So Scott usually does news posts; I’m more of a “let’s talk about things that are at least two weeks old” kind of journalist. But Scott’s on vacation! So it’s up to me to type… something.
Metro: Last Light
The seemingly unlikely sequel to one of my favorite games is out today! We once again get to journey with Artyom through post-apoc Moscow, taking in an atmosphere that must be experienced to be believed. Check out my “Five Reasons” article for more details.
Cloud Atlas
Also out today is my single favorite sci-fi film since District 9. An insanely sweeping tale that takes place across a millennium, yet still gives you characters you can connect with, I highly recommend it. Plus, it’s probably the last time anyone will give the Wachowskis more than $5 to make a movie.
Injustice: Gods Among Us
A leaked document from NetherRealm seems to indicate that the next four-pack of DLC characters will consist of Red Hood, Martian Manhunter, Power Girl and Sub-Zero. This will probably draw even more flack from the folks who believe that the Bat-family already has too many characters. I’m hopeful for Manhunter; how he didn’t make the initial cut is beyond me. And I’ve always preferred Sub-Zero to Scorpion.
Agents of SHIELD
I know we already have a post up about the full trailer, but I would just like to take this opportunity to say the following: If J. August Richards isn’t Luke Cage, I will throw a massive nerd tantrum.
That’s really all I’ve got for now, folks. I hope that at least one thing on the list made this worth the quick read. Thanks!
I am a Batgirl fan. Actually the more appropriate statement would be I am a Batgirl addict. I have statues, comics, graphic novels. I can not help but watch every episode of the Adam West batman when Yvonne Craig would be on as Barbara Gordon in Season 3 (seriously, do you not know how hot she was?).
Now Batgirl is the second of four DLC characters for [amazon_link id=”B0088I7L76″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Injustice: Gods Among Us[/amazon_link]. Here we have a video of Barbara taking on The Joker and showing off all of her moves.
And yes, The Joker is wearing his beach attire from The Killing Joke. Please let this be part of the DLC. For a bat fan like me, that is worth almost the price of the game.
Things are bleak in Injustice: Gods Among Us, the newest fighter from Mortal Kombat developers NetherRealm. How bleak you may ask? Oh, just that Lex Luthor has given The Joker a nuclear bomb that he uses to completely obliterate Metropolis. So you think that would naturally piss off Superman. Were not done yet. The Joker also drugged Supes into thinking that Lois was Doomsday so he flew her out into space killing her and his unborn child.
Damn. Cold blooded.
So naturally Superman loses his freaking mind and does his best impression of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and rips out The Joker’s heart.
Kali Ma. Kali Ma. Kali Ma.
Wait…I hear you saying. I thought this was a fighting game. And you would be correct. Injustice has a full-fledged story mode like 2011’s Mortal Kombat and it is simply fun as hell to play. Crazy Superman has taken over the Earth and is forming it to the crime free society he desires…by any means necessary.
Don’t worry this is a comic book story so there is multiple dimensions to save the day!
Batman from batshit crazy Superman dimension transports Justice League members over to his version of Earth to fight the tyranny of Superman. You will play as the majority of characters in the story mode and each section will give you four or five fights per character making the story mode the most entertaining way to learn a lot of fighters ins and outs.
There are 24 characters that make up Injustice’s roster and that is not including the four additional fighters coming in future DLC. The variety that NetherRealm threw in the game is refreshing. Sure, you are going to get your DC mainstays like Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Lex Luthor and The Joker, but they have featured characters that do not normally get very much time in the spotlight except to lifelong comic fans. Hawkgirl, Ares, Black Adam and Raven are not household names and NetherRealm has done a wonderful job making these “lesser” characters feel like they not only belong with the big boys, but can handle their own against them.
Photo courtesy gigaventure.com
Hi, I’m Batman. I Will Be Punching Your Face This Evening.
Combat in Injustice feels a lot like 2011’s Mortal Kombat and that is a good thing. NetherRealm created a good combat engine and they transferred that here while tweaking a few of the collision issues. Controls are boiled down to three buttons for attacks and a fourth for a hero’s special ability. This could be anything from Batman calling in three explosive floating bat-bombs to Aquaman creating a water based shield around his costume to reduce damage for a small amount of time. These abilities regenerate after a few seconds and can help to extend combos in some cases and add a new small layer of strategy to each fight.
Character special moves have very different feels to them for each character and fits the personality of each fighter well. Aquaman uses his trident, The Joker has his Jason Todd-killer while The Flash uses his super speed to whip you into shape. Playing through each of the characters in battle mode (your normal MK mode where you make your way through ten different fights in a row) will yield some pleasant surprises. This is the best mode to learn every aspect of a fighter, especially ones not playable in the story. You can not simply learn a character fully without spending time with multiple fights. Going outside your box of favorites may have you developing a new found fondness for a hero and villain you never thought would grab your attention. When I left my Superman, Batman and Green Lantern and began to focus on other characters I found just how awesome and varied that attacks were. Before I knew it I did not want to move away from Green Arrow, Ares, Shazam and others.
NetherRealm has absolutely loaded Injustice to the brim with so many modes, extras and unlockables. When you find yourself past the story mode and even after you have blasted through battle mode with all 24 characters there are the S.T.A.R. Labs section. The S.T.A.R. Labs will have you taking control of all 24 heroes and villains in mission based fights or mini-games. There are 240 missions total and each one comes with a star rating of one to three. Each fight has a set of parameters to meet and you receive a star rating depending on how well you do. The more stars you earn, the farther you can go into the S.T.A.R. Labs. Some of these can be easily attained and some of them had me wanting to kick my television in the face. That, to me, is the sign of a good fighter.
Photo courtesy polygon.com
Let’s Get Interactive
There are a total of 15 arenas to choose from in Injustice and all of them have a list of interactive objects to use during your fights. These make the game feel truly more like a fight in the comic world than anything else. Want to hit your opponent with a motorcycle outside of Wayne Manor? Go for it! Roundhouse kick them Chuck Norris-style into Aquaman’s throne in Atlantis? Go ahead, Texas Ranger. Things get violent on an even bigger scale when you obliterate opponents through walls setting off an unfortunate chain of accidents which lead to another arena.
http://youtu.be/ZFwZd-Ur1_A
With every fight, no matter what mode you are playing in, you will gain experience points allowing you to level up. As you progress upwards you will begin to gain access code cards which you can spend to unlock character costumes and loads of other goodies. Character cards, booster packs and even unlockables that link from the Injustice iOS game that ensure if you want to 100% this game, you will be spending a lot of quality time bashing in Sinestro’s face. Do not take this for a simple fight ladder type of game. There is real depth here.
Make no mistake, Injustice is NO Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. NetherRealm has taken the best things from 2011’s Mortal Kombat including an engaging, multi-dimensional story and given comic fans a true fighter that is a worthy successor to MK, but also (hopefully) a mighty new franchise. The sheer amount of modes and extras to unlock is a bit mind boggling. I applaud the developers for taking a chance and not simply churning out a Mortal Kombat sequel (which I would not be against by the way), but taking a different avenue. Comic fans and fighting game fans will be hard pressed to find something as fun…until Lobo is released as DLC that is.
Since the days of arcades – big rooms that had video games you paid for with quarters, but that’s not important right now – fighting games have been a staple of the industry, and my personal favorite on-again-off-again gaming niche. From the classic successes like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, to relative unknowns like TMNT: Tournament Fighters, some game where two people beat the piss out of each other has always graced my consoles. Battle Arena Toshinden 3 was one of the first three games I had on PlayStation, and my PS2’s very first title was Tekken Tag Tournament.
Part of the appeal was that I had a younger brother, and fighting games provided the much-sought-after ability to let us both play at the same time. Of course, that didn’t always work out so well. As I got older, my best friend Jay and I made a habit of renting pretty much any fighter we hadn’t played yet from the local Blockbuster. Eventually, I came across a copy of Guilty Gear X on the PS2. It kicked my ass, and with no story mode, limited my desire to learn the system; my copy was unfortunately stolen with all of my other games later that year.
Instead of re-purchasing it, I waited until Guilty Gear X2 came around, having heard that it contained a full story mode and new characters. Jay and I would wind up pouring countless hours into that little disc over the next two years, and below is a list of some of our rewards.
Photo courtesy ign.com
Achievement Unlocked:
Achievement #1
Let’s Rock! – Pick up a copy of X2, excited to see the new characters and modes. Foolishly forget how hard X was. Get ass kicked repeatedly. Cry in shame.
Achievement #2
A New Challenger – Play with best friend instead of against computer. Enjoy it so much that you buy him a copy for his birthday so you can both practice and get better. Start sharing save data so you both reap the rewards.
*Achievement #3
On the Battlefield of History – Finally get good enough to try story mode. Realize that each character has multiple endings that are accessed in bizarre ways.* Print out an extensive FAQ on the subject.
*Achievement #4
Dr. Feelgross – As you try and push through the entire story arcs, develop a deep loathing for playing as Faust. Force your friend to learn his move set for story mode. Repeat process for Bridget, Zappa, and Eddie / Venom.
*Achievement #5
Paradise City – Insist on blaring Guns ‘n’ Roses anytime you are playing through Axl Low’s story sections. Become intimately acquainted with how parents feel about waking up at 2 am to Slash’s sick guitar riffs.
*Achievement #6
Not the Good Guy – Play as Sol Badguy to the point where you can defeat almost any opponent with a precision combo as soon as the match starts. Blow through his story mode, only to be told that you are never, ever allowed to use him in another “versus” match with friends.
*Achievement #7
Dizzy With Joy – After literally months of trying, get a call from your best friend that he has finally managed to beat Dizzy’s primary story scenario, meaning the two of you together have officially completed the game. Race over to view the ending.
*Achievement #8
Missions: Impossible – Realize that there are special unlocks tied to completing the special matches in “Mission” mode. Overconfident from story mode, attempt to beat each of them. Afterwards, swear never to speak of it again.
*Achievement #9
I-No The Feeling – Spend lots of time browsing the in-game gallery and deviantArt for shots of I-No, Dizzy, Millia and Jam… for, you know, artistic purposes…
*Achievement #10
Full of Fighting – Watch the animated trailer for Guilty Gear X in the gallery so many times that you can still recite every word of it years later. Remain exceedingly sad that there was never a badass GG animated movie or series.
*Bonus*
Calamity Trigger – Hear about the upcoming release of BlazBlue while living in Germany. Go and reserve the special edition as soon as you get home. Quickly realize that you and your best friend no longer have the free time or energy you did as teenagers. Almost never play it. Buy the sequel.
* Seriously though, look up a walkthrough for the different paths in this game. Simply beating each fight in story mode will usually net you the worst ending. You have to do things like “win the second fight with half heath, wait until the last 20 seconds and then lose the fifth fight, and win the seventh fight using only light kick on a Tuesday.”
Everyone’s favorite bounty hunter is joining NetherRealm’s [amazon_link id=”B0088I7L76″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Injustice: Gods Among Us[/amazon_link]. Lobo will be coming soon to take the beating to every other bastich in the game.
Lobo is the first of four DLC fighters planned for the game. You can download each character separately or purchase the Season Pass for $14.99 which is basically a “Buy 3, Get 1 Free”.
We will keep updating you on the rest of the DLC as we find out.
For those of you that like your soundtrack to be with musical artists singing songs having nothing to do with the product then have no fear! Injustice: Gods Among Us is getting one of those soundtracks! It will release digitally this week for $10 and on disc next week. Don’t worry, you can also buy the orchestral version online as well.
Here is the track listing:
1. Rise Against “Sight Unseen”
2. AWOLNATION “THISKIDSNOTALRIGHT”
3. Portugal. The Man “Evil Friends”
4. Minus The Bear “Walk On Air”
5. Depeche Mode “Angel”
6. Pictureplane “Pure War”
7. The Faint “This Is Is Is Is Pain”
8. MSTRKRFT “Beards Again”
9. Jacob Plant “Fallen”
10. Killer Mike “Villain”
11. Zeus “Refusal To Die”
[amazon_link id=”B0088I7L76″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Injustice: Gods Among Us[/amazon_link] releases on April 16th.
WB Games has released a launch trailer for Injustice: Gods Among Us. It is not heavy on story (which is great by the way), but it is heavy on punches to the face, tombstones over people’s heads and truth lassos. Oh and Batman and Aquaman get most of the speaking time which is fine with me since Kevin Conroy is back doing Batman’s voice and Aquaman is the King of Atlantis and all. Not an Aquaman fan? You are missing out.
[amazon_link id=”B0088I7L76″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Injustice: Gods Among Us[/amazon_link] releases on April 16th, which is next week! So this is the perfect opportunity to check out our Five Reasons why you should buy Injustice.
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.
Photo courtesy Xbox.com
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
Photo courtesy winterdrake.com
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.
Warner Bros. Interactive announced today that the mobile version of NetherRealm’s [amazon_link id=”B0088I7L76″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Injustice: Gods Among Us[/amazon_link] is up and ready to download on iOS for your iPhone or iPad through the Apple App Store. The game is free-to-play and features a collectible card game to go along with the touch-based combat. If you buy the console version of the game, both will link up for extra content.
I will sit here and wait on the game’s console release since I have a Windows Phone and can’t play. (insert Windows Phone joke here).
I am greatly anticipating Injustice: Gods Among Us. I loved NetherRealm’s reboot of Mortal Kombat and they have transferred that solid fighting engine to the DC Universe with great looking results. Now the game will be doing like so many games before and offering a season pass. It will costs $14.99 and give you four new playable characters and a new skins pack featuring costumes from Geoff John’s Flashpoint event from a few years ago.
The four characters have not been announced so I will give you four of my guesses.
-Black Mass
-Silver Monkey
-Sgt. Rock
-Amanda Waller (c’mon you know it would be fun)
[amazon_link id=”B0088I7L76″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Injustice: Gods Among Us[/amazon_link] releases on April 16th.
