Injustice Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition PS4 Review
Summary: On the PlayStation 4, Injustice: Gods Among Us is truly a thoroughly entertaining fighter that not only looks amazing but plays extremely well.
4.4
KAPOW!
Injustice Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition
Format: PS4
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Genre: Fighting
Rating: M15+
Reviewer: James Wright
Review Date: December 2013
Carrying on from the hit series Mortal Kombat, NetherRealm’s Injustice Gods Among Us was their next fighting instalment which also happened to fulfil every fanboy and girls dream (myself included) to play as DC’s most powerful superheroes. However with the onset of the PlayStation 4, NetherRealm have released Injustice Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition which includes all the DLC content (e.g. S.T.A.R. Lab Missions and Zombie Mode) on this next-gen console. It is the perfect version of game and the PS4 version also comes with an exclusive costume for Black Adam from the New 52.
Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition includes:
• Injustice: Gods Among Us game
• Additional DLC characters Lobo, Bat Girl, Scorpion, General Zod, Martian Hunter & Zatanna
• Skins pack including 40+ characters skins
• 60 new S.T.A.R Labs missions
So what’s Injustice Gods Among Us actually about? At its core, it is a fighting game that requires the players to pummel the absolute living daylights out of each other in order to stand the victor. However unlike most fighting games that boast a rather generic or clichéd story, Injustice proves otherwise. The story was written in collaboration with DC Comics plus comic scribes Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti lending their talents to this Elseworld’s story.
In this alternate reality and through a carefully scripted chain of events lead by the Joker, Superman has become a powerful dictator of Earth. As those heroes and villains not aligned with Superman attempt to thwart his power, the heroes discover an alternate universe whom they call upon to assist with their rise of insurgence. Without spoiling the story, it is easily one of the best written fighting games to date that is also supported by a popular comic book series through DC. One slight spoiler… the scene where Shazam (aka Captain Marvel) questions a corrupt Superman is quite disturbing to see unfold.
Mastering Injustice Gods Among Us will provide a challenge to newcomers as each character has a set of unique attacks, defences, combinations and spectacular finishing manoeuvres. From heavy attacks, jumps, sweeps and blocking, if you do get stuck with your characters move list, you can pause the game which brings up a list of moves. For example, Batman uses his grappling hook to pull his victims close and Green Lantern uses constructs such as machine guns and missiles. Very cool! The game does contain a rather component tutorial, however Injustice is one of those games that provides a baptism of fire in terms of succeeding.
If combat does become too difficult, especially if you have a string of defeats, the game will lower the difficulty setting in order for you to continue experiencing the fantastic story. One slight issue with the gameplay is the inclusion of quick-time events which does momentarily break the action but are still fun to play like Superman shooting cars away with his heat vision as Black Adams throws them at him. Needless to say, the cinematics of this game are quite epic and really highlight the power levels of the heroes and villains that you face. Apart from the single-player story, you have Battles, Star Labs, Single Fight and Training.
Thankfully for combat, the developers ensure that fights are kept quite fair as Superman fighting against Harley Quinn would definitely be a very unfair advantage to the Mr. J’s girlfriend. In this alternate DC Comics universe, there is a pill that will make ordinary mortals almost on par with Superman. Power-ups are limited and gamers have the option of clashes to break a combo attack. Also, calling upon your characters super powers really spices things up and the environment is quite interactive with lots of things to throw or throw your opponents at. One exploit in the game is using environmental attacks as they cannot be blocked and dish out massive amounts of damage. The game also uses a wager system which requires the player to bet on a particular button of your controller in order to get the upper hand and inflict some additional damage on your opponent. Another difference with the PS4 version is that you can use the touchpad which mixes up the gameplay and although not necessary it does an add something uniquely different to this version of the game.
In terms of characters, Injustice Gods Among Us boasts 30 official DC Comics characters that include well known heroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman to lesser known heroes such as Hawkgirl, Raven and Shazam. Villains are as equally fun such as the god of war Ares, the breaker of Batman’s back Bane and my favourite and JSA thorn, Solomon Grundy. Even if your favourite character is not there, the cast is still quite impressive.
Check out the full roster below;
– Aquaman
– Ares
– Bane
– Batgirl
– Batman
– Black Adam
– Catwoman
– Cyborg
– Deathstroke
– Doomsday
– Flash
– Green Arrow
– Green Lantern
– Harley Quinn
– Hawkgirl
– Joker
– Killer Frost
– Martian Manhunter
– Lex Luthor
– Lobo
– Nightwing
– Raven
– Scorpion
– Shazam
– Sinestro
– Solomon Grundy
– Superman
– Wonder Woman
– Zatanna
– Zod
With such a competent single-player game, Injustice Gods Among Us has another trick up its sleeve with online multiplayer. From here, players can engage in other heroes and villains from around the world as each gamer fights for supremacy. If you thought that the single-player difficulty levels were a challenge, fighting against real-world opponents really ups the ante. Given that, we had no issues in finding players to fight and you can even watch online matches. Fortunately we had a flawless online experience with only the occasional touch of lag here and there. With variant costumes to unlock and a S.T.A.R. labs facility to explore which acts like the challenge tower from Mortal Kombat, there’s so much fun to be found through the hidden nooks and crannies of this game.
Graphics/Audio
On the PS4, Injustice Gods Among Us is a very impressive looking game, especially the upscaling of the textures. It is also oozing with DC Comics goodness and when you first boot-up the game, you immediately know that you are in for a treat. All the characters look like their comic book counterparts which really helps in the immersion factor. Some characters look a little over developed such as Superman and the Flash with Wonder Woman’s breast size looking more like Power Girl opposed to our favourite Amazon Warrior. Another difference with the PS4 version compared to its older sibling on the PlayStation 3 are the load times which are almost non-existent.
Given that, all the characters move with a human-like grace but as with most fighters, the animation does feel a little clunky at times. Backgrounds are a little lacklustre but fortunately the special effects, especially of some of the super powers used looks fantastic. Seeing Doomsday smash Superman for six through Metropolis is worth the purchase of this game alone. The musical score suits the story and genre and to compliment the graphics, sound effects are bigger and badder than Ben Hurr. There’s also some great one-liners from all the heroes and villains. For fans of DC Comics animated movies, Kevin Conroy returns as the Dark Knight with George Newbern as Superman. It doesn’t get any better than that!
Final Thoughts?
On the PlayStation 4, Injustice: Gods Among Us is truly a thoroughly entertaining fighter that not only looks amazing but plays extremely well. Although you can play the game as a button masher, there is an element of skill involved as each character has their pros and cons, especially when fighting other characters so yes, there is a strategy. I also love the fanservice that NetherRealm give the players, especially with the awesome cameos in the title. Sure, it does feel a little like Mortal Kombat but this is all DC comics baby!
Recommended!
Key Features
• Destructive Fighter in which the World is a Weapon – Experience epic battles on a massive scale as players control the most powerful beings in the universe in destructible, interactive environments. Destroy elements of the world and use super powers to turn vehicles, buildings and more into powerful weapons.
• Uncontainable Battles – Fight through multi-tiered fighting arenas by hurling opponents through buildings and launching them off cliffs.
• Robust DC Comics Roster – Engage in epic match-ups with a massive roster of DC Comics heroes and villains, including Batman, The Flash, Harley Quinn, Solomon Grundy, Superman and Wonder Woman.
• Master God-Like Powers – Unleash each character’s unique super powers with individual move-sets and environmental interactions.
• Original DC Comics Saga Set in Iconic Environments – Experience an authentic DC Comics storyline created in collaboration between NetherRealm Studios, DC Entertainment, and writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. Players will discover and do battle in numerous iconic locales pulled from DC Comics lore.
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