Can NetherRealm deliver a great fighting game based on DC Comics?

Jan 21, 2013 12:09 GMT  ·  By

What we know:

Injustice: Gods Among Us is the next big game from developer NetherRealm, the studio behind the Mortal Kombat franchise, and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

As we saw after the game's announcement last year, it's a fighting experience in which players can control some of the most famous heroes and most infamous villains from the DC Comics universe. From Superman and Batman to Lex Luthor and Bane, plenty of iconic characters will start trading blows in the game.

While NetherRealm and Warner Bros. are keeping a tight lid on the main conflict that's forcing all these characters to fight one another, it's no doubt going to offer a great show and settle iconic debates like who'd win in a fight between Superman and Batman.

In terms of gameplay, Injustice retains the fast-paced action of previous NetherRealm games like Mortal Kombat and emphasizes skill and speed over button mashing.

Plenty of characters have yet to be revealed so you can expect quite a few surprise announcements until its release in spring.

Why it matters:

The fighting game genre, with a few independent exceptions, is dominated by Japanese companies like Capcom or Namco Bandai, so it's good to see that NetherRealm is making a comeback, first with the impressive Mortal Kombat in 2011 and now with Injustice.

The fact that it's taking characters from a universe as rich as the DC Comics one is also pretty important and will no doubt attract plenty of comic book fans to the fighting experience.

Considering the studio's focus on tweaking and balancing, you can also expect plenty of updates for the game after its release this year.

Injustice: Gods Among Us is out on April 16, in North America, and April 19, in Europe, for the PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms.

The full list of Incoming 2013 articles can be read on Softpedia right here.