Last year, Tekken 7 and Marvel vs Capcom Infinite had single-player story modes that, for better or worse, felt a little different and tried to be a little cohesive with its made-up lore.

Where did they rip the “play as different characters in the game’s narrative” concept off from? Well, from the Injustice series of games. But those two games, as fun and as deep as they are, are just imitating the formula, not duplicating it. Injustice 2 basically ups the ante by letting you pick between two characters when you’re presented with a duo in a storyline.

Why is it still great? Our reasons are fivefold:

1.The Ever-Growing Roster (With Fan Favourites)

Now we have new characters in the fray, like Enchantress. Oh wait, no one cares about her. But they do care about Hellboy and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The latter hasn’t been in a fighting game since that Smash Bros. rip-off done up by Ubisoft.

It’s not a lazy haphazard job: these characters have unique moves and playstyles that match their personas. And NetherRealms have been doing their homework and listening to people. Yes, we comic book geeks want Starfire & Black Manta. Yes, we Mortal Kombat fans want Sub-Zero and Raiden. And yes, we pop culture junkies want four anthropomorphic turtles named after Renaissance painters.

2.The Improved Fighting Game Mechanics

Yes, the characters still move funny, but that hasn’t stopped anyone from jumping in with their favourite DC Comics characters. It has a simple 2D fighting game style where characters have special traits (eye lasers, Greek god powers, trick shots, the works), along with other creative mechanics like interactables doing damage to characters, stage transitions, and a clash mechanic where you wager meter for a comeback factor.

All these elements gel really well together, making for a substantial fighting experience with its own deep strategy & intuitiveness. We’re still surprised that Injustice 2 gets less love than other fighting games that are basically doing the same thing and not evolving as much.

3.The Ever-Growing Scene

Even with new players like Dragon Ball Fighter Z, there’s still a void for American-made superhero “Mortal Kombat”-esque fighters in major tournaments. Injustice 2 fills that void very well. Guys like SonicFox, Grawlix, and Burrito Voorhees are keeping it real with top tier and multi-character plays.

And no, they don’t use Deadshot all that much.

4. People Are Still Going Online Opening Mother Boxes…

The ever-updating daily and weekly ladder fights, and the Multiverse mode equals free loot boxes (called Mother Boxes here) up for grabs if you play this game on a daily basis. True, Warner Bros. is rather in-your-face about getting people to pay additional money for these, but it’s been toned down following the Shadow of War kerfuffle. The important thing is that you can still earn these in-game and through perseverance.

5…And Customizing Their Favourite Heroes!

Now with totally new gear and a higher character level cap, the game’s non-tournament sanctioned gimmick gets more traction than usual. So if you rather play a slightly-more RPG-ish fighting game where gear matters just as much as player skill, Injustice 2’s ever-changing Multiverse mode is sure to entertain you to no end. If only other fighting games gave as much a damn to their single-player modes from the get-go.

Does this game still have problems? Yeah, but mostly on the subjective nitpicky side. The NetherRealms fighting game engine, while solid, isn’t exactly as flexible as your anime fighters or 2D Japanese-made games, so that takes some time getting used to. It’s also harder to master: you need a lot of prep work in terms of memorizing stage layouts (for interactables) and keep the Clash wagering system in mind to save yourself. And it’s not as saturated and as colourful aesthetics-wise as the other fighting games I mentioned.

Still, don’t let that discourage you from getting this lovely ode to DC Comics fans. You get the action of a Zack Synder superhero flick without the excess baggage, and even then the story in Injustice 2 is a better Batman versus Superman story than the actual Batman v Superman P.O.S we got in theatres.

Pros

• A better version of last year’s game…
• …with all the DLC characters and alternate costumes….
• …and a bunch of new stuff worth ploughing through

Cons

• Doesn’t mean squat if you already owned Injustice 2 last year…
• ..along with the same problems.

Final Score: 80/100