Full disclosure: I have no affection towards the DC Universe, nor do I have any love for “Mortal Kombat”, which “Injustice” is, just without the ultra-violence. The characters in DC always seemed so dated and dull compared to the cool kids over at Marvel, while the “Mortal Kombat” franchise has always felt stiff, shallow, and seemed to always hold onto its fanbase using its outlandish characters and promise of unrestrained gore, rather than by building a deep, rich, and satisfying fighting game.

So, you may ask, “Why should I listen to a guy who clearly has no interest in this game? He doesn’t like DC and he doesn’t like ‘Mortal Kombat’. Screw his opinion.” Well, I have a very deep love of fighting games and it turns out that I actually quite like “Injustice”. It’s definitely the best game Netherrealm Studios has ever put out, though that doesn’t mean it isn’t without some major faults.

If you’re oblivious to Internet video game gossip and disconnect yourself from the world of new games, you’d be forgiven if you didn’t know what “Injustice: Gods Among Us” is. The vague title doesn’t really point you in any specific direction. Sounds like some experimental contrivance Peter Molyneux would cook up. However, it’s a new fighting game from the creators of “Mortal Kombat” that features characters from the DC Universe. Keep in mind this is also has nothing to do with that horrid ”Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe” that came out years back. You can ease your mind, this is actually a good game.

The premise behind “Injustice” is as ridiculous as one could ever expect in order to get these titans of tights fighting against each other. The Joker drugs Superman and tricks him into thinking that Lois Lane is Doomsday. Superman proceeds to brutally murder Lois Lane who was also *gasp* pregnant with Superman’s child. To make matters worse, The Joker attached a device to Lois Lane’s heart that would set off a nuclear bomb if it stopped.

Boom.

With Metropolis destroyed and millions dead, Superman is so overcome with grief and rage that he creates a militaristic regime to rule the entire world and kills all who would defy him, including former friends. Yes, Superman becomes an evil global dictator.

Of course, because something THAT tragic could never actually be canon even in a non-canon game, this occurs in an alternate dimension which runs parallel to the actual dimension all of our REAL DC characters reside in. So, when this same exact thing is about to happen in the real universe, some of our heroes are transported to this alternate reality and enlisted to help defeat this deranged demi-god.

Yes, layers upon layers. The depth is so deep. It’s thick and meaty, like mutton.

Despite the absolute ludicrous premise, the game’s story mode is actually a lot of fun, much like the story mode in the most recent “Mortal Kombat”. It will take 5-6 hours to complete and even offers a very scientifically sound explanation as to why weak combatants, like Catwoman, can topple mighty juggernauts, like Doomsday. They take pills that make them more hardy and resilient… obviously.

None of this would be palatable if the game wasn’t fun to play and luckily, it is. Duking it out with all of these heroes and villains is a treat. Punching people through walls, using your super powers, smashing them with cars, dumpsters, motorcycles, and using other bits of the environment to inflict punishment makes for a lot of excitement. Matches move along at a brisk pace and provide plenty of visual spectacle for the hungry eyes.