Injustice: DC fighting games

Yes, but they still act like themselves while doing it.

For me, I'm just kind of over stories that depict Superman and/or Wonder Woman as evil while Batman stays heroic (hence why I like Bv S despite its flaws).

Yeah, that's just about my only complaint about Injustice. Evil Superman and Wonder Woman are really boring at this point.

On the other hand, I love the gameplay, character design, and this gear system looks perfect. Everything except for the story, and who knows, they might mix it up.

As much as NRS should be praised for their emphasis on plot (something that Street Fighter and Tekken have only just come around to), I'd almost like them to step back and just make a DCU fighting game.

Because I hear Wonder Woman sneer "Batman sends a child to face me?" to Blue Beetle, and the only reason it works is because I know this is supposed to be a darker AU version of her.

edited 26th Jul '16 10:22:30 AM by Watchtower

I'd like to imagine some dramatic irony in that Insurgent Batman, now essentially the de facto leader of all superhumans in his world, develops a deep mistrust against superhumans in his zeal to dismantle the Regime. By the time the game rolls around, the balance of power has shifted far in the opposite direction to the point where superheroes are imprisoned, executed, or monitored by the newly independent world governments empowered by Batman. With his secret identity having been revealed by the Regime, Bruce Wayne becomes held and inadvertently worshiped as a hero across the globe, and shares his technology and contingency plans with governments to prepare for a future conflict against superhumans if needed again.

edited 26th Jul '16 10:29:37 AM by FluffyMcChicken

I think backing away from something that actively contributes to the success of their games would be a huge mistake.

First off, can someone actually name more than let's say three instances of "Batman fights Evil Superman," or even just "Superman goes evil," that the plot has become so tiresome?

Second, even if you can, I still don't see a problem with it. It's the same reaction I have when people complain about the Joker's prominence in the Arkham series. When it comes to adaptations, I want to hear the hits, not the B-sides and deep cuts.

The reason it's Superman that goes bad is because he has the farthest to fall. Batman stands on that precipice seemingly once a year, but Superman is the big blue boy scout. And with his power, he's infinitely more dangerous if he does.

If Batman goes bad, it's a Justice League-level threat. But they would make short work of him. Batman is able to beat Superman with enough preparation and a healthy amount of luck, but no way could he face down the entire League and win. Which, now that I think about it is the plot of the first game. Batman's got himself, Lex, Harley, and Deathstroke, and they're completely outclassed, so he gets the Justice League of another universe to help them. And they're still losing until the good Superman shows up.

Add on top of that that people complained about how power levels were unrealistic and everyone should automatically lose if they fought Superman in the first one before they revealed the Kryptonite pills in the plot (and then complained about those), and I don't blame NRS for not wanting to have everyone act as they normally do and fight each other. No one should have to put up with the reaction they'd get.

a) That's not dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something the characters do not. b) That wouldn't make any sense as a plot, because the first game was solved by Batman contacting other superhumans to help him.

edited 26th Jul '16 10:50:42 AM by BadWolf21

Eh, I'm just kind of conflicted on it. I like Superman because he's the perfect hero, and is something to strive to be like. As a result, seeing him as a villain is frustrating, since it takes away what I love about the character.

At the same time, NRS have created, possibly, the best version of Evil Superman. His reasons for falling are understandable, and it's shown that he doesn't quite understand that he's the bad guy now. Him killing Lex and Billy, but still thinking Lois will love him, shows that really well.

I hope they manage to keep his story going in an interesting way, rather than just falling on "new threat comes, but it's taken care of and Superman is back to his crazy dictator shenanigans". Seeing a bit of his old self come back could throw in some moral ambiguity.

I don't know if I see that happening. I think killing Lex was his breaking point, and murdering Shazam was his Moral Event Horizon. Nothing he'd done up to that point was irredeemable, and it was a slow process from deciding to unite the world as its leader to unleashing open warfare on the streets of Metropolis. In particular, it's viewed as a mistake for Batman to have given up on Superman as a lost cause, because when Wonder Woman is out of commission after the events of Year One, Superman is left with Sinestro as his closest advisor.

You can do something new and be succesful. Repeating the same thread over and over again, leads to stagnation.

Superman: Red Son

Superman: the Dark Side

A Better World from Justice League

JSA: The Liberty Files

Any story dealing with Ultraman or Overman

And this leaving out Superman pastiches like Homelander or Plutonian.

Some people would like to see something new instead of a regurgitation of what's been done and in some cases done better.

Except these Evil Superman stories are so overdone they've now become the norm. Batman going rogue would genuinely be shocking at this point. Hell, look at the reaction Batfans had to his depiction in Bv S. People were seriously shocked and angry over it, not unlike some fans' reactions to Injustice Superman.

Oh when has that ever stopped him before.

https://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/4919360.html

Might as well put his usual plot armor to good use.

I mean, you said so yourself; the only reason it's Batman who's the heron in these stories is because he's a cash cow, not because it makes more dramatic sense

How is "a gameplay mode" considered the same thread? The stories aren't the same each time. It's just a way of presenting story in a fighting game. One that was revolutionary in 2011, and is only now starting to catch on with other companies. They'd be idiots to give it up just as it's becoming more popular.

Red Son, The Dark Side, and The Liberty Files all have him start evil because of where he landed. I'm having a tough time figuring out how Overman and Superman from The Liberty Files are different, but I'll take your word that they are. Either way, same situation. Ultraman doesn't count, because everyone on Earth 3 is morality-reversed, not just Superman (Batman is there as Owlman, and their greatest heroes are Alexander Luthor and the Jokester). So A Better World is the only one that's comparable to Injustice...and frankly, it was probably a big inspiration to the game in the first place.

And nowhere in those scans do I see more than one member of the League fighting Batman at a time. So it really doesn't address my point.

I think one possible solution is to do what MKX did with their multiplayer. Give some different contexts to the non story fights. For example, stuff like Batman and Superman just testing out Batman's new equipment, or Wonder Woman offering to train Supergirl. We already sort of saw that with Atrocitus offering Supergirl a red ring, and attacking her when she rejects it.

Actually, iirc, Ed Boon said somewhere that some of the non story fights will be referencing events from other continuities.

That would be great. Especially since there's no Fatalities to make it seem really weird.

Who knows? Main-universe versions may count as "other characters" for the purposes of gear assignment. Like, Owlman is definitely a different character than Batman, so why shouldn't Earth 1's Batman be different from Injustice's?

Yep. I wonder what jokes they'll make with the mirror matches this time. Probably a Bizarro one for Superman v Superman, or a reference to the previous game's climax.

Thats cause "Evil" Superman and Wonder Woman are kinda the "in"

For a while Batman was the raging fascist nutjob whose obsession would lead him to do **** that made him as much a villain as his villains and he'd only get away with it cause he's the most popular DC character... I mean his Batman... I mean... Well he'd just get away with it.

however that fad fell out of style when someone came on the old idea that Superman as the Paragon should fall and Batman as the meer human 'even though Batman is as much a average human as Lex Luthor is... IE the 1% percent' retains his humanity cause... SUPS ISN'T HUMAN!

Basically throwing out the concept that Ma and Pa Kent raised him right transforming his morality from Small town farm boy who happens to have the powers of a god into he has a genetically clad, Krytionian Paladin mandate that must be maintained at all times!!

edited 26th Jul '16 12:13:40 PM by FrozenWolf2

I was talking about Superman being evil as a story. I should have said plot, of course.

Fair point. It does, however, show how Superman as evil is a plot that's been repeated quite a bit and is more common than Batman going evil.

My point is writers love resorting to plot armor when it comes to Bruce so it would be no different if he were evil. Hell, if we're being realistic, Bruce should have been dead the moment Supes went evil.

He still is.

And he still does.

edited 26th Jul '16 12:24:08 PM by windleopard

...have you read the comics lately? He's a far cry from a fascist nutjob. The guy most recently put his cousin in charge of training a group of sidekicks, redeeming Clayface, and taking down a militarized group of batmen.

Bats has lighten up considerably from his 90s/ early 00s persona

Hm. I went back to Injustice 1 recently, to get used to some of the playstyles again, and I was reminded of how much I love Batgirl's gameplay. She's got some great mixups. I'm really hoping she comes back for this one.

ASBAR is as the nadir of Batman's personality, where people realized the track he was on, I think. I haven't read any of The Master Race, but I think even that has him lightened up a ton from The Dark Knight Strikes Again.

@windleopard: There was also the Justice Lords story in the Justice League cartoon.

Though at least the Justice Lords story didn't fridge Lois.

Unless I'm mistaken, that's "A Better World." Also, way to dredge up an argument from several weeks ago instead of letting it lie.

An argument still going on in this very page, including the posts above mine.

So what's your point? And you didn't have to reply to it if you wanted to let it lie. So cool the attitude.

edited 10th Aug '16 7:16:42 PM by Cortez

Fine, then I'll introduce a new subject.

In light of today's Superwoman #1 reminding me that the '90s happened, I think it'd be cool if Superman got the Superman Red/Blue look as an armour.

I'm sure he will. They seem to be going all out with the references through gear. Justice Lords Superman, the solar suit, 1940s coloration...

I'm really curious as to what colors certain characters will get though. How many shades of red can you give Atrocitus? Will Blue Beetle get to become Scarlet Scarab?

That is...a good question. I guess using a variety of accent colours?

Do you have a link to the video showing more of the gear? I haven't actually seen much gameplay, personally.

edited 10th Aug '16 7:38:39 PM by BadWolf21