If Batman and Superman didn't quite manage to finish their blockbuster tiff in the recent film, there's no need to worry, because they'll soon be able to pick up their rivalry in Injustice 2. With a star studded roster of DC characters lining up to beat seven bells out of each other, Injustice 2 is shaping up to be a fast paced, one-on-one button mashing brawler that's as over the top as anything that's come before, with super heroes and super villains from across the DC Universe dishing out punishment in the most spectacular way possible.
From Gorilla Grod to Aquaman, from Harley Quinn to Wonder Woman, and from Flash to the Batman himself, there's a pretty substantial line up of characters here, with studio NeverRealm being careful to ensure that each has their own unique fighting style, strengths and weaknesses. Batman relies on his gadgets to fight, while bigger, bulkier characters like Gorilla Grod prefer the more up close and personal approach. Grod, particularly, is one of the heavy hitters on offer here - with a repertoire of bites, punches and clotheslines using those strong arms of his, he can dish out the punishment should you stray too close. Of course, Grod has another trick up his furry sleeves, too - with his telekinetic powers, he can take control of his opponents, and make them start hitting themselves.
One of the fanciest bits of Injustice 2, though, is the Super Moves - spectacular, and completely ridiculous beat downs you can only trigger once you've managed to fill a special meter. Each character has their own super move, and each seems to be as spectacular as the other. Superman punches his enemies so hard, they fly into the atmosphere, before delivering a Rock Bottom to end all Rock Bottoms; Aquaman summons a giant fish to take a chunk out of his opponent, while Batman makes use of all his special gadgetry in a jaw dropping sequence. First, he lobs a Batarang to tie a cord to his opponent, which attaches to a weather balloon. Then, out of nowhere, the Batplane appears, hooks the cord, and shoots up into the sky with the opponent in tow, before perfectly silhouetting against the full moon, turning and machine gunning the unlucky DC guy into the ground.
As you'd likely expect from the super moves alone, one room, or arena, is never going to be enough to hold two DC heroes and villains who are going at it, and so transitions between floors, and different parts of stages form a common part in most battles. Whether it's an unlucky superman finding himself in the path of a Metropolis monorail, smashing all the way through it until he hits a building, or Gorilla Grod punching batman with such force, he bounces off a car, through a cinema, and up some stairs, before finally coming to a halt in a dusty attic, there's nothing Injustice 2 does by halves...
Beyond the characters you've probably heard of, though, there's a fair few who are a little bit more obscure - like Atrocitus, a giant, red demon thing (actually a red lantern), who's accompanied by an equally sunburnt, cape wearing cat known as Dex-Starr. Brilliantly, Dex-Starr can be called upon in battle too, to either shield Atrocitus (because where would the giant bad guy be without his little cat to keep him safe), or get his claws out and attack people, making Atrocitus the perfect pick for crazy cat ladies everywhere...
Atrocitus - cat lover
One of the new features for Injustice 2 is a Gear system, which lets you customise your character with new shoulder pads, gauntlets, and helmets, adjusting their stats. Thankfully, the team at NeverRealm have ensured these aren't simply a tool to make already great players unstoppable, as whether you win or lose, you'll earn gear drops to make your character better. Some items may make your character more powerful and do more damage, while others give you more defence - but every item adjusts the way your character looks.
Set for release in a vague 2017, Injustice 2 is already looking smooth, polished and impressive. Here's hoping the remaining roster reveals are as impressive as the ones we already know, as this could be well worth picking up next year.
