My jaunt into the DC Comics Universe didn’t begin with the Injustice series, but Injustice: Gods Among Us was a fantastic 2.5 Dimension Fighter that immediately caught my attention when it released. While, growing up, I was more partial to the faster paced 2D fighters like Street Fighter and the Marvel Arcade fighters, Injustice easily grew on me with its gorgeous character models and excellent story. When I finally got my hands on Injustice 2, I couldn’t contain my excitement. Did Injustice 2 do justice to Injustice? There’s a sentence for you. This is our Injustice 2 PC edition review.
Without being a story spoiler, what I can divulge from NetherRealm Studios second foray into the Injustice universe is that Injustice 2 takes place in a time after Superman has been defeated by Batman and subsequently jailed for a time, until Brainiac appears with plans for world domination, as Brainiacs often do. The story and characters are all beautifully detailed and modeled even better than the first game. The PC definitely adds extra detail and noticeable effects, though even on my GTX960 I couldn’t run everything on max without some severe slowing issues.
In terms of combat, I always found the Mortal Kombatesque style of fighting less fluid and more strategic in nature, focusing less on button mashing and more on hitting the right attacks at the right time. The Super Meter has several functions, enhancing some powers on use, or when full, exploding into a cinematic marvel of attacks that aid in pummeling your opponents into submission. Just like the previous version of Injustice you have the ability to incorporate the environment in your battles, and if you really put some work into environmental transitions, they look flawless and really add another component to gameplay.
The expanded roster of Injustice 2 adds a depth of flavor enhanced by the new Multiverse mode, and a gear system that will reward you with costume colors and gear that will make your favorite characters more powerful and change their appearance. This isn’t something that happens in most fighting games, but I found it quite refreshing, and Multiverse mode adds additional Player vs. Computer options that will challenge and reward players that aren’t interested in Player vs. Player combat. One of the great things about the gear system, apart from the appearance and power changes, is that sometimes you’ll obtain gear for a character you haven’t played yet, which really incentivizes playing different characters.
Injustice 2 has also introduced a microtransaction style currency in game, but I found that it wasn’t too necessary as I found most of what you could purchase you could also get through playing through the game. Still, for those looking for a specific appearance change, I don’t hate the idea of being able to purchase the exact look you want especially with a host of new DC and extended characters like Sub Zero from Mortal Kombat and the Ninja Turtles. As with just about any fighting game, even on PC Injustice two plays best with a controller, and I tested both the Xbox and Playstation controllers for posterity’s sake. In summation, Injustice 2 turned out to be a fantastic sequel that does end up eclipsing the first in longevity, gameplay, and story due to the multiple ending possibilities. While my main disappointment was mainly due to performance issues on a video card from last generation, some other hindrances were due to some stopgaps in combos and general combat that gave the gameplay a less than fluid feel. Without mincing words, Injustice 2 is a fantastic DC Universe fighter that should not be missed by comic or fighting game fans alike.
Final Score: 8.0
Pros:
- Beautiful and varied roster of DC Heroes with some surprises
- Excellent story and replayability with the multiverse and online play
- New gear system is a great addition to customize your favorite characters
Cons:
- Some people may encounter hitching or slowness on older cards
- Combat, while enjoyable, can feel disjointed at times, especially combo strings
