Jyger’s Rant – Injustice 2 Story Mode Review (WARNING – SPOILERS AHEAD)

…So, I don’t own this game. Just throwing this out now. Not available for any systems I own, don’t have the money to get a new one, and so here we are. That said, I really wanted to give my thoughts on the story in Injustice 2, especially since I DO own the original and have given my thoughts on it in the past. Luckily, plenty of people, like Maximilian Dood and Kwing, have posted playthroughs of the Story Mode, so I’m thus able to give it my own review. Just remember, though, that as I’m doing this review, I’m speaking strictly about the story, not the game in terms of how it plays and whatnot. Although, I will get this out of the way right now: So far, based on what I’ve seen, it looks like a really good game, haven’t heard much wrong with it from a technical perspective yet, and on a personal note, NetherRealm Studios seem to have HUGELY improved on their facial designs and animations with this game. In fact, over all, I think this is their best LOOKING game of all time. Whenever they wanna make Mortal Kombat XI, they need to take inspiration from this game when it comes to the graphics.

But yeah, the story. So, this takes place a few years after Injustice: Gods Among Us. Superman is in a red solar prison for taking over the world, and his former Regime buddies are either planning to break him out, working to make up for what they did under his rule, or joining Gorilla Grodd’s new group, the Society. However, pretty soon, it becomes clear that the Society are just pawns in a much bigger game, as Brainiac arrives to capture Superman, add a few Earth cities to his collection, and then blow the planet up. Eventually, the situation devolves so much that Batman and his allies have no choice but to release Superman and work with the Regime to try and stop Brainiac and the Society before they destroy the world.

So, right away, I have a bit of a complaint to make. If you didn’t play that game…well, there’re a few details that this game tends to completely either ignore or glance over. Specifically, the heroes of the mainstream DC Universe were brought over to the world primarily presented in these games and the comics to stop an evil Superman who had pretty much taken over with a new group made up of former heroes and villains called the Regime. And while this game takes place on that world, I think there’re maybe one or two passing references to the fact that Batman had help from good Superman and the Justice League in taking down Regime Superman (as in they did most of the work and he got all the credit), and the player is otherwise left to assume Batman was bad enough to bring down Superman all by himself. Also, no mention of the super pills they took last game, which are meant to explain how people like Batman, Harley, and other characters without superpowers can go toe-to-toe with superhumans, get tossed around in outer-fucking-space, and survive without so much as a scratch on them.

Another issue with the story is that it has a bit of a…complicated relationship with the tie-in comics. Nowhere is that more clear than in the first chapter of the story, which is actually set during an operation that Superman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg were pulling on Arkham Asylum. Basically, some events that happened in the comics are considered canon, others aren’t, and there doesn’t seem to be any kind of pattern as to what is or isn’t, nor is it made 100% clear what all is and is not canon anymore. One thing we DO know about what’s been changed is that, while Damian did apparently still kill Nightwing by accident, it didn’t happen during the operation on Arkham. Instead, the thing that tears him and Batman apart is Damian killing Zsasz…who, in the comics, survived way longer than that, and was actually responsible for killing Alfred. So, right away, we’ve got a double retcon, and that’s not even taking into account certain details mentioned by Cyborg about the deaths of Starfire and Beast Boy.

Before I get to the two biggest things that bother me about the story, though, let’s talk about some positives. First, you know I’m a sucker for stories that involve a ton of characters, and this has a lot of different heroes and villains with a wide range of abilities, from Harley Quinn with her dynamite and mallet, to Doctor Fate, sorcerer supreme of the DC Universe. From Captain Cold, a former bank robber with a freeze gun, to Supergirl, the last hope of Krypton with almost God-like strength and powers. Even Dex-Starr, who is quite possibly the avatar of everything stupid-yet-awesome about comic books, plays a minor role in the story. Characters from all walks of life in the DC Universe have various parts to play in this crisis, and all prove their worthiness to be involved in such a tale. Sadly, the majority of them are taken down a few notches at best by the last two chapters, which I’ll get to, but it’s still awesome to see them all here. Even Joker makes a return via Scarecrow-induced hallucination, which leads to the awesome sight of Harley, in a somewhat close approximation of her classic costume, giving him a good ass kicking.

 

 

Another positive to the story is not quite something I suggested after playing through the first game’s Story Mode, but close and still appreciated. Several chapters of the game give you not one but two characters to play through with, and you choose which one to play as before each fight in that chapter. As such, you can mix and match who fights whom, or you can have your favourite of the two do all the ass kicking. It’s totally up to you. And I appreciate that. I personally suggested classic Marvel vs Capcom 2v2 style fights, but whatever. Still cool, and allows not only for different dialogue and scenes depending on who is involved in the fights, but for more characters to take center stage in each…at least until the end, but again, I’ll get to that.

So, now for something that annoys me to no end, and if you’ve played through the Story Mode and know me and the characters I like, you should be able to figure this out. Simply put, I am NOT a fan of how Superman, Wonder Woman, and Poison Ivy are written in this game’s story, especially the last two (although that could simply be that nothing Superman does could top what he did to Shazam last game, who is a CHILD). In particular, there is a scene where Poison Ivy uses her pheromones on Harley Quinn to turn her against her allies. Now, first off, I’d just like to point out that Harley is supposed to possess immunity to most poisons, toxins, etc., due to injections given to her BY Poison Ivy. But, let’s just ignore that for now, because that’s not what really aggravates me. Instead, after inhaling too much of Ivy’s pheromones, Harley starts going into shock, and Ivy’s reaction is to roll her eyes and show complete and utter apathy over her former lover lying on the ground dying five feet away from her… … …Linkara, I need you again!

Thank you!… … …Look, here’s the thing: I can see a situation where Harley and Ivy could be on opposing sides, sure, maybe even having to fight each other, but there is NO FUCKING WAY that Harley could be dying two feet away from Ivy, and Ivy would be on that level of not giving a shit. This is HARLEY we’re talking about. Regardless of if you subscribe to the idea of the two as a couple or not, the fact is that the second she saw her convulsing like that, she would have dropped EVERYTHING else and tried to help her, because be it in a romantic sense or not, Harley is one of the few people left that Ivy truly cares about. But she doesn’t. Why? Because Ivy is, in this story, irredeemably EVIL, as are Wonder Woman and Superman.

Now, I’ve brought this up in videos before, and they’ve brought up the defense that this is an alternate universe, so of course characters are gonna behave in ways we’re not used to. And yeah, as I said before, that was a thing in Injustice 1, and other than going to the extreme of Superman killing Billy Batson, I didn’t mind. So, why does it bother me here? Well, I thought about that, and I came to the following conclusion: It was easier to watch and deal with characters I knew and loved acting in such a manner in Injustice 1 because we had the versions we knew and loved going up against them. Hell, it actually made for interesting contrasts between them to see how they were so different, and yet had a starting point they could both be linked back to. Here, though, we don’t have that. We just have them acting like…well, MONSTERS. And, for that matter, why is it that we have characters who behave in a way that’s completely removed from the core of who they are, and then some who aren’t? Why are Barry and Hal able to realize the error of their ways in the previous game and try to redeem themselves, but Diana isn’t? You have to remain constant to the rules of how this alternate universe works, otherwise you’re inviting people to bring up these comments when stuff like this happens.

And then there’s my last issue: The end of the game, and if you don’t wanna know, then sorry, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. This is your only warning…Okay, so Superman and Batman go up to the Skull Ship to stop Brainiac, save Supergirl, and restore the stolen cities. Unlike in past chapters with multiple characters, the final two fights of this chapter have you fighting Brainiac twice, once with Superman and once with Batman. Personally, I would have changed it to where you choose which of them fights him the first time, and then Supergirl takes him on in the final battle. After all, not only does the Story Mode start with a flashback to her escape from Krypton after Brainiac invades, but we frequently see her side of the story as it unfolds even outside of her chapter, plus she gets a good shot in on Brainiac just before the last fight, AND she plays a big role in the ending of the game. So, clearly, the story largely centers around her, meaning it makes logical sense for her to be the one to take Brainiac down in the end. However, what’s a bigger issue is…that’s NOT the final chapter. The final chapter involves Superman and Batman, having successfully stopped Brainiac’s ship from crashing due to Superman interfacing with it, as well as managing to restore all of the Earth cities sans Metropolis and Coast City, coming to an argument over whether or not to kill Brainiac and take control of his Skull Ship, thus risking the remaining cities that haven’t been restored yet, or keep him alive long enough to restore the cities. And guess what? The story ends with them fighting AGAIN, leading to you choosing which one to play as in fighting the other and their allies. So the story ends with either Batman defeating Superman with a Kryptonite-enhanced armor and then banishing him to the Phantom Zone, then inviting Supergirl to take Clark’s place on a new Justice League, or Superman defeating Batman, bonding with Brainiac’s ship, imprisoning Supergirl in the red solar prison, and using Brainiac’s tech to turn Batman into his slave…Oh, and I’m assuming (don’t know this for a fact) that you get the special armor shown in the ending for the character you chose.

So, what’s my problem there? Well, it’s two-fold. The first reason I dislike it is because I would’ve personally ended the game with Brainiac’s defeat…then I would have had Superman DIE trying to use the ship’s systems to restore the Earth cities. Yes, I would have KILLED Superman. Barring that, I suppose he could’ve been left critically injured past the point of being able to recover quickly from solar rays, thus leaving him comatose or the like. Either way, I would have had the story end with him making that sacrifice, and then, as he lies on the floor, surrounded by friends and family, he looks back on how everything that went wrong stems from his decision to kill the Joker, and finally realizes his mistakes. It wouldn’t have magically taken away everything he did, but it would have at least let him go out saving the world and acknowledging that he did wrong. And then, from there, I guess you have Supergirl taking his place on the new League, the Regime all either surrender, go into hiding, or likewise realize their errors and join the new League, and so on. Oh, and I also would’ve added a teaser at the end for Darkseid deciding to try his hand at attacking Earth next, since…well, let’s be honest, that’s probably where they’re going.

The other reason I don’t care for the end of this game, either one, is because… … …Well, because I don’t care. I don’t care that Superman and Batman are fighting AGAIN. I’m too numb to it now. Why should I care that Superman and Batman are going to fight for the 11,311th time?…That’s one for every day since The Dark Knight Returns #4 came out, btw, and oh dear lord, I just now realized I’m two days removed from being exactly one year older than that comic. My God, I’m old. But the point still stands, I’ve just seen it too often, and I just don’t care to see it ever again. So ultimately, the ending doesn’t impress at all. It literally leaves me going “Oh yay, this again…”, and that’s not how a story should end. Like, it really says it all when, the first time they fight in the game during Chapter 1, all I can think during this scene that’s supposed to be really dramatic and sad is “Wow, I love the gold trim on Superman’s cape in this scene. Looks really good, and adds some much-needed colour balance between the red, blue, and yellow”.

So, as a result, for the ending leaving me so disappointed and for everything else that went wrong…I have to unfortunately give the story a thumbs down overall. There ARE moments I like and even love, like Harley beating down Joker, Hal Jordan fighting off the urge of the Red Lanterns’ rage, Cyborg vs Grid, the reveal that Batman kept the old round table for the Justice League, and so on. But it’s just overshadowed by a story that is infuriating at times and just unenthusing at others. Sorry, NetherRealm, but this is one story I just couldn’t give my approval to. Better luck next time, though.

Anyway, what did you think of the Story Mode? Let me know in the comments below, and let’s hope that Mr. Boon and DC listen to what we have to say next time. Ja né!

Injustice 2 – The Lines Are Redrawn Trailer

Welp, Injustice 2 is four months away, and we’ve got a new story-based trailer up, so let’s take a look, shall we?

So, with this trailer, we have confirmation of Robin, Poison Ivy, Brainiac, Bane, and Darkseid all either being playable or playing a role in the story. If they are all playable, then they join Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Blue Beetle, Atrocitus, Aquaman, Deadshot, The Flash, Gorilla Grodd, and Harley Quinn. Also, as I understand it, at least A Green Lantern (probably Hal Jordan) will be in the game, there’ll be skin/voice patches to include Reverse-Flash, John Stewart, and Power Girl, and we’ve had hints that Doctor Fate and Captain Cold will be in the game. All in all, a rather impressive roster so far.

As for the trailer, I could do without the call back to Lois and little Jon’s murders, since, as you all should know, that’s kind of a hot button issue with me. Wasn’t fond of it when it was first revealed, still don’t like it now. But, I understand that it was the event that kicked Injustice off in the first place, so it would be impossible to continue this story without it. It sucks, but what can you do?

Anyway, still plenty of spots open on the roster, and more to come via DLC, so who would you like to see announced? Lemme know in the comments below, and we’ll see what happens between now and May 16th. Ja né!

Injustice 2 Trailers + Story Speculation

So, the past few days have been exciting for NetherRealm fans. As has been speculated and hinted at for a few years now, we finally have confirmation: Injustice 2 is on the way. What’s not so awesome for me is that, apparently, this game will not be available for any system I own. Once again, bend me over and f** ** ** *** *** for being a Nintendo guy. lol I kid, I get that this happens sometimes, and of course I’ll probably still watch playthroughs of the game when it comes out, but it’s a little frustrating is all. And I’ll get into why specifically, but for now, let’s take a look at the trailers.

Right off the bat, I gotta say how much I appreciate how frigging colourful the gameplay trailer was. Anyone who played the first Injustice game knows just how dark and gritty it looked at times, even when heroes like Green Lantern were on the scene, but this game has so many different bright and shiny colours and effects going on. It’s a marvel to look at, and a bit of a relief since, while I liked the announce trailer, the darker tone of it made me think we were going back there with this game. Instead, the announce trailer is simply to set a thematic tone with its darkness and everyone fighting, while the gameplay will be so much brighter, which makes me wonder a bit about how the story will unfold, if we’ll perhaps see a clash of all the darkness and despair from the previous game’s story going up against a more optimistic and hopeful era.

To explain what I mean by that, let’s look back on the plot of the previous game. And, before anyone asks, I did not read the comics, primarily because I knew I wouldn’t like the depressing and grimdark tone of it, though I do admit to laughing my ass off at some of the bits I’ve seen involving Harley Quinn. Why ISN’T Green Arrow’s hideout called The Quiver? But anyway, the point is, last game, we had the Justice League of a world more akin to what we’d usually expect out of our heroes being tasked with saving an alternate Earth (which I’m just going to call Earth Injustice) where Superman, after being tricked into killing his wife and unborn child, slipped into madness and took over, creating a conflict between his Regime and Batman’s Insurgency. In the end, the good Superman defeated the evil one, locking him away in a prison that robbed him of his powers, the members of his Regime were arrested, and the fallen Earth was given a chance to start over, though it was hinted at the very end that evil Superman still had a tiny portion of his powers left.

So, there’s two ways I think this story can go. The obvious one is to tell what happened on Earth Injustice after the Regime crumbled. After all, the Injustice comic has gone on for five years now, telling the tales of this world and its characters (and killing them off willy nilly), meaning a lot of work has been put into it. Seems like a waste to toss aside, is all I’m saying, especially now that there’s an opportunity to tell what happened next. However, I have a feeling that the story will consist more of “first things were bad, and now they’re worse”. Like I said, everything seems so bright and shiny in the gameplay. Now, that could be because of the better graphics, but honestly, I would take advantage of that. Show that there are people who have stepped up since the collapse of the Regime that have taken great care in building the world back up. Have the optimists trying to deal with fixing the world. Then the trouble starts, likely an invasion of some sort combined with Superman getting free, and have it be a clash between the two sides that shows the brighter, more optimistic side take on the darker and dire side. And when it comes to bringing back the old characters that died, maybe have them be brought back as Black Lanterns or zombies (Atrocitus IS apparently part of the story this time, after all, and he’s delved into necromancy in the past), or have characters like Red Arrow or Mary Marvel step up to take their place, but with a few adjustments.

The other way the story could go is to have it take place on the world where the good Justice League come from. Why do I think that? Well, let’s take a second and look at Superman’s arcade ending in the first game.

Now, before you ask, no, I don’t think the idea here would be to have this world end up exactly like the other. I think that would kind of be a waste and a retread. But what would happen if concern over that got so bad that the wrong person at the wrong time ended up with the control to kill Superman? Or, what if the government found out about what happened there and became worried about it happening in their world? Granted, much like Injustice 1’s plot, this is a story that has been done before in the animated series, but it still has potential to be explored, with different characters and interactions as part of it, and heroes and villains taking different sides in the debate that could lead to different alliances. And before anyone says “Well, Superman’s ending in arcade mode isn’t canon to the main story”, remember this is NETHERREALM we’re talking about. They either take elements of the different character endings and incorporate them in future stories and/or make character endings specifically to tease future events all the time.

Overall, though, I think all the signs point to this taking place on Earth Injustice. What especially gives it away is one of the stages we see in the gameplay trailer where Supergirl fights Atrocitus. We see a statue of Superman holding someone’s body, which I’ve heard many who have likewise watched this trailer suggest could be Lois Lane. We know from dialogue between the two Supermen at the end of Injustice 1 that Lois Lane is alive in the Justice League’s world, so this HAS to be Earth Injustice. This also might explain the new gameplay feature: The armour. In the last game, Batman gave the Justice League and members of the Insurgency super pills that were created by Superman and stolen from the Regime (and yes, as Matt and Pat of the Super Best Friends pointed out, Superman has been pushing drugs in this universe, lol) in order to make them tough enough to go toe-to-toe with some of the tougher superhumans out there. However, in the fallout of Superman’s defeat and the arrest of seemingly all the more powerful members of his Regime, what if they stopped making the pills, or perhaps the stuff required to make it ran out? That would lead to the most likely replacement in dealing with the new threat in the new game: Power armour. Something to augment and adjust their natural abilities to make them able to stand up to tougher opponents.

Regardless of what they do with the plot, though, I hope it’s at least less dark and dire than the last one. I don’t need to rant again about how pissed off some of the decisions with the story made me. Hopefully, the more optimistic tone going on with Rebirth (and apparently the movies now that Geoff Johns is gonna be taking over there) will translate here, too. I’ll go more into what I’d like to see from the game later, though. For now, lemme know what you think of what we’ve seen of this game so far, and let’s see if anything more about the game comes to light at E3. Ja né!

What Did The Dream Sequence In Dawn Of Justice Mean? (NOTE – SPOILERS AND SPECULATION AHEAD) + Thoughts On Post-Rebirth Costumes

Before you ask, no, I haven’t seen the full movie of Batman v Superman. I do not intend to go see it, at least not in theaters. Now, if I see it on Netflix in a few months, I might very well decide to check it out. But, for now, I’m not going to go see it. That said, I DO know all the details of what happened in the movie, and given the overall tone of it that’s been relayed, I can safely say I was right to skip it. That said, I WILL admit to liking what I’ve seen and heard of Wonder Woman in the movie, and am actually a little interested to see how her own movie turns out. In fact, most people I’ve talked to about the movie claim that she’s the best part of it, although that could simply be because she doesn’t have top billing, and therefore Zack Snyder was less focused on draining the joy and fun from her character along with Superman and Batman…but that’s a story for another day.

Also, I don’t mind that Wonder Woman’s costume post-Rebirth is basically her movie costume with a somewhat brighter colour palette. At least she’s back in gold.

Instead, there’s something else I wanna speculate about from the movie: The dream sequence. Even if you’ve only seen the trailers, you probably know what I’m talking about. Basically, Batman has a dream of a dystopian future where the world’s gone to hell and Superman is evil. Now, when images relating to the scene came out, particularly one revealing a giant omega symbol in the ground and Parademons flying about, what I figured was going on was that Batman was getting visions of a future where Darkseid had invaded and taken over, but that his mind was getting the message mixed up, his paranoia instead painting Superman as the alien menace that will unleash this terror. However, it’s instead revealed in the movie that Batman is getting these visions from a time travelling Flash, who tells him that he was “right about him” and that “Lois is the key”, which indicates that Superman really WILL turn evil at some point…which might confuse some due to the ending, but trust me, it shouldn’t, at least if you know anything about Superman’s comic book history.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject, don’t mind a similar choice to adapt the Man of Steel costume, but I prefer the design with the yellow belt and red boots. Just feels like it balances the colours out better.

So, what does it all mean? Well, remember this is all purely speculation on my part, based on my own theories, as well as those proposed by others who have seen the movie. Basically, they’re doing an odd hybrid of Injustice: Gods Among Us and Earth 2. What that means is that, at some point in the future, Lois Lane dies and it drives Superman to turn evil, but instead of being the evil dictator he is in Injustice, he’s instead an instrument of destruction under the control of Darkseid, albeit with his own lackey soldiers working for him. Clark’s continued remarks about how Lois is his world during DoJ seem to reinforce this theory. If I’m right, then what’ll happen is that Batman will realize that he needs to keep Lois from getting killed at some point in order to prevent Superman’s heel turn.

And what the hell, let’s talk about the new Batsuit. Ironically, Batman might be the most unnecessarily detailed of the three. And that’s not even saying I dislike the costume at all. Just a bit more detailed and colourful than I’m used to for the Dark Knight. That said, with his return, it was probably a good idea for him to make a stunning impression.

So yeah, that’s where I think this is going. Now, is this a good idea or not? Honestly, I’m a little sick of stories where Superman turns heel, but what about all of you? Lemme know what you think about this and the movie in general in the comments below, and we’ll see if I’m right in where this goes. Ja né!

SO glad they did away with the matching collars, by the way. I mean, I guess it would make sense if they were special Justice League uniforms meant to match up together, but it still feels silly.

How Would I Do A Sequel To Injustice: Gods Among Us?

So as you all know, Injustice: Gods Among Us actually turned out to be a great game, even including a story mode that helps me forgive some of the decisions made regarding some of the characters. So then I thought to myself, how would I do a sequel after that story, that honestly seems to resolve itself pretty well. And that’s when it hit me, the answer is two words: Blackest Night. So, THIS is what I would do…

1 – Adapt Blackest Night

So for the story, here’s what I have in mind: It turns out that Scarecrow was working with the Sinestro Corps when Joker murdered him and took his fear toxins (remember that Scarecrow has been a member in the past). As a result, when Superman was under the effects of his fear toxin, he was also infected by Parallax, thus explaining his radical change in personality. It would later be revealed that Parallax was actually making long-term plans to deal with Nekron, should the Black Lanterns ever emerge. Flash forward a couple of years after Injustice, where Black Hand returns to Earth and the people who were killed in the past events are resurrected as Black Lanterns. Now it’s up to a united front of heroes and villains to try to stop Black Hand. This would also serve to analyse the events of Injustice and the choices the characters made, to see if some of them can ever come back from what they did.

2 – New Playable Characters

Obviously, as a sequel to a fighting game, the game would likely require new characters. As you can see above, one of the unlockable concept arts you can get in the game for Green Lantern suggests that John Stewart was to be playable, and I think he would be a good addition, especially given what happens to Hal Jordan in Injustice. Also, given what I have in mind for the story, I think I’d wanna include Red Arrow, Batgirl, Black Hand, Saint Walker, Atroticus, Starfire, Beast Boy, Donna Troy, Black Canary, and Scarecrow. Naturally, bringing back the characters who died in the first game (Shazam, Joker, and Lex Luthor) and in its back-story (Green Arrow and the Titans who were killed when Metropolis was destroyed) as Black Lanterns would work.

3 – Include Tag Team Mode

This didn’t actually occur to me until I’d seen Angry Joe‘s review of Injustice, but it did leave me asking the same question: Where the heck WAS Tag Team Mode? Especially considering what happened in the Story Mode. We constantly had characters taking each other on in pairs, but we could only control one character. It got kinda repetitive, y’know? Teaming some characters up to brawl in pairs would be awesome. Or heck, how about teams of 3? Like, who wouldn’t wanna play this game with the holy Trinity themselves, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman? Or heck, how about putting the Teen Titans together?

4 – New Special Moves and Intros/Outros

Speaking of repetitive, while this didn’t bother me personally, I hear that some were a little annoyed that characters only had one special move and one intro and outro, except for rare occasions where they received new ones due to different costumes. It would be nice to mix it up a bit by adding new special moves. Maybe ones that further show off their various powers and skills. Like Superman using his freeze breath to encase an opponent in ice before giving them his best “I AM A MAN!” punch?…By the way, not kidding here, there was a point near the end of the final battle of Injustice’s story mode where I was playing as Superman taking on Evil Superman, and we had a Wager battle, and when we swung our fists at each other I just stood up and yelled out “I AM A MAN!!!” XD

Anyway, that’s all for now. If I ever think of anything more, I’ll post it later on. Feel free to add your own thoughts on what you’d do for a sequel, and I will see you guys next time. Ja né!

Related articles

• ‘Injustice: Gods Among Us’ to launch franchise? (digitalspy.co.uk)
• Injustice Blackest Night DLC Trailer from Germany (blogofoa.com)

Tales of Dumbassery: Damian In Injustice

Yes, my friends, it is time to take your aspirin, as your sanity creates a headache from having to be ground against…

So y’know, even after all this bullcrap involving Superman killing Lois Lane in the prequel comics to Injustice: Gods Among Us, I’ve still been trying to keep a positive attitude about this game. And I should note that, even after learning what I’m about to share with you all, I do still plan to buy it. If nothing else, I’m sure that I can enjoy it from the perspective of it being a fighting game, and let’s be fair, if there’s one thing NetherRealm Studios knows how to do, it’s make and maintain a good fighting game franchise. However, I will also say that my positive attitude has diminished ever so slightly due to idiotic things like THIS:

That’s right, apparently Damian Wayne murdered Dick Grayson, took his place as Nightwing, and betrayed Batman to Superman’s new regime. *inhales deeply*…Okay, so let’s count down the wrong here as calmly as possible.

1. The mere idea that Damian Wayne would betray Batman to ANYONE is so contrary to the character that it’s sickening. If he wasn’t gonna do it for his own mother, he wouldn’t do it for anybody. Period.
2. Honest to God, I actually think that if Damian had actually asked Dick for the mantle of Nightwing, he would’ve GIVEN it to him. Seriously.
3. Damian would not kill Dick Grayson unless he was being controlled somehow. The two were like brothers.
4. What the frickety frakkity fudge is up with Damian’s appearance in this game? Now, I’m going to assume that Damian’s done a lot of growing since he’s now at an age where, height wise, he can be mistaken for Dick Grayson, but what’s up with his hair? Damian would not grow his hair out, especially after that talk he had with Stephanie Brown about the dangers of letting longer hair out in combat to be grabbed at. Between that and the red Nightwing costume (which admittedly, Dick DOES wear these days, although the default appearance for Nightwing in the game is of him in blue), we can assume they’re going for dark and edgy and all that bullcrap. Then again, of the Bat Family members, I think Dick himself holds the record for most ridiculous heel turn costume with Renegade.
5. While I admit that this heel turn/revelation is shocking as all heck, which I’m sure was the point, I will also note that it doesn’t make a single lick of sense, as evidenced from above.
6. The timing of this is so HORRIBLE. Now, on the one hand, it is good to see that Damian is in the game, but to turn him heel? Especially after the way we saw him go down in Batman Incorporated recently? It’s such an emotional whiplash that I’m starting to feel sick to my stomach all over again.

Damian As Nightwing = FAIL

So that’s my thoughts on the matter. Leave a comment below, and I will see you guys when Injustice: Gods Among Us comes out, and on the next Tales of Dumbassery. Ja né!

Update on Injustice Roster and My Picks + Thoughts on Injustice Battle Arena

So it’s been a while since I made that video talking about my personal picks for the roster of Injustice: Gods Among Us. Since then, the roster has only managed to increase by A LOT, including some of the people I picked, so let’s look at the fighters that are confirmed to be playable in the game right now, as well as discuss their achievements in the Injustice Battle Arena tournament currently going on.

Man, am I glad this guy got in. As I predicted, Aquaman has some awesometastic and unique moves centring around his trident and control of the sea and all that exist within it, and in the first round, he knocked off Cyborg. Granted, he’s since been defeated by Hal Jordan, but he put up an excellent fight. I suspect him to be one of the more interesting fighters to play as in the game.

Like I said before, there was no way they could possibly NOT include Bane in this game, given that Knightfall was reprinted and he was in The Dark Knight Rises. Of course, he’s also the man who broke that Bat, a move he tried to replicate in the first round of the Battle Arena…only to later find himself getting rammed across the hood of the Batmobile…again. But regardless, I suspect Bane to be one of the biggest powerhouse characters. In fact, there’s only one other I can think of that does brute force better, and we’ll get to him later…

Because he’s BATMAN! XD No, seriously, I’m stuck for a single DC video game since Arkham Asylum, the game famous for breaking the Bad Bat Game Jinx, came out that didn’t include, reference, or in any other way include Batman. Naturally, he’s armed to the teeth with gadgets, he can summon bats to help him in combat, and he can even call his Batmobile to run people down like I mentioned he did to Bane. Also, he uses his grapple gun on airborne opponents while yelling “Get down here!”…Nice, Ed. How’d I KNOW you’d find some way to get Scorpion in there? lol Anyway, I suspect Batman to make it to the finals at least.

Frigging knew she’d make it in. Catwoman seems dedicated to fast, relentless attacks that just cut away at the enemy’s health, as I suspected she’d be. She’s a ravager, no doubt. She’s also highly acrobatic and can keep stronger opponents away with that whip of hers. For some reason, she’s not in the Battle Arena. Not really sure why. However, we have since gotten to see a great fight from her outside the tournament, and I’ll get to that later…

I just got one word for this guy being in, and I know I deserve to get smacked for it, but I’m gonna say it anyway: BOOYAH! Cyborg is packing some serious heat in this game, as I guessed he would be. Unfortunately, he got beat rather soundly by Aquaman, but we got to see some awesome action out of him before losing. And again, SO glad his Teen Titans voice actor is voicing him here. I can’t help it, it’s just the voice I hear when I read stuff with Cyborg in it nowadays.

Again, so glad I predicted this guy getting in. Deathstroke is just one of those DC characters you want to see in a fighting game like this, which is likely why he was in Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. Anyway, Slade comes packing with his massive sword, plenty of useful gadgets, and lots and lots of guns. Also, like Catwoman, he wasn’t in the tournament, which is disappointing. He likely would’ve kicked all kinds of ass.

Here’s one that people kind of knew about being in the game for a while, but it’s still an awesome addition. As I alluded to before, Doomsday is probably the only character with more brute power than Bane, and his place in DC history was cemented in The Death of Superman, where he and Superman both struck each other so hard they both died from the blows. As it turns out, however, even death isn’t enough to put either one of them down forever. Since he was just recently confirmed, he wasn’t involved in the tournament, but he was shown off in a battle against Shazam, who he literally pummelled through the Earth itself.

Red streak speeds by, too fast for the naked eye…Oh, sorry, wrong speedster. 😛 The Flash is another of those fighters you completely expect to be in a game like this. Naturally, his incredible speed has made him a force to be reckoned with, blowing past both Shazam and The Joker to make it to the semi-finals, though something tells me he isn’t getting past Batman. Still, I suspect it to be a great fight, though not as great as the OTHER semi-final match…

Tally ho, mother frakkers! XD Okay, I’m not exactly a big Green Arrow fan, but I’d be an idiot if I didn’t acknowledge his place in this game. His swiftness, trickery, and wide arsenal allowed him to beat Hawkgirl in the first round, but then he lost to Superman in the quarter finals, and I’ll get to THAT later. Still, Arrow proves why he deserves to be here, and I would imagine he’s likely a character a lot of people will be playing as.

Well, I said this would be a no brainer, and I was right: Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern. His attacks seem to be based largely around the constructs he creates with his ring, and if his bouts in the tournament are any indication, he seems to be able to take TERRIBLE beatings and keep going. Thus far, he’s managed to beat both Solomon Grundy and Aquaman, but on both occasions (in particular against Grundy), he took severe amounts of damage before finally managing to come out on top, though his next opponent in the semi-finals could be the most dangerous in the entire tournament…

Well, this should make Linkara happy. lol Harley Quinn seems to be going it alone in this game with the Joker’s apparent death…although considering Joker is also playable, I somehow doubt he’s really dead. She lost in the first round to Wonder Woman, but she did manage to hold her own against the Amazonian warrior princess for quite some time. I suspect her wacky arsenal will give her an edge over opponents who foolishly choose to underestimate her.

Dammit, I wish I’d thought to predict this one. Hawkgirl is admittedly really only one of my favourites due to her presence in the Justice League cartoon, but her Earth 2 counterpart is pretty cool too. Her strategy is pretty simple: Fly fast and hit hard with that frakking mace of hers. Seems simple, anyway, but it works more often than not. Unfortunately, Shiera lost in the first round against Arrow, but she showed off enough of herself to demonstrate why she deserves to be here.

Yeah, dead my ass. Joker either used some kind of duplicate or got put in a Lazarus Pit. Either way, I knew damned well Superman didn’t finish him off in the comics. Joker is so hard to predict that he managed to get past Lex Luthor in the first round, though he unsurprisingly got beat by Flash in the second. I suspect the truth of his continued existence to be a plot point in the story mode.

Speaking of Lex Luthor, the runner up for Colin Mochrie’s title as Captain Hair has shown up with another of his mech suits, and I swear these things just keep getting more and more insane with every one he débuts. He also recently had his own trailer, hinting at his role in the story, though it remains ambiguous as to which side he’s taking this time around. Normally I’d say “the bad guys”, but perhaps not now since the villain for this story appears to be Superman.

Thank God, they remembered to put Nightwing in BLUE (except for the alternate costume which I’m not counting since it’s just that, an alternate costume). Again, not sure why Dick wasn’t in the tournament. I get the feeling like they just didn’t have enough slots for everyone and simply HAD to cut some people, but still, Nightwing would’ve been great. I would’ve LOVED to see him go head to head with Batman. He seems to be able to switch between his escrima sticks and his staff as his primary weapons, both of which he can send electrical currents through. He can also use electrified blades on his gauntlets while riding past on his motorcycle…Huh. So he uses electricity…he has a bird-like emblem on his chest…*imagines him green instead of blue, with red hair and a green cape*… … …Aww, dammit…lol

Once again, Azarath Metrion ZINTHO-WTF is up with her voice?! o.O Okay, voice aside, VERY glad Raven is in. Not really sure why she’s blue skinned, but hey, her skin turned lots of different colours in the comics, so no biggie. Her telekinesis and teleportation are both key components to her fighting style, but she also has the ability to go dark and pound the shiitake mushrooms out of opponents, like she did with Catwoman as I alluded to earlier, even able to summon FRAKKING TRIGON! She’s probably gonna be one of the more awesome fighters to play as… … …Seriously though, NetherRealm Studios, why that voice? You HAD Tara Strong IN THE STUDIO to voice Harley Quinn, why couldn’t you get her to voice Raven too?

SHAZAM!!! Yep, they decided to include Mr. Don’t-Call-Me-Captain-Marvel in the roster. He seems to be the game’s answer to Raiden, blasting opponents with magical lightning, though sadly without the random screaming. Unfortunately, Shazam got his arse beat by Flash in the first round of the tournament, and then Doomsday made an example of his strength by pummelling him straight down to the core of the planet and then back up to the surface again. Still, Shazam showed why he’s not exactly a pushover, and should be a good fighter to play as in the game.

There’s only one man in the DC universe who can claim he is the lord of fear above Scarecrow, and that man is Sinestro. He can use his Yellow Lantern Ring to create sharp claws, bindings, and power cannons. His super move is that he grabs hold of two meteors and sandwiches the opponent in between them, something no ordinary man can survive. Unfortunately for him, his first opponent in the tournament was no ordinary man, he was Superman, who crushed Sinestro afterwards. Nonetheless, Sinestro showed serious power and intimidation in that fight. My only question is, why the hell wasn’t he scheduled to fight Hal Jordan instead? o.O

Born on a Monday. Christened on Tuesday. Married on Wednesday. Sexual harassment charges on Thursday. Divorced on Friday. Restraining order broken on Saturday. Alimony on Sunday…Wait, that’s not right…Ah, whatever. One of the first fighters shown in action after the game’s announcement, Solomon Grundy was considered to be the powerhouse of the game…Then Bane showed up…and then Doomsday…and while I don’t think he’s playable, it wouldn’t surprise me if Darkseid’s in…Well, whatever. Grundy is interesting in that he’s not JUST blunt force used excessively. He uses the various cutlery stuck in his back to slash at opponents, proving that if you’ve got it, you should flaunt it…This is a WEIRD frakking paragraph. lol

Okay, I’m just gonna say this right now: I’m not bringing up the comics here. The game’s story wisely seems to be downplaying the certain stupid move involving Superman that makes me wish the comic would rot in hell, so I’m not going there. Anyway, most of Superman’s more famous powers are intact here, giving him enough power to first defeat Sinestro in the first round, then defeat Arrow in the quarter-finals in 52 SECONDS! Why do I get the feeling that’s revenge for the cheap shot in The Dark Knight Returns? lol Anyway, a lot of people have predicted that Superman will probably meet Batman in the finals, though for that to happen, Supes has gotta beat Green Lantern, and the Dark Knight has to get past Flash.

Because again, how can you have a DC fighting game without Wonder Woman? Her fighting style centres around her incredible strength, her sword and shield, and the Lasso of Truth. All of these things made her more than a match for Harley Quinn, but sadly couldn’t get her past Batman, which a lot of people are calling foul on since they’ve made it clear in various comics that Batman is no match for Wonder Woman. Still, I suspect her to be one of the best fighters in the game, and wouldn’t be surprised if she shows up a lot in tournaments.

So yeah, of the fifteen characters on my wanted list for the game, seven have made it in. Not bad, considering. I’m kinda hoping there’ll be a sequel and we can get some of the other characters I suggested in, plus some others I didn’t think of. There probably won’t be one any time soon, if at all, since obviously the priority for NetherRealm Studios HAS to be Mortal Kombat. Still, something to think about.

As for the Battle Arena, my prediction is that Batman will face Superman in the finals. Naturally, if this were a real fight, Superman would win (unless Batman used Kryptonite or the like), but since the battles are determined by votes from the fans and we all know how Bat crazy fans are, for better or for worse, whether it makes any sense or not, I suspect that Batman will win the tournament. Either way, be sure to keep checking out the new battles as they come out, and I will let’cha know what the game’s like when I manage to get ahold of a copy. Ja né!

What I WON’T Be Buying Tomorrow – Injustice: Gods Among Us #1 (WARNING – SPOILERS)

…I feel like crying. Right now. I have been hyped as all heck for Injustice: Gods Among Us for months. Then I found out about the comic, which I found rather odd that they would do a comic book storyline to explain the backstory instead of just telling it in the game, but I let it slide…and then I read mayak46’s blog, and I found THESE images taken from tomorrow’s Injustice: Gods Among Us #1.

…So lemme see if I understand this correctly: In the first issue, the issue that’s supposed to get people on board for this story, get them super excited for these comics and the upcoming game, features Superman accidentally murdering his wife Lois Lane, AND their unborn baby, in a shock death. Allow me to appropriately demonstrate my feelings on the matter.

Also, I will admit to having to fight off the urge to write “nWo 4 Life”.

Seriously, this might be the most disgusting thing I’ve seen in a comic since Lian Harper’s corpse in Cry For Justice! DC can forget about me spending money on this comic, and if the game does not feature an ending that undoes this bullshit, NeatherRealm Studios can forget about me spending my money on this game! If anyone else feels the need to, that’s fine, but this is me putting my foot down, and I can’t think of anyway better to put the final punctuation than to borrow the following line: THIS COMIC SUCKS!

15 Characters I’d Like to See in Injustice: Gods Among Us

Okay, so as you’ve likely heard if you’re a fan of either DC Comics or Mortal Kombat, NeatherRealm Studios is doing another fighting game with DC characters entitled Injustice: Gods Among Us. I’ve seen trailers and early gameplay footage, it looks great, and while the current roster of characters revealed so far is awesome, obviously people are gonna be making lists of characters they’d love to see included, so here’s me pretty much throwing my opinions out there, as these are 15 Characters I’d Like To See In Injustice.

Images are obviously from DC Comics (Anybody else find that name horribly redundant?) and the music is from Justice League: Doom. And now, here are my reasons for each character.

This one’s pretty much a no brainer. There is no conceivable way that I can think of that they could do a game like this and not include a Green Lantern, and while he’s not my personal favourite, as arguably the most well-known Green Lantern, I would imagine Hal Jordan will be in. Expect some crazy moves from Green Lantern if he’s in, given what that ring can do.

Okay, first off, put the pitchforks down. I’m well aware that his connection to Cry For Justice (or as I prefer to call it, Gay For Vengeance) might make this guy a bit unpopular, but understand, I’m not picking this guy out of any kind of popularity or lack thereof. Rather, I think he would be an interesting choice for a fighting game with his various tools and the ability to adapt to different opponents, though not quite in the ludicrous way he could in Gay For Vengeance.

For three reasons. One, founding member of the Justice League and a badass character, two he’d have some unique and awesome moves for a fighting game, and three because an Atlantis stage would be AWESOME! Next!

I thought I’d cover all three of these at once because they all share a major reason for being picked: I LOVE the Teen Titans cartoon. I know, that’s not the same thing, but I can’t help it, just by watching that cartoon, I would love to see these three in the game (by the way, Dick Grayson and Cyborg are already in). That said, I think each one of them would present some interesting styles of combat, in particular Beast Boy’s transformations and Raven’s ability to project her soul self.

Because I wanted a Batgirl, and I think Barbara should be a character you see and hear in the game but as Oracle. So why Stephanie? Because Cassandra is already Black Bat, and I LOVE Stephanie as Batgirl. Though speaking of which, where the hell are Cass and Steph in The New 52? ANSWER ME, DARN IT!

Because Robin, while similar to Batman and Nightwing, is just different enough to warrant an inclusion. As for why Tim Drake, well I can’t see Damian being in the game and being taken seriously since he’s frigging 10, and Jason Todd…well, because…

Jason Todd as the Red Hood works as an antagonist and the occasional begrudging ally for Batman and his whole group, and I can see him as being the sort of Kurtis Stryker-like character (I don’t get why do people hate that character, btw). And speaking of antagonists for Batman…

Because honestly, I can’t see how they will be able to possibly resist doing this, unless it somehow turned out this game is canon with Arkham City, which I can’t see happening. Next!

…Do I honestly need to explain this pick? I know why this guy is a great pick, and I haven’t even read any of the comics he’s in. This is the force of evil that almost destroyed the entire universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths. This should be THE final boss in this game, period. Joker, the next guy on this list, Lex Luthor if it turns out he is playable, they should all be leading up to the Anti-Monitor.

One of the ultimate villains of the DC Universe, the guy that could drive even Superman to going homicidal just by being around, and would be one of the most powerful fighters in the game if included, I can’t see him not being in for any reason. Next!

Catwoman always brings uniqueness to her style of gameplay no matter what game she’s in, and I doubt this would be any different. Next!

Well, since I picked the Titans, why not their arch-nemesis? Plus, Deathstroke would be interesting as a character since he’s got the size and strength to be a Strength type character but clearly favours gadgets and technology over pure force, so I think he would make for a nice balanced character.

And finally, the man that broke the bat. Again, can’t see how they can avoid putting this guy in, especially given that he’s the villain in the new Batman movie coming out this year and, as a tie-in, has had his main story-arc where he was introduced reprinted. Would make for an excellent character.

So there ya go, my 15 picks. Feel free to comment on them, why you agree or disagree with any of them, and hey, feel free to list your own Wanted List in the comments as well.