Injustice: Gods Among Us – Ultimate Edition Review
If you look up “cool” in the dictionary, you wouldn’t find Injustice: Gods Among Us. No, that’s because the correct definition would be “ultra-cool”, and that’s not technically a word. In fact, that stupid hyphen connecting two words robs Injustice of a rightful place in the dictionary, because man is this game cool.
Picture the scene: you are controlling Batman as he faces off against Superman, and that’s in the bloody tutorial. Immediately taught the fundamentals, this is a game that, like most fighters, is tricky to master but easy to pick up and have fun with, such are the flashy visuals and dynamite production values.
But you’ve probably read all about the game before, having seen Martin’s review when it first came out (and he deals with the fundamentals and core mechanics, so I won’t here), so you’re reading this wondering: should I upgrade to this version for my shiny new PlayStation 4? The answer isn’t really that straightforward, sadly.
Compiling all of the DLC so far means you’ve a roster bursting with choice – and Scorpion, too, which still makes absolutely no sense and is a disappointing choice. For clarity, the characters added to the game for this Ultimate Edition are: Lobo, Batgirl, Scorpion (from Mortal Kombat), General Zod, Zatanna, and Martian Manhunter. Along with a load of skins, what you’re getting here is very much a complete, final version, as there are no more characters still to come.
If you already own the DLC, if you’ve already purchased the skins, well… there’s little reason to pick this up, unless all of your friends are playing the PS4 version and you feel like you’re missing out. If you don’t own it, but you do own Injustice already, the new characters are fun to play as (though Scorpion’s inclusion still irks me, and I’ll make no apology for that) and the skins offer visual variety, but hold no gameplay meaning.
What is wonderful to see is a crystal clear, smooth-as-butter frame-rate at 1080p. Now there’s much argument to be had over resolutions, and this isn’t the place for that, but Injustice looks very much like it did on PS3 or Xbox 360 previously, including the 60FPS it ran at. It was always a gorgeous looking game, so don’t rush out to buy it expecting any kind of real leap up.
The PlayStation 4 controller has been discussed a lot, and rightly so, because it’s one of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. It feels far better with fighters, with a decent D-Pad and sticks – essentially, Injustice plays very well with the DualShock 4. NetherRealm make use of the TouchPad for story mini-games and, of course, you can play the whole thing on a PS Vita via remote play, making the separately available Vita version somewhat of a moot point, especially given that it looks worse for wear as it struggles with the frame-rate. If you’ve played Mortal Kombat on the Vita, you’ll know exactly what I mean. It looks serviceable and plays well, but look closer and the character models just don’t hold up as well. Credit to Armature, however, as it does play as well as one could hope for, with a D-Pad like the Vita’s that clearly isn’t designed with fighting games in mind.
The most important thing is that the game still plays very well, with environmental interactions a key part of controlling the battle. Even better, it still has one of the best story modes in a fighter to date. Lengthy, full of fan-service and genuinely intriguing to experience, Injustice really is packed with content, before you even hit the online arena.
VERDICT: It’s hard to recommend the Ultimate Edition if you already have the original release on Xbox 360 or PS3, because if the DLC appeals to you, you’ve probably already purchased it anyway. If you don’t own the game already, but do own a PS4, then you’d be daft not to pick up Injustice: Gods Among Us: it’s a terrific fighter that runs incredibly smoothly, whilst retaining that ultra-cool ideal that only a comic book can deliver. Think of this as a “Game of the Year” edition, and you’ll be able to make a purchase decision. The reason behind there being no Xbox One version, however, remains a mystery.
VERY GOOD. An 8/10 is only awarded to a game we consider truly worthy of your hard-earned cash. This game is only held back by a smattering of minor or middling issues and comes highly recommended.
Download code provided by publisher.
