Some are just like our own... but for one or two significant events, exactly the same."
--Lex Luthor, Injustice: Gods Among Us
"I feed on conflict. Until today I've been starving."
--Ares, Injustice: Gods Among Us
In honor of both the release of Injustice 2 and Wonder Woman, I chose to review the port of Injustice: Gods Among Us for the PlayStation Vita, one of Netherrealm's two Vita fighting games. I had barely touched the game since I purchased it almost exactly a year ago, but after spending some time with it I am glad I did so. All photos below were taken by myself using the screenshot function of the Vita.
Production Values
Outdated graphics, especially during story mode cutscenes (they sometimes look like PSP cutscenes), definitely prevent Injustice from having the most detailed or vibrant graphics for the PS Vita system. I'll just say, nothing here quite compares to the best visuals the Vita has produced on titles like Killzone Mercenary or Uncharted: Golden Abyss. The character models during fight gameplay have lower resolution than the console version that preceded the port and sport a noticeable lack of detail, but at least the frame rate generally holds a consistent pace.
The audio holds fairly well also, with my favorite part of the sound being the little jokes and quips the characters hurl at each other before and after fights. Every crunch, explosion, and kick sounds appropriate. Sound in itself is usually not what allures people to fighting games, but at least it wasn't neglected here.
Gameplay
A lot of fights in this game! The story mode consists of a multitude of (mostly) timed one on one single player fights, with sporadic touch screen minigames. The game style is neither wholly original nor entirely copycat, but it still offers an experience some will certainly enjoy. Players must inflict a flurry of small move combinations or receive damage to build up a four-part meter, the filling of which allows the use of spectacular super moves that add more visual impact to the attacks and remove large amounts of health from opponents.
An "armory" contains additional costumes, a character model viewer, concept art, a soundtrack listener, and new backgrounds for purchase, all of which become progressively available as players level up and thus acquire armory keys and access cards. Quite a bit of material awaits unlocking. Completionists have a lot to tackle!
Several bonus modes also prolong replay value and introduce a broader gameplay variety. For instance, S.T.A.R. LABS missions attach three specific objectives to each of 300 fights and award stars for the completion of each objective. Sometimes these missions simply involve brief minigames; sometimes they demand more elaborate actions. Classic characters like Killer Croc and Scarecrow appear here, but are absent from the main campaign and the playable character list (although at least Scarecrow made it into the sequel as a playable character). Bringing more coherency to this mode, groups of these missions collectively tell their own story arc.
As the Ultimate Edition, this handheld Vita port of Injustice includes a wealth of DLC--including an impressive 60 extra S.T.A.R. LABS missions and 30 character skins, according to the back of the case. At least the Vita boasts the most complete version of the game to my knowledge!
Story
Though the beginning of the story is straightforward, it may confuse some around the middle due to the presence of different versions of the same characters. It starts with the Joker using a bomb to destroy Metropolis, with Batman attempting to interrogate him until Superman busts into the room. Furious over the death of Lois Lane and the child they shared--and to Batman's dismay--Superman kills the Joker.
Elsewhere, in a different universe, DC heroes like Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl fight a group of villains including Ares and Sinestro; in a different location in the same universe Raven, Nightwing, and Cyborg fight a group that includes Lex Luthor and Bane. As Luthor is captured, he says he gave Joker a bomb. Both universes share certain events, and the alternate DC heroes actually end up preventing the detonation. But they suddenly they are transported to an alternate universe: the one where Superman killed.
The alternate Aquaman who was teleported to a new dimension visits the other Atlantis and learns about Superman--in the universe where the bomb detonated he became the tyrannical (here I mean tyrannical in the classical sense, a tyrant being one who rules through fear) dictator of an authoritarian group called One Earth Regime. Unlike in Batman vs. Superman, this time Superman is the questionable figure and Batman the more heroic one, with Superman implicitly executing most criminals and terrorizing the populace. Regime universe Batman uses "Kryptonian nanotech" to enhance bone and attack strength; Regime Lex Luthor is not a criminal and funds Batman's Insurgency. Combined, their skills and resources have preserved the Insurgency's revolt against the Regime.
Eventually, after battles that include the Themyscirian Amazons, Atlantans, the tyrant Superman's Regime soldiers, and both versions of a plethora of DC figures, the Regime is conquered by the Insurgency and its members imprisoned. Of course, the recent Injustice 2 shows what follows . . .
Intellectual Content
Injustice features a concept often utilized in superhero comics: the multiverse. The game's story opens with a quote by Lex Luthor about how he knows without any doubts that a multiverse with an infinite number of individual universes exists. In and of itself, the concept of a multiverse does not have to include an infinite number of universes, just more than a single universe. But if an infinite number of universes do exist, then an infinite number of timelines exist that possess similar or identical events up until a point--in this case, the Joker's Metropolis bombing plan. Events could overlap perfectly in two or more universes until they deviate at a specific time and drastically alter the fates of each world, hence the Regime universe and its counterpart.
Alongside its inclusion in comic stories, the multiverse has become more popular in modern inquiries and debates about science, apologetics, and philosophy. Plato's Timaeus raises the question of whether one or multiple universes exist, so the concept itself is not a recent hypothesis. But human epistemological limitations forbid us from actually confirming or disproving the existence of any universes outside of our own.
Another concept that the game somewhat tackles is the issue of justice itself (as the name implies). Representing the two opposing extremes regarding capital punishment, Regime Superman and Insurgency Batman exercise vastly different approaches to their pursuit of justice. Batman abhors all who kill as murderers, and (it is implied that) Superman executes most criminals. Christian theonomy condemns both ideologies, of course. Not that the solution to choosing between two "extreme" ideologies is as simple as merely adopting a middle or syncretistic position.
Regime Superman's total devotion to the execution of his opponents eventually leads him to kill his own Regime universe versions of Lex Luthor and Shazam, whereas his Batman refuses to kill even him. During the Insurgency invasion of Stryker's Island, Superman says his loss of Lois and their child justifies his actions, leading Batman to remind him that he lost his family too and that he did not resort to killing afterwards. Despite the sincerity of both parties, logical flaws exist in their moral reasoning. Superman (Regime) basically only grounds his utilitarian and authoritarian philosophy of justice on his personal wishes and regrets about his past, not in moral revelation or attempts at sound moral arguments. Batman fails to demonstrate why killing is always morally abominable. Any deviation from justice is injustice, and by theonomist standards both Superman and Batman falter.
Conclusion
Injustice succeeds as both a fighting and a DC game--DC has a better record with their games than their movies (couldn't resist)! Fans of either will very likely enjoy this title, and Vita owners can rejoice because the only version available to them is the Ultimate Edition with free DLC included. If you don't like memorizing a plethora of specific combos or the fighting genre, though, I wouldn't recommend this. But for those who appreciate fighting, DC, and loads of unlockables, Injustice offers a fun time!
Content
1. Violence: Bloodless brawls are featured in every fight and several non-graphic deaths are shown in story mode.
2. Profanity: Characters occasionally use mild profanity.
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