The Injustice 2 - Legendary Edition review

Announced at the end of February, the Legendary Edition of Injustice 2 was practically a must, if we consider the quality of NetherRealm Studios' fighting game, as well as the enthusiastic reception that was given to it by the public and critics. This definitive edition natively includes not only the base game but also all the DLC released so far, which enrich the roster of ten extra characters: Darkseid (initially reserved for pre-orders), Red Hood, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Starfire, Black Manta, Hellboy, Atom, Enchantress and Leonardo of the Ninja Turtles. A graft of content not to be underestimated, which comes in conjunction with a new advanced tutorial, a set of new items and an increase in the level cap to 30, complete with an additional slot for the perks.



A world without heroes

The Injustice series is set in a parallel universe in which Superman has lost his wits after killing Lois Lane and her unborn child, deciding to turn the world into a totalitarian regime in which no more crimes can be committed. However, the extreme limitation of personal freedoms does not meet the favor of Batman, who together with a handful of "rebellious" heroes gives life to a real resistance with the aim of making the Kryptonian reassure, by hook or by crook. . At the end of the first episode, Superman is defeated and imprisoned in a special detention facility with kryptonite-based systems, but a new threat is about to hit the planet: Brainiac, the collector of worlds. After devastating Krypton, whose only survivors are Kal-El and his cousin Kara, the synthetic villain wants to do the same with Earth, and to stop him the Bat Man will have to resort to any resources.



The Injustice 2 - Legendary Edition review

The spectacular storyline of Injustice 2 is told within a solid and consistent single player campaign, full of high quality cinematics, enhanced by an excellent dubbing in Spanish which sees the presence of Marco Balzarotti in the role of Batman, Matteo "Nathan Drake" Zanotti in those of Superman and Riccardo Peroni as the Joker. As per tradition, in the course of history, we alternate in the command of various heroes, each moved by different motivations, also following a subplot that sees some villains ally to support the action of Brainiac. The developers could have used gimmicks to justify the ability of some fighters to stand up to opponents much stronger than them (Batman himself is a simple human being, yet in the game he confronts cosmic-level creatures without major problems), but beyond this narrative simplification, the title of NetherRealm Studios is confirmed as truly enjoyable and spectacular, especially for those who follow the DC universe.

The Injustice 2 - Legendary Edition review

The arrival of evil

There are many innovations introduced by Injustice 2 compared to the first episode of the series, not only in terms of roster but also in the mechanics of the gameplay, further refined and consolidated. The basic style is clearly that of the "Mortal Kombat school", with many references to clarify the question right from the start, but above all the developers have managed to give this sequel a well-defined personality, which can be clearly seen in the technicalities that characterize the various maneuvers at our disposal. Each fighter has a large repertoire of moves, but it is also possible to exploit the scenario in many ways by acting on the backbones: there are objects that can be thrown at the opponent, areas against which the enemy can be thrown and interactable walls, which is possible break through where a loaded shot is used, giving life to a very painful sequence that finally transports us to another area of ​​the setting.



The Injustice 2 - Legendary Edition review

The icing on the cake is represented by the specials, which can be performed as soon as the relative indicator is full: these are moves with a great visual impact, which often involve the launch of the opponent into orbit and a powerful crash to the ground, possibly accompanied by missiles. or optical rays. Two quick examples: Batman ties the opponent to his grappling hook and has him transported to the sky by the Batwing, which in falling targets him with machine guns and rockets; or Superman, who throws such powerful punches at the enemy that they literally fly, and then stop him and crush him to the ground from miles high. Getting the timing right for the special can make all the difference in the course of a match, given that we are talking about a maneuver capable of inflicting substantial damage. For those wondering, yes, it is possible to play well with Injustice 2 even using a simple DualShock, although the "charge" style moves work pretty badly with the analog stick (or even the d-pad, for that matter). , while we did not notice any particular problems with the crescents. It goes without saying that an arcade stick can make a difference, especially if your ambition is to become competitive in online multiplayer.

The Injustice 2 - Legendary Edition review

Structure and outline

Among the merits of Injustice 2 there is undoubtedly the richness of a structure that does not rely solely on the campaign to offer the bulk of its contents, but it includes an arcade mode (the Combat Simulator) with different endings for each individual character on the roster, as well as a wave mode (Survivor) and a survival endless (Without End). To these options is also added the rich (but not very varied) Multiverse mode: a set of single player campaigns that take advantage of the gimmick of alternative worlds, which has always been one of the narrative pillars of the DC universe, to involve us in sequences of fights. with different degrees of difficulty, made more interesting by particular modifiers.



The Injustice 2 - Legendary Edition review

The various events of the Multiverse appear and disappear within hours, thus offering always different ideas to those who want to try their hand at new single challenges; but the charm of this component lies also and above all in the continuous unlocking of skins and aesthetic objects that draw on the story of each hero or villain, for example specific sagas, to allow us to change not only their appearance but also their skills: a brilliant intuition, which brings together the passion for superhero comics and the will to add further depth to the experience. For those who want to test their skills against other users there are both local and online multiplayer, with single matches or tournaments that we found very fun and supported by an infrastructure up to the occasion, both in terms of matchmaking and of latency. Of course, the launch of the Legendary Edition will repopulate rooms that over the months had experienced an inevitable emptying, also to the advantage of those who own the standard edition of the game.

The Injustice 2 - Legendary Edition review

PlayStation 4 Trophies

The Legendary Edition adds twelve additional Trophies compared to the standard edition of Injustice 2. The only Silver Trophy is obtained by reaching level 30 with any character, while the rest of the achievements are tied to the new characters in the pack, with special conditions of victory for each of them.

Legendary content

As written at the beginning, compared to the original version, the Legendary Edition of Injustice 2 natively includes all the downloadable characters, a new tutorial and a new level cap. The extra fighters are downright charming and boast peculiar characteristics that will make you love them madly. We have already talked about Sub-Zero in abundance, but from the Mortal Kombat roster we also find the powerful Raiden, while the legendary Hellboy and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, represented in this case by Leonardo but ready to intervene during the matches, act as special guests in various ways, especially in the context of special moves. For both characters the narrative references are wasted: the pose of the victory of Hellboy sees the demon man created by Mike Mignola make appear some fiery horns and then chase away some infernal creatures that have come to claim him, while Leonardo shows up at the fighting wearing a raincoat that it hides the aspect of an anthropomorphic tortoise. Instead, the characters of Starfire (the disruptive space warrior belonging to the Teen Titans), Black Manta (Aquaman's nemesis), Red Hood (one of Batman's most interesting enemies), Atom (a hero capable of shrinking and growing larger) come from the DC universe at the subatomic level) and Darkseid, the lord of Apokolips. The latter is undoubtedly the most fascinating figure of the lot, just look at the casual pose he takes to fight, keeping his fists crossed behind his back and treacherously firing his lethal Omega rays.

Comment

Tested version PlayStation 4 Resources4Gaming.com

8.7

Readers (10)

8.5

Your vote

Injustice 2 - Legendary Edition is a very valuable title for fighting game fans, especially those who appreciate the stories and characters of the DC universe. In fact, the package starts from the very solid foundations of the original edition, with the engaging campaign, the rich Multiverse mode and the online multiplayer, adding ten excellent extra characters, a set of skins and new objects, as well as a useful extension of the level cap to face further challenges. In short, we are talking about the definitive edition of a game that wisely mixes solidity, technique and narration, with an eye to the background of each fighter and a technical sector of extraordinary workmanship.

PRO

  • Solid and spectacular combat system
  • Inspired, passionate, well directed narrative
  • Lots of characters, all well valued
AGAINST
  • The Multiverse can get repetitive
  • Sporadic technical naivety
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