Injustice 2 (2017/2018) Review

After playing Injustice: Gods Among us, it was only natural that I moved onto the sequel Injustice 2. I played through the game and all of its content, so here is my review for Injustice 2. The premise of the game, sees Batman trying to rebuild the world after the regime, when a new villain attacks it forces former enemies to work together to stop his plan.

Characters

The late Kevin Conroy is back to play Bruce Wayne/Batman and I am at least glad that his character feels just like I would expect and lets face it Conroy could play the role in his sleep. He is Batman and it comes across well here. 

There are some other characters I liked, the main ones being Supergirl, Blue Beetle and Firestorm. It is nice for some of the smaller characters getting chapters in the story and I liked their inclusion here. 

However, Superman is still a bad guy here and because of the lack of a multiverse story that is all we get here. It just feels wrong to see a Superman who is so evil and I just can't help but feel like this is just a fad that needs to end, other companies have done it better such as The Boys with Homelander. 

But the biggest betrayal of a character is Wonder Woman, she is straight up homicidal and it makes her the true villain of the game in my opinion and easily the most dislikeable character which is a shame when she should be a hero. 

I mean at least we get an actual villain in this game with Braniac but he is pretty dull and it is pretty clear that he isn't the main crux of the story and is just being used as a plot device for the grudge between Batman and Superman. 

Story

The story is okay, as I mentioned above it is cool that different people get chapters such as Harley Quinn, Catwoman and Black Adam, it adds more variety to the game. It is also cool to somewhat see the heroes work together this time instead of against each other.

But the story is just really bland, as I said, though Brainac is the main villain it doesn't mean that he is interesting or even that important to the plot. I mean depending on your choices, there are 3 Batman chapters which is just way too many even for the most popular character. Also the ending is very abrupt and just feels like an excuse for a sequel/DLC which we haven't actually ever seen. 

Side Activities

This game has a lot of content. The STAR Labs from the first game are gone, replaced with a mobile game like multiverse mode with different towers and ways of playing. I am impressed with how much content is here and also the gear like system is incredibly detailed. 

However, this content is dangerous in terms of how much it takes from mobile gaming and loot boxes, it feels pretty lifeless and gets repetitive. Also, I wish the gear linked to the look of the characters, it feels like you can't get the exact look you want because you need the best gear to give you a chance of winning. 

Gameplay

The gameplay is still good. It is very fluid and I love the combos that feel really unique to the characters. Every character plays differently and that is a real compliment for those that made the game. However, there is an issue with just how much damage is done by some of these combos and it can feel pretty cheap. This is encapsulated by Braniac who is the cheapest boss I have ever played against and can literally take your health bar in 3 hits, it isn't challenging but just frustrating. There also seems to be less interest in the level transitions, object using and clashes which I all enjoyed in the first game. 

Style

The best part of this game is the style. It feels much grander then the previous game and I think the level design is so much better with some pretty awesome locations. Having the characters interact before each fight was also a great addition and makes these characters feel real and like they know each other. 

Overall

Overall, Injustice 2 is an above average game. It is 1 step forward, 1 step back with this game. Where it improves in some areas, it is worse in others. It is an okay fighting game but I am still waiting for a great DC Fighting game. 

Rating - 6/10