INJUSTICE 2 ~ Day One Impressions

This following impressions article is going to take in account only part of the "INJUSTICE 2" experience as I've yet to spend enough time with all of the features to give any definitive rating, or assessment. I will however go over my thoughts on the new mechanics, the application of the base mechanics, the functionality of the controller in-game as well as my thoughts about the online. I'll even, on a spoiler free level, go over my thoughts of the story ...

Going into "INJUSTICE 2" after having played the multiplayer Beta I didn't expect a great online experience for very good reasons, and my initial online matches validated my concerns. Nearly every player match I got into was overly burdened by suspicious lag. If it is the netcode, and not the players fault as I assume it is then INJUSTICE 2 has some major issues, because online in it was far less impressive than INJUSTICE currently is. That having been said I think it's definitely in the PvP connection. In fact I think through the Beta access exploiters were able to find holes in the code, and ways to better lagswitch the game. By Ed Boon, and his team letting anyone into the Beta without proper screening he effectively took on a Trojan horse of sorts. It is very evident in day one's online experience. Let me also point out that my ping, though not perfect is around 20-29. It is not bad, and in my other fighters I'm able to play mostly smooth matches. The only exception is when there is suspicious lag going on.Why do I get more suspicious matches than most you ask? It's simply, because I call people out on their BS online. I am targeted through recognition of my PSN ID.

Beyond the online experience I had some trouble completing the character portion of the offline tutorial section due to an obvious motion input issue. I would give Ed the benefit of the doubt in his design, but seeing as my motion inputs work smoother, and more accurately in other fighting games like GGXrdR I don't think that's the issue. Either the game was optimized for fight sticks, or the animation frames are delayed significantly. Either way it is a problem. Another problem I see is in regards to the new recovery and dodge/roll mechanics. Specifically with how they were applied. Utilizing them in-game is kind of awkward especially with the fast paced fighting going on. Fighting which is more fluid, and fast than it was in the original INJUSTICE. Lastly cross-ups are extremely hard to land. In my story mode fights I could hardly land a single cross-up from standing position against a close standing opponent. It feels as if this change was intentional to deter cross-up spamming. Whatever the case may be it feels unnatural in-game.

Now for the story ...

From the 4 chapters I've played through I'd say this story is leaps and bounds beyond what the first one was. It is gorgeously rendered with little slowdown. The plot itself is intriguing, and so far I'm enjoying it. I've yet to see a mini-game thrown in the mix which is definitely a plus. The only downside in relation to given plot material would be the embedded identity politics. Skin color, and gender references included. In saying all of that I think my current biggest concern of all lies with the fact that I was hit with an error code mid-chapter. An error code that landed me in the dashboard. When I logged back in the server access was gone, and online was inaccessible. It could be a DDoS attack, or I could have been banned for voicing my opinions. I just don't know at this point. I did upload a match showcasing the lagswitching that was going on though which could explain things. That, and some player grief reports could have easily pissed off the wrong people. Taking all of that into consideration I can say without a shadow of a doubt that there are some serious technical issues going on in INJUSTICE 2. I will continue playing through the game if I'm not banned, and will stick with it until I come to a final verdict. Expect that verdict at some point, and in some fashion. Until then I shall type at you later!