Multiverse, which will keep you playing and where you will likely spend most of your time. In the multiverse you will play limited time challenges to unlock credits, gear, shaders, and abilities. The Multiverse is reminiscent of Mortal Kombat X’s Living Towers and provide limited time events that you can play and win credits, mother boxes (which are just loot boxes), character shaders and abilities, as well as gear.
Gear System
Without a doubt the biggest change that Injustice 2 brings to the genre is its massive gear system which allows each player to customize their fighters with pieces of gear that augment their abilities, stats and physical appearance. You can save these to one of their load outs for quick use later. There is so much gear to collect it is almost mind-boggling but plays a large part of this games replayability, as it keeps players coming back to get even better gear and make a more efficient fighter load out.
You can outfit your fighters with common, rare, and epic gear and buff their stats to augment which ever stats you prefer. Turn a beefy Gorilla into a literal walking tank if you want or make a deadly marksman even more deadly from a distance. The amount of fighter customization is fantastic and it shows that the fighter genre is evolving and injustice is at the forefront of the change.
Verdict: 9/10
So I’m going to start this off with saying that there has NEVER been a more visually stunning and graphically impressive fighting game as Injustice 2. The animation is off the charts and the visuals are to die for! All that aside, it’s an incredibly smooth feeling and easy to pick up fighter, while also allowing for a better player to have competition and push their game to the next level. The roster is fun and includes plenty of names both popular and obscure for you to do battle with. The fun rarely stops here and for a gamer who likes to collect, this game is the perfect game for you if you also want to kick the crap out of DC’s many heroes and villains. In short, NetherRealm does it again and delivers yet another amazingly satisfying fighting game.
