Injustice: Gods Among Us: PS3 Review

Injustice: Gods Among Us: PS3 Review

Released by Warner Bros
Platform: PS3

Imagine a world where Superman had gone mad and turned from the red, white and blue, to the red of blood over everything.

Imagine that rage had been caused by Joker, instigating the death of Supe's nearest and dearest. And then imagine you had the chance to take control of the cream of the crop of the superhero world with the option to beat the living daylights out of each other.

Imagine also if Mortal Kombat had been merged with the DC world.

That, in a nutshell, is Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Developer NetherRealm has worked on Mortal Kombat for years, so the fusion of the fighting with the superhero is to be honest, the dream of the nerd; a chance to take your favourite Superhero on and beat down the baddies. But that's where things are not quite as simple here.

Using the whole alternate reality storyline, you initially take control of Batman and other members of the Justice League, who are determined to bring down the gone bad Superman and put an end to the chaos of the alt-world. It soon becomes a case, in story mode, of fighting other versions of your own character - ie Green Lantern takes on Yellow Lantern, Batman vs Batman etc.

Control wise, it's pretty much like most other beat'em'ups you will have played many, many times before. A combination of buttons, a series of supercharged moves and an array of weapons to let loose on your opponent. Yet, by keeping the control system simple on Injustice: Gods Among Us, it makes it very easy to progress in fights without being a fighting expert. That's not to say there aren't fun moments - a wager moment in the middle of the fight can see yours - or your opponent's - health meter taken apart by gambling a portion of it on the outcome. And firing up your supermove can be a lot of fun too. A move from Joker sees Batman flung epically through the air and through several screens of damage; likewise a blast from one of the Lanterns can see you launched into space - it's these moments when you're praying your health meter doesn't decrease too much because as you sustain layers upon layers of attack, there's little you can do but watch.

Graphically, NetherRealm's pulled together a game which looks the part - it won't redefine how you see the characters - and is colourful as well as being cinematic at times. Throwing in the occasional use of the background and its elements also adds in to the novelty of the game play as well - using a well placed oil drum to beat down an opponent is a welcome move.

As well as story mode, there are two single player modes which allow you to partake in some bite-sized entertainment and mini smack downs - a multiplayer option adds in the chance for you to co-op some play or be part of a tournament of wannabes wanting to take down the current champion, for bragging rights...

All in all, Injustice: Gods Among Us is a great, fun title which offers up a wealth of play to everyone and a world of hurt to explore.

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