Injustice: Gods Among Us (Xbox 360) - General Zod

By now most have learned of the Xbox 360 release of Injustice's "General Zod" character. Some of you may even have tried him out in the offline, and online modes. Whether you have, or have not though I'm here to deliver my first impressions take on this Superman villain of old. I figured being the fighting game fanatic I am that I'd throw my own two cents worth out there with the rest of the community.

From the trailers shown late last month it was fairly obvious that Zod had some serious skills, and that these skills could possibly make him the most OP character yet. Upon trying him out in training/practice mode, and giving him a full Battle mode playthrough though I found out that he wasn't really as OP as I thought he'd be. Sure he has a decent selection of zoning specials, and close counters combos, but for the most part he wasn't all that indifferent from some other characters in the roster. Basically, in my personal opinion General Zod is like Superman mixed with Hawkgirl, Batman, and Sinestro.

Most of General Zod's specials are definitely geared towards zoning tactics. He has a laser gun that can shoot two different types of projectiles, an eye laser that can be meter burned like Superman's, A Parry move similar to Batman's, and a Hawkgirl-like swoop grab. All of his specials either require a half circle motion, or a quarter circle motion with added button inputs to activate. These types of Special inputs will no doubt make it difficult for standard controller/DPad gamers like myself make the inputs register on a consistent basis. With the online lag that happens frequently, more often than not you'll likely find your specials misfiring.

Aside from the specials, General Zod has a "B" move that summons a Phantom Zone creature behind the opposing player's character. The bonus move is very limited, and can only be used to dish out a few 5.00% melee punches, or a grab & bite that deals several 0.85% hits. You can probably get in a couple of melee hits, and combine the attack with the bite grab though. Most of the times that I attempted to summon the Phantom Zone creature against a projectile spamming character it was almost impossible to do. Getting hit with projectiles while summoning the creature assist will ultimately result in a cancellation stun, and you can bet your bottom dollar that players using projectile heavy characters will take full advantage of this.

When it comes to combos the ones that are listed in the pause menu are easy enough to perform. You'll find that the selection of combos available are mainly in the 3-6 hit range, and that most of them will require that General Zod get up close, and personal with the other character. When it comes to dishing out these punishing combos with a standard controller you more than likely will run into some complications with the inputs. The overall controller layout combined with the poorly designed DPad do not make for a good combination in Injustice. If you have a good fight stick I'd definitely say go with it.

Visually General Zod is a meek looking bald-headed man with what looks to be a steampunk outfit mixed with Kryptonian accents. In all honesty he does not look that menacing, but as they always say looks are not everything. Another interesting, and unique feature that follows with this galactic dictator is the outro cutscene that plays after each victory. Like the intro of each character it plays out in full CG showing Zod as he emerges on a city balcony with a massive crowd cheering in the streets below him. His intro on the other hand depicts Zod standing on the surface of the moon stating that he claims Earth as his own. Both scenes are alright, and definitely show General Zods power hungry nature. As far as his super move goes he flies across the screen in a similar fashion as Superman grabbing his opponent in the process, and crashing them through the moon just before blasting them back to Earth with his eye laser. That in itself is pretty darn epic, but honestly a little mediocre in quality at the same time.

As you should know by now each new DLC character also comes with a bonus DLC skin/costume for another character of the roster. This time around Ares picks up a "Classic" skin that makes him look like a cross between a Roman Legionnaire, and a Spartan warrior. His suit is mostly black, and is sleeveless. His new leather gloves are also black, and include a row of white skulls on each one. His helmet has a sort of Spartan/Roman Legionnaire look to it, and is also black. I think NetherRealm studios picked the Ares' DLC skin, because like General Zod, Ares is all about reign & combat. In that sense it was a very fitting choice, and I have to say I really like the Classic look of Ares. Maybe more players will begin using him again.

Well folks, that is My General Zod assessment. Be sure to check him out when you get the chance. Also feel free to leave a comment about Zod, or what I have said in this article if you like. I will reply as soon as possible, so be sure to always check back for a response.