I was 12 years old when Injustice 2 came out, and it was the first time I'd ever been truly hyped for a game. I'd rush home from school every Thursday so that I could see the new character reveals, I'd watch in-depth analyses of each new trailer, and it was the first time I'd ever preordered a game, both so I could get Darkseid but also so I could play it as soon as possible. So this review is going to be tinged by a lot of nostalgia. Starting this game up for the first time since 2019 was legitimately one of the biggest waves of nostalgia I've ever been hit with. That being said, I'm a lot more critical of the games I play now than I was back then, and I've also read a lot more comics, so this review won't be one of blind adoration.
To get the biggest problem out of the way, I don't like the story of the Injustice games. Superman is my favourite superhero, and just saying that feels like an understatement. I genuinely don't know if I wouldn't be here today if I hadn't read All-Star Superman when I did. Above all else, Superman represents hope. The belief that people are good at their core and that tomorrow will be a better place than it is today. The whole "Evil Superman" trope one of my most hated elements of any fiction. It's boring. It's lazy. It's shallow. And when it's the Man of Tomorrow himself that's turned evil, it actively harms the way that casual fans see the character, making people think that Lois is the only thing keeping him human (don't even get me started on talking about how often Lois is fridged for these kinds of stories). And if we're being honest, I imagine that the billionaire with enough surveillance to make Big Brother jealous is far, far more likely to become a dictator than the embodiment of kindness himself.
The most frustrating thing, though, is that if you removed the "Injustice" stuff, I actually quite liked the story! The basic premise of "Grodd and the Society are up to some villainous chicanery, but it turns out that Grodd is working for Brainiac" is simple but it's pretty fun, and I enjoyed the character interactions between various Justice Leaguers. There's a part towards where Batman and Superman are working together and their interactions are more in line with the characters I actually like that made me feel like I was playing a Justice League fighting game, and the story already has enough Brainiac mind control/Poison Ivy pheromones/Scarecrow toxin to justify superheroes fighting each other! The character assassination of not just Superman but a dozen other characters, and the other edgelord bullshit that comes with the story is ultimately needless. Whenever the Injustice (derogatory) isn't showing up, the character interactions between the Leaguers are great (especially Green Arrow and Black Canary), and this has some of my favourite adaptations of both Supergirl and Brainiac, to the point where I imagine I will be picturing Laura Bailey and Jeffrey Combs' voices next time I read a comic with either character.
The gear system could be good if it wasn't tied to lootboxes. I have more gear for characters I've never played than I do for characters who I main because every time I open a lootbox and hope I'll get to customise the characters I like, it's always a gamble. I haven't seen a recent release with lootboxes and I'm so fucking glad they're gone.
So why am I giving Injustice 2 an 8/10 when I still have these problems? It's because, above all else, this is just a damn good fighting game. I'm not that big a fighting game fan and I had a ton of fun playing this. I'm not a professional games journalist so I can't really explain it well, but the controls are really good, it's really satisfying to string together combos or to use environmental interactions. The graphics look really good for a game from over five years ago and the voice acting is pretty good too. I've been playing this on my own the past few days, but I can't wait until I have some friends over so that I can play as Supergirl or Black Canary and obliterate them.
The feminist part of my brain acknowledges that the designs of women in this game are objectifying and oversexualised, but unfortunately the lesbian part sees the characters and goes hfibsibfeisbfwbfibnnmm.
To get the biggest problem out of the way, I don't like the story of the Injustice games. Superman is my favourite superhero, and just saying that feels like an understatement. I genuinely don't know if I wouldn't be here today if I hadn't read All-Star Superman when I did. Above all else, Superman represents hope. The belief that people are good at their core and that tomorrow will be a better place than it is today. The whole "Evil Superman" trope one of my most hated elements of any fiction. It's boring. It's lazy. It's shallow. And when it's the Man of Tomorrow himself that's turned evil, it actively harms the way that casual fans see the character, making people think that Lois is the only thing keeping him human (don't even get me started on talking about how often Lois is fridged for these kinds of stories). And if we're being honest, I imagine that the billionaire with enough surveillance to make Big Brother jealous is far, far more likely to become a dictator than the embodiment of kindness himself.
The most frustrating thing, though, is that if you removed the "Injustice" stuff, I actually quite liked the story! The basic premise of "Grodd and the Society are up to some villainous chicanery, but it turns out that Grodd is working for Brainiac" is simple but it's pretty fun, and I enjoyed the character interactions between various Justice Leaguers. There's a part towards where Batman and Superman are working together and their interactions are more in line with the characters I actually like that made me feel like I was playing a Justice League fighting game, and the story already has enough Brainiac mind control/Poison Ivy pheromones/Scarecrow toxin to justify superheroes fighting each other! The character assassination of not just Superman but a dozen other characters, and the other edgelord bullshit that comes with the story is ultimately needless. Whenever the Injustice (derogatory) isn't showing up, the character interactions between the Leaguers are great (especially Green Arrow and Black Canary), and this has some of my favourite adaptations of both Supergirl and Brainiac, to the point where I imagine I will be picturing Laura Bailey and Jeffrey Combs' voices next time I read a comic with either character.
The gear system could be good if it wasn't tied to lootboxes. I have more gear for characters I've never played than I do for characters who I main because every time I open a lootbox and hope I'll get to customise the characters I like, it's always a gamble. I haven't seen a recent release with lootboxes and I'm so fucking glad they're gone.
So why am I giving Injustice 2 an 8/10 when I still have these problems? It's because, above all else, this is just a damn good fighting game. I'm not that big a fighting game fan and I had a ton of fun playing this. I'm not a professional games journalist so I can't really explain it well, but the controls are really good, it's really satisfying to string together combos or to use environmental interactions. The graphics look really good for a game from over five years ago and the voice acting is pretty good too. I've been playing this on my own the past few days, but I can't wait until I have some friends over so that I can play as Supergirl or Black Canary and obliterate them.
The feminist part of my brain acknowledges that the designs of women in this game are objectifying and oversexualised, but unfortunately the lesbian part sees the characters and goes hfibsibfeisbfwbfibnnmm.
can we all agree that joker design in this game sucks ass?
Disfruté sobremanera su modo historia, con unas escenas espectaculares, unos gráficos bastante cañeros para la época y la crudeza que esperábamos sabiendo quién estaba tras la recreación de esta saga maravillosa de cómics en un divertidísimo juego de lucha. Extremadamente superior a los Mortal Kombat coetáneos y extremadamente infravalorado, bajo mi punto de vista.
Sus personajes invitados son una verdadera pasada.
Sus personajes invitados son una verdadera pasada.
continua melhor que o mortal kombat
I could beat the story easily but MAN I was awful online
Um jogo de luta bem divertido, eu gosto da história, apesar de todos os pesares do Superman, mas como um jogo de luta, é bom.
The first Injustice game had an interesting concept and turned out pretty good. The sequel expanded on the ideas and gameplay from the first and made drastic improvements. I don't personally like how much DC uses the Injustice storyline but I think the games work well. I especially like all the different DLC characters. The RNG system and outfits are awful but the game still has its pros.
Much better than the first.
El primer juego de peleas que pude comprarme y es bastante divertido
Gear system sucked
Batman tells everyone to not kill yet he launches you into the sky and you get gunned down by his plane and even a missile launches headfirst at you.
Much better than inj1, i wish i played it during its prime because the mechanics and characters are cool. The story mode is a huge step up from the previous, however the nrs formula leads to stale moments. especially choosing between two characters YAWN!
definitely a game
Literally just feels like Mortal Kombat but with DC characters. Kind of enjoyable but it gets old rather fast because you're using the same fatality over and over. You are also dependent on the stats on your gear which makes this game almost a little pay to win since you can get matched against someone with completly different stats and much much better gear than your gear (which is a pain in the ass if you're a new guy). Otherwise great set of characters and guest characters, enjoyable story and the same type of combat as Mortal Kombat. So if you like DC and Mortal Kombat please give this game a shot.
wow. more injustice (okay but if the game wasnt both dead and ugly this would be fire)
Joguei só o modo história porque era a unica coisa que me interessava
Mi opinión es la misma que la primera entrega, historia no tan buena pero le saque el mayor provecho junto con mis hermanos al multijugador local.
very fun for me
not as good as mortal kombat also batmans suit is trash
Pretty fun DC fighting game that has a good amount of characters just in general a pretty good game.
Meh
Tight fighting, solid roster, and great story. Can't wait 4 the 3rd.
reseña para recordar que me pase el juego
O jogo melhorou em todos os aspectos em relação ao seu antecessor, mas a história não é tão engajante na minha opinião. Os gráficos são bons e a gameplay também, e a customização por meio dos equipamentos é muito divertida.
curti o modo historia, meio mid, mas da pro gasto. a parada de voce poder modificar os trajes tambem acho mt foda. e a gameplay, mesmo nao sendo fa do genero, eu curti muito e achei acessivel pra quem nao ta muito familiarizado
like stupid shit
I really liked the first one but the story in this one is rubbish.