I generally don’t consider myself a fan of the DC Universe at large. That changed a bit when the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us was released in 2013. While it is on the surface playing on the overused trope of “yet another alternate reality story” it does center on a rather interesting premise: what if Superman just totally lost his shit and decided to take over the world? It’s quite a feat to present Superman as an interesting character, and with the first game NetherRealm Studios did a wonderful job of creating a rather compelling story – in a fighting game no less! The first game made me optimistic for the sequel. So let’s get into my Injustice 2 trailer impressions.
We’ve already seen a fair amount of game play elements, but there’s been scant details about the full roster and no real indication of where the story is going to go. This latest trailer at least partially answers some of those questions. We’re also provided several new character reveals: Robin (Damien Wayne), Bane, Posion Ivy (a curious pick for a fighting game), Braniac, and Darkseid. The reveal of Braniac as the most likely main antagonist is especially exciting.
The narration implies the fluidity of allegiances, leading to some curiosity about who is going to be on whose side throughout all this. I’m also hopeful that this narrative will be able to contain itself to this specific universe. I realize the reality cross-over was kind of necessary to allow for certain characters like Joker and Green Arrow to be in the game, but it would make for a much better story if this could be contained within the Injustice universe this time around.
Going into details not related to the story, I’m a little annoyed at the several tiers of “editions” that are going to be available. I’m generally fine with (and usually a sucker for) some sort of Collector’s Edition and whatnot, but I’m worried these tiers will lead to edition creep (an occasional problem with comic books themselves, too).
Either way, mark your calendars for May 16th, 2017. I’ll look forward to pummeling Batman and Superman players online.
