NetherRealm Studios brought Mortal Kombat back into the mainstream in 2011 with a bloody brawler that controlled like the Kombat of old and added in a fun story and unlockables galore. They threw a lot of people off with their followup, which was not in fact Mortal Kombat 2, but a game featuring characters from the DC Universe using the fighting engine from their MK reboot. Now one could be wary of this seeing as how we have already had to suffer through Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, but have no fear, this will not be anything like that.

Here are my five reasons to pick up [amazon_link id=”B0088I7L76″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Injustice: Gods Among Us[/amazon_link].

1. This is NOT Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

The fighting engine in MK vs. DC was tired and had not seen any real change in a long time. That changed with 2011’s Mortal Kombat reboot. Combos felt natural, brutal and moves were easy to pull off. If you lost on higher difficulties it was not for a cheapness factor, it was because you most likely did not strategize your moves well enough against your opponent. After playing the demo for Injustice, it feels these controls are mostly transferred over. Since the DC characters are not having to share the same fighting game as the more brutal MK ones, they do not feel like they have been neutered or made weak to mix well.

2. Downloadable Content

Injustice will come with a Season Pass that will include four new unknown characters to the roster as well as new character skins from the Flashpoint event. If you pre-ordered the game at Gamestop you will receive the Red Son pack that gives you alternate costumes for three characters as well as 20 new missions set within the Red Son alternate reality in which Superman crash landed in Russia and became an agent for that country. Best Buy pre-orders will receive a Blackest Night pack which has undead character skins and a special zombie mode for the game. Now don’t worry where you pre-order your game at because all the DLC packs will be made available at a later date to everyone.

3. The Roster

There will be a total of 24 playable characters when you pick up Injustice and that is not including the four extras you will be getting with the Season Pass. The part I love about the roster is that you are getting your well known names that you would expect in a game featuring DC characters: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, Lex Luthor and Bane should surprise no one. Where this game gets it right is the inclusion of heroes and villains that will not be very familiar to fans outside of the comics. Hawkgirl, Black Adam, Ares and Raven are just a few of the names that may have people scratching their heads, but you will get to know them quickly and see how good they can be in a fight. All I ask from NetherRealm is that they make Swamp Thing or Animal Man one of the future characters.

4. Super Moves

Since this is not Mortal Kombat, you won’t be getting any bloody fatalities, but I assure you that once you hit your first super move you will not miss the carnage. For example, Aquaman summons a massive tsunami that lifts his opponent up, he stabs him with his trident and feeds him (or her) up to a great white shark. The Joker will assault you with a crowbar Jason Todd-style, shoot you in the face and then blow you up with a rocket launcher. Yeah, badass right? Then there is Superman’s:

5. Batman

That is all. Batman needs no explanation.

I hope these five reasons have convinced you to, at the very least, give Injustice: Gods Among Us a shot. We will have our review for it up in the future so keep your eyes open.

Injustice: Gods Among Us releases on April 16th.