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If I'm changing one thing about the plot of the game, the obvious springs to mind: Wonder Woman isn't the exception to the rule of Justice Leagues not actually dying.
It's a course correction more than a copout because, well, the Joker isn't genetically bad. We've met various children of the Joker and by and large they tend to be normal-ish. There's nothing terrifying about him having a kid. Look at Anarchy.
But ironically it could have beem used as an explanation for why Suicide Squad Harley is good now.
Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jan 22nd 2025 at 2:28:56 AM
Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.Okay so I've finally strapped myself down and played the game. I find the combat fairly fun, maining Boomer cause his teleporting is the funnest playstyle.
Very grindy though. The constant numbers and point scores gets mind-numbing at a certain point.
Also the talents are underwhelming. They are largely just blank stat increased and bizarre particle effects. Like Boomerang if he gets a high enough combo 777 slot numbers appear over him and a separate talent has party balloons exploding from him.
Its extremally obnoxious visual noise and I'm wondering what the hell Rocksteady was thinking implementing this.
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."Dollar signs. They were thinking dollar signs.
Self-professed Wild Card who thinks cynicism isn't so bad.![]()
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I think it would have been a great way to take Harley's character though. It'd definitely give her a sympathetic quality (I assume she would be portrayed as loving, in some form or other, the baby, even if she wouldn't exactly be a great parent), but overall how it changed her would be interesting. Especially since Arkham Knight deals a lot with Joker's legacy, so that would be a nice addition to that.
Boomer nation!
Yeah, I’ve found the teleporting Speed Force gimmick he has to be why he’s the winning character gameplay wise.
And yeah combat is fun but holy shit does the live service model make it tedious once you hit endgame.
"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"It's telling I'm at Kid Ivy's introduction where they introduce allictions and it feels like the game's already stopped introducing new content.
There's not much to do in the world. You just go straight to the next story mission and only occasionally do a support mission to introduce some new addition. These don't do anything interesting storywise though meaning unlike the Arkham games there no subplots or anything.
The game feels like it's simultaneously running out of content while simultaneously drip-feeding me new mechanics and weapon factions as an extended game long tutorial.
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."I'm past the Flash, but I do feel that too. I incidently had the most fun leveling up the whole squad to 30 since the side missions keep sticking you with annoying limitations that keep you from using the full potential of your weapons and skills.
Honestly though I have my own controversial idea since I've enjoyed Evil Batman in this game a lot: I seriously think just, straight up, Elseworld Evil Batman who defeated his own Justice League would've made for a pretty cool main villain!?
also I admit I'm still not convinced Harley underwent a Heel–Face Turn. She's not obsessed with the Joker, sure, but she still comes off in banter as a hedonistic Blood Knight who thinks wistfully about past atrocities and seems gung ho on the idea of killing the Justice League not for the good of the world, but simply for the glory of being the Super Villain who caps the Justice Leage.
Yeah this is one of her lines she can randomly say while in the open world, to paraphrase.
"Sometimes I think about all those people who have their lives ruined, are left with nothing because of the chaos in the world...... It gives me a little smile thinking about it."
Most of her dialogue is along this effect, painting her as someone who loves carnage and general bloodshed. I think her "redeeming" traits are intended to be her no longer being aligned with Joker, and caring for Ivy which even then whenever someone mentions Ivy being a genocidal ecoterrorist her response is "That Ivy God I love her for being a vicious mass murderer."
And of course her fanboying for Wonder Woman because thats now a consistent character trait of hers and we're intended to think of her as charming for saying stuff like "step on me mommy" when seeing Diana.
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."I'm just not entirely convinced we're even supposed to read her as redeemed so much as A Lighter Shade of Black in this game.
Edited by TheGunheart on Jan 22nd 2025 at 8:35:25 AM
Playing the game I feel like a huge issue is that no one here is really rootable.
On one hand we have the Suicide Squad who barring King Shark are remorseless criminals. Like we have to listen so much to Deadshot whining about GL ruining his life but considering he's an assassin absolutely nothing about him is pitiable.
Then we have their government handlers who routinely abuse and degrade them, barely showing them an ounce of respect of or consideration. Sure the Squad are villains but Waller's forces are a government spook-show violating their human rights, even guys like Deadshot and Boomerang don't deserve to be essentially enslaved and put to work against their will.
About the most sympathetic is King Shark but the story never leans into him being a strong moral center for the cast, and its very inconsistent about his morality. At times he appears appalled by the behavior of his times, other times he's as gleefully sadistic as the rest of them.
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."I feel there are so many ways they could have made this Deadshot's rivalry with Green Lantern interesting that they didn't go with, like I dunno, both having served in the same unit and knowing Stewart has a ton of skeletons in his closet while getting all the glory. Or as I suggest earlier, maybe leaning into the fact they're both murderers at the end of the day, but Stewart got medals and a magic ring because he did it "for his country".
Or have John be ashamed of the stuff he did while in the military and how he was rewarded for it, which inspired him to become a hero as Green Lantern.
While Deadshot has no problem with what he did as a soldier, only pissed off he didn't get recognition or money for it.
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."Annnnd I'm at Toyman's introduction. Wow I feel bad for the poor kid.
And the Squad have absolutely no issue injecting the bomb in his neck despite the kid just being an over enthusiastic fanboy who doesn't know better.
Even Flagg who is normally the voice of moral decency in most stories has no problem treating Toyman like another convict.
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."

I'd play it for the name alone.
Is it messed up that Joker and Batman both qualify as terrible father figures depending on the writer. Joker might arguably even be a better father in at least one depiction... holy crap two of them actually, the Harley Quinn Animated Series and that freaky manga where Bruce turns into a baby.
Edited by FOFD on Jan 22nd 2025 at 11:11:22 AM