What if Superman goes rogue and starts killing people, including fellow heroes from the Justice League? What if he becomes a dictator and takes over Earth? These are questions that have been asked and answered many times in the DC Universe, but NetherRealm Studios has now revisited this plot with Injustice: Gods Among Us. 

Here's the thing: Superman is pissed off that Joker tricked him into leveling Metropolis, which in turn killed Lois Lane and their only son. In a fit of rage, mainly due to the Joker's teasing, Superman ended the Joker's life and began taking over the Earth with the help of some members of the Justice League along with some villains. 

You might say to yourself, why would members of the Justice League help Superman cause anarchy? Well, they fear him, they all fear the wrath of the Man of Steel. Only Batman stood his ground, and also another hero who lost his life to Superman for doing just that. 

Presentation: 

Injustice: Gods Among Us consists of 24 characters beating the eyeballs out of each other. The whole thing is pretty elaborate, but what's most important, it's fun. When it comes down to graphics, this game is a looker, but only in the battle arena; that much can't be said for the cinematic cutscenes. However, it doesn't look bad enough to warrant you wanting to smash your TV screen and break your Xbox 360. 

Storywise, the game is solid; honestly, this is probably the best story currently in a fighting game. Usually, fighting games focus too much on the kicking and punching, while leaving the story in the background to fend for itself. Not so with Injustice: Gods Among Us; NetherRealm Studios has done a great job in this regard. 

The game will take around 3 to 4 hours to compete, quite lengthy for a fighting game, but it adds to the immersion. It is like playing/watching a full length comic book animated film, and you won't be disappointed. 

Combat System: 

Have you played the Mortal Kombat game from 2011? Injustice is similar to that title in its combat because it is made by the same developer on the same engine. Expect to come across solid fighting sequences and impressive animations. However, some aspects of the combat do get repetitive after awhile. For example, every character has a special move, and it's important pull these moves off in combat, as they do the most damage, but they do the same move over and over again. Aquaman's special move is the greatest: when he does his thing, the whole combat arena is engulfed in water, at which point Aquaman impales his enemy with a scepter and feeds him to an oncoming shark. 

You'll have to see it to believe it, so we found this video on YouTube. 

It would have been so much better if characters could mix things up a little bit, but unfortunately, that is not possible. 

We like the fact that in a single fight, players can move from one combat arena to the other. It's pretty badass in the way this happens, and rarely gets boring. Also, objects in the surrounding environment can be used to harm your opponents, but it all differs. For example, Superman can lift a car and slam it into his enemy; however if the enemy is Batman, he won't be able to lift that car. The best he could do is slam Superman into the car and that's it. 

S.T.A.R Labs 

Have you grown tired of regular kicking and punching? This lab is all about fun and games with mini missions, and it's a fantastic break from regular combat, so we welcome it with open arms. 

Online: 

So many good things to say about Injustice: Gods Among Us, but when it comes to the online aspect, one has to wonder what happened. To be quite frank, online play is not as solid as the single player mode; in fact, it is quite a mediocre experience at times. You'll experience lag many times, and it's not my Internet connection, which is pretty fast generally.

Furthermore, the game lacks custom matches. The only option to customize things is in private matches. Also, the ranking system is pretty poorly done; you'll find yourself going up against players with a higher kill/death ratio on many occasions. One time, I went up against a guy who wiped the floor with me with Harley Quinn. Now, if the ranking was better, my ego wouldn't meet its demise in such a shameful manner. 

Conclusion: 

Is Injustice: Gods Among Us worth playing? You bet, especially if you love the DC Universe. There's so much fun to be had here; only the online aspect and a few repetitive moments scar this game. But that's OK, you'll forget all about that once you begin to enjoy the story.