Fighting games have always been about two players, the brutal attacks they dole out, and the end result: whoever is left standing is the victor. NetherRealm, developers of Mortal Kombat and… more Mortal Kombat, are introducing a brand new element to that indelible formula.
The arena.
Injustice: Gods Among Us takes the iconic DC super heroes you’ve come to know and love and lets them beat the snot out of each other. Despite the fact that Batman, Superman, and The Flash have faced off with the likes of Scorpion and Subzero, Injustice seems much more brutal than MK Vs DCU.
Perhaps it’s because Superman threw the Flash through a wall or because Batman blew up Solomon Grundy with a car. In the demo at E3, NetherRealm developers showed off two matches in two different arenas. Arenas, which were used as deadly weapons themselves. And not just the same, simple area of an arena doing only one thing – a car, for example, was used to smash someone into, explode with projectiles, and then picked up and slammed onto another character. Each time at different instances in the match and by both combatants.
The first features Flash and Superman in the Batcave. As the two heroes clashed, they built up meter for super moves. Superman hit Flash into the stratosphere and spiked him back down through the first level of the Batcave. On a lower level, Flash’s super move had him running around the world to deliver a blow to the Man of Steel’s jaw.
All the while, environmental hazards provided opportunities for both fighters. Batman’s suits on display were damaged and some utility bombs that rolled out, but either fighter could use these to their advantage.
The second fight featured Batman squaring off with Solomon Grundy in a Metropolis/Gotham City amalgam. Here, an innocent automobile could be used as a hazard; Grundy could throw Batman into it and Batman could use gadgets to blow it up while Grundy stood nearby.
Adding a benevolent and violent environment for fighters to square off in adds a dimension that many fighting games and their developers have been too timid to explore. With these interactive arenas and larger-than-life characters, Injustice should prove to be as entertaining to watch as it is to play.
