Super heroes smash up — Injustice: Gods Among Us E3 Preview

The team behind Mortal Kombat at one time delved into the comic book world with Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.  Its greatest failing was probably the fact that people expected it to be Mortal Kombat with DC characters, but instead the violence was toned down because of the DC license.  Although the results were mixed, it did show us that the team that formed into Netherrealm Studios could handle a property other than Mortal Kombat.  Now they are going to give the DC characters their own due with Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Gamers need to realize that although the Mortal Kombat team is making Injustice, this is not a Mortal Kombat game.  There aren’t any fatalities or brutalities or X-ray moves here.  The team is doing their best to make Injustice feel like a different experience, although you might see some influence from Mortal Kombat.

[singlepic id=6870 w=320 h=240 float=left]In the demo I saw, they showed off The Flash, Superman, Solomon Grundy, and Batman.  Also confirmed for the game are Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn.  The developers have stressed that they want to keep the personalities of all the characters intact.  For example, Superman hovers over the ground, while Flash moves quickly and powers up his attacks.  Batman takes a different approach since he uses many gadgets like his Batarangs to attack, but Solomon Grundy uses his brute strength to swing enemies around like rag dolls.  Figuring out the best way to use each character will be dependent on their own individual strengths.

The locations should be familiar to fans of DC.  We know that the Fortress of Solitude and the Batcave will be included, and some of the cities will be represented as well. Netherrealm wants to make sure the environments are interactive as well, although different characters will use them differently. Superman was able to take barrels and throw them at Flash, while Flash rolled the barrels since they were too heavy for him to lift.  Some stages are multi-tiered as well. Solomon Grundy punched Batman on the street and sent him flying through several skyscrapers until stopping on a single floor.

The developers wanted to make sure that getting trapped on the edge of a level wasn’t too large of a detriment like other games.  In the Batcave there is a button that can be hit to activate a missile.  There’s also some kind of portal device that you can go through on the end and then come out a little closer to the middle.  Other traps can be found on the edge too.

While there aren’t going to be the bone crushing X-ray moves, you still are going to get some over-the-top special moves.  Superman took a huge uppercut to Flash to send him into the stratosphere, flew above him, and two-fisted him back to the ground.  Flash ran past Superman, caught speed to run on water, circled the earth twice, and sent him a sonic punch to the face. Solomon Grundy gets his rage on, pulling a gravestone out of his chest and slamming it down over his opponent.

[singlepic id=6872 w=320 h=240 float=right]There looked to be two different meters for each character representing their health.  The first layer didn’t regenerate and once it disappeared it was gone for good.  The second layer did regenerate some after a while.  They didn’t elaborate on these meters, so the regeneration might have been just for this demo, but they are still in the early stages of development.

Netherrealm is still working on the roster for the title, but the four characters looked great, and I’m sure they have even more surprises for us.  The most recent Mortal Kombat revived the series, and it looks like they have another winner with Injustice: Gods Among Us.  It’s too bad we are going to have to wait so long for it to be released, as it’s set for sometime in 2013.