Injustice 2

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Injustice 2 will have tournament regulation to keep Gear modifications in check; will be using GGPO for online net code

The moment the competitive scene heard about Injustice 2's Gear system, the game's unique customization component, speculation about how this would work within tournament play instantly started flooding the general conversation.

We don't know a ton about the Gear system yet, but we do understand that these upgrades will affect offense, defense, enhance certain moves and even unlock certain moves.

In the never-ending quest for balance in fighting games, this seems to pose a very big potential threat to Injustice 2's tournament validity. Creative Director, Ed Boon, joined Gamespot at E3 today to discuss the freshly announced title.

Acknowledging that a player jumping into a tournament scene with an extremely leveled up Superman might be a bad look, Boon stated that there will be some kind of regulation for competitive play, stating,

"We have plans for a level playing field version of Injustice 2 [for tournaments.]"

Boon went on reveal that Injustice 2 will be using GGPO to make the game's online experience as fluid as possible. This is the same system that NetherRealm Studios implemented into their upgrade for Mortal Kombat X.

Boon also noted that plans for DLC characters and content are a sure thing, and much like the previous Injustice, the sequel will continue to develop after the initial launch in 2017.

Though it's extremely early, Injustice 2 is looking to cater to gamers both casual and competitive alike.

As tourney players breathe something of a sigh of relief at the news that customization may not bleed into competitive play, we look forward to seeing what said customization will bring to the casual experience.

The game's foundational ideology that promotes you build your version of your character looks to give us an extremely personalized fighting game experience.

Source: eventhubs

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Characters max out at level 20, have four attribute categories to build up; footage of Injustice 2's Gear customization menu

Ed Boon has been making the rounds at E3 today to show off bits and pieces of Injustice 2.

The Gear system may be Injustice 2's most intriguing new feature at the moment, and so we were very happy to see some footage of the game's Gear customization menus while Boon made his IGN stream appearance.

In the GIF below we see some of the upgrades that Supergirl can use. It looks like each character can max out at level 20, and have four different attribute categories to boost. Please note you can pause the GIF via the controls below it:

www.eventhubs.com/images/2016/jun/14/injustice-gear-menu/

Not only can you upgrade characters' attributes, but also their special moves. For example, Batman can upgrade his batarang projectile to throw three instead of just one.

Source: eventhubs

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

So will this make the game more imbalanced in favor of those who have played more or am I missing something?

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Every super move, character intro, and stage transition of the current roster revealed - check out IGN's Injustice 2 footage

Injustice 2 had quite a bit to show off yesterday at E3. The build that Netherrealm Studios brought to the show floor gives us a great look at the 6 characters that have been revealed so far.

One of the things that gives Injustice a bit of charm is watching the characters of the DC universe interact with one another. Those familiar with the prequel will find the entertaining banter they'd come to expect from an NRS game.

Stage transitions and super moves also return to give spectators and players alike something to get hyped about during a match. Supergirl especially delivers when it comes to the over-the-top action.

www.eventhubs.com/images/2016/jun/15/supergirl-vs-bat/

In the videos below you'll find every character intro, stage transition, and super move revealed so far. You can also catch 15 minutes of gameplay as well.

Source: eventhubs

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Ed Boon reveals that Super moves in Injustice 2 have interactive elements to them

Ed Boon sat for an interview with IGN during E3, and dropped some interesting details concerning Injustice 2.

Over the course of the interview, Boon goes over many things, including possible roster picks, character interactions and the gameplay system. He also reveals that the super moves in Injustice 2 have an interactive element to them.

"There are opportune moments in a Super that a player can press a certain button, or a combination that will actually bump the damage up." Boon states, before going on to note that the inputs will be hidden, leaving it up to the players to discover.

We wonder if this is as simple as mashing to gain more hits and damage, or if perhaps correctly inputting a specific sequence will cause a slightly different Super animation.

Source: eventhubs

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Ed Boon explains why gear system was added to Injustice 2; will be thousands of pieces available

If you're curious why the gear system was added to Injustice 2, you're not alone.

Fielding questions from the community, Ed Boon spoke about why this aspect was added to the mix.

"NetherRealm Studios, for a few games now, have been trying to give players ways to customize their character," he said.

"With Mortal Kombat X, we gave players three versions of every fighter," noted Boon, saying this is an evolution from what we saw in their previous title.

"This is kind of like the next natural progression, as far as giving competitors more variables and more knobs to control," said Boon.

Thousands of pieces of gear available, and impact on gameplay

When asked how much gear there is in the game, Boon said thousands of pieces. Although he couldn't think of a specific number, the amount of different combinations should be in the millions.

In terms of if a single piece of gear would greatly enhance your character, he said that this wasn't the case, instead it would be through putting together multiple pieces that you'd see a giant impact.

"Each piece of gear won't greatly optimize your character, there will be different levels of optimization and powering up of your character," said Boon.

"But [when the gear is coupled together] you will see a significant improvement in your characters," he concluded.

Source: eventhubs

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Wonder Woman Confirmed for Injustice 2

DC Comics is currently celebrating the 75th anniversary of Wonder Woman. As part of this, they recently made an announcement regarding their plans to commemorate this iconic hero. While the announcement is concerned more about things like her new logo, or her upcoming movie, one of the bullet points listed is related to NetherRealm’s Injustice 2.

While it’s likely not a surprise to anyone, considering that she’s one of DC’s biggest heroes, Wonder Woman has been confirmed as a returning character in Injustice 2. The announcement itself states that she will be a “major player” in the game, so we can expect her to take part in the game’s story as well.

The 2013 DC Comics-focused fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us proved to be a smash hit with players and critics. The compelling story that pitted heroes and villains alike against a maniacal alternate universe Superman was an obvious highlight, while the fight mechanics that NetherRealm introduced with 2011's Mortal Kombat were further refined and tweaked to deliver a great game for fighting game fans and fans of the DC Universe. With injustice 2, game director Ed Boon and his team at NetherRealm Studios hope to bring even more innovation to the genre with a more ambitious project.

The story of Injustice 2 continues the narrative of the first game. Superman is in prison after the events of Injustice: Gods Among Us, but a new threat has the heroes debating whether or not they should release the Man of Steel from his imprisonment to help them battle this new, unknown threat.

Boon says that while crafting the story is a task done in-house at NetherRealm, the process is very much a collaborative one with DC. "They’re a great asset in terms of making sure we’re consistent with the characters, like ‘Batman wouldn’t say that’ or ‘Superman wouldn’t do this’ and keeping us consistent with things," he says. "With Injustice breaking off into our own alternate universe – which is so great about the whole multiverse thing… you can come up with anything – while we wanted to do that, we kind of wanted to jump outside of the box where Superman becomes this dictator and he actually has killed somebody and really serious stuff like that. DC’s very accommodating in letting us do stuff we want outside of the traditional presentation of the characters."

If you enjoyed the fight mechanics of Injustice: Gods Among Us and Mortal Kombat X, you will feel right at home with Injustice 2. Just as Injustice 1 felt like a more refined version of Mortal Kombat (2011), Injustice 2 feels like a slightly more refined version of Mortal Kombat X. The action is familiar, with the returning characters playing similarly to how they controlled in the first game, and the new characters being very easy to pick up and play thanks to the simple input schemes and patterns the team at NetherRealm implemented.

The super moves – Injustice's version of Mortal Kombat's brutal X-ray attacks – return, giving players an ultimate, damaging way to take out a significant chunk of their opponent's health. Whether you're using using Batman's myriad gadgets and vehicles to blast your opponent away, or flooding the arena and feeding your adversary to a massive, prehistoric-looking fish as Aquaman, the super moves look to be more impressive than ever.

According to Boon, the process for designing these massive displays of power is nearly identical to creating the fatalities and X-ray moves of the Mortal Kombat games. "It’s a meeting… anybody who has ideas," he says. "Some people communicate by standing up and describing, some people write a little paragraph, some people illustrate stuff. I still illustrate all my ideas. Sometimes we’ll take something as-is perfectly, and sometimes we’ll take the core of this some and combine them with this one. It’s a collaborative meeting of the minds type of thing."

The major addition that we're seeing with Injustice 2 is the introduction of gear. As you level up, you unlock gear for your fighters, which can be used to customize the characters for the different modes. Each piece of gear not only looks different, but has distinct attributes that boost the skills of the character wearing it. The drop system rewards you at the end of fights with gear of differing rarities. Though I found several pieces of legendary gear with high stats during my few matches that I played, I'm told that the drop-rate for legendary gear will be significantly turned down for the retail release.

The idea of gear is meant to make it so players are imbalanced, which as any fighting game fan will tell you, violates several of the genre's rules. Boon tells me that it's not about balance, but rather putting unique twists on the genre. "The whole function of it is constant improvement, so it’s not like we want everyone to be balanced from the standpoint of using the gear – that’s the whole purpose," he says. "Where balance comes into play for me is when you’re talking about tournament play or you’re playing with your buddies on the couch or some kind of scenario where you want an even playing field. We are obviously going to be including an option to go into ‘tournament mode’ or ‘regulation mode’ or something like that. To us, the fun part is going to be, ‘oh you beat me and I’m at level 20 and you’re at 18’ or something so I have motivation to get cooler gear and come back at you with my better version of my Batman."

Though most of the gear I got when I was playing as Aquaman was for him, I did find some components for Supergirl and Batman as I smashed my way through the super-powered characters. Once I acquired several pieces, I backed out and customized the characters. I could change each piece of gear individually – I changed Superman's cape, chest plate, and head gear, while leaving the rest of him as he was – as well as swap out the color palette for the characters. Once I had the characters exactly how I wanted them, I was able to save the designs and designate which mode it's for, essentially allowing players to create their own skins.

Injustice 2's arrival is still many months away, but Boon is open about the ambitious post-release plans for the fighter. "With Mortal Kombat 9, we had four DLC characters, Injustice had six, Mortal Kombat X had eight," he recalls. "We are definitely, with every game, trying to extend that DLC even longer. As a matter of fact, Mortal Kombat XL, which had the additional four more, that reached out so far that we’ve announced our next game Injustice 2 and we still had a tournament last week with Mortal Kombat XL. We certainly plan to extend it even further than we did in the past."

Boon also reaffirms his love for introducing guest characters from outside of the universe by way of DLC, which he attributes in part to the popularity of the past guest characters. "I always think there’s a novelty to it and there’s a certain amount of people who think that when they see a guest character that it took the slot of a DC character that they wanted to have," he says. "But you know, Scorpion in Injustice was the most downloaded of all the characters. There was a coolness and a novelty factor to seeing the mixing of the things. Alien and Predator in Mortal Kombat X were the most downloaded of those, so I would be surprised if we didn’t do any of that."

When Man of Steel released in theaters, players were able to download skins from the film for Superman and General Zod. Boon says he wouldn't be surprised if we saw something from the films crossover into Injustice 2. "We would love to, he says. "We haven’t made any kind of concrete things; the game doesn’t come out until 2017, but I think it would be a missed opportunity if we didn’t do like a Wonder Woman movie skin or something like that."

Source: shoryuken, gameinformer, & eventhubs

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Jun 15, 2016 13:25:27 GMT -5 The Big Daddy C-Master said:

So will this make the game more imbalanced in favor of those who have played more or am I missing something?

Their customization is pretty much like Soulcalibur IV & Soulcalibur Lost Swords customization plus Tekken 6 Scenario Campaign Mode which they have RPG elements depending on what equipment you give your character, which could make your character a force to be recon with and a challenge to fight with no equipment. Which will be a problem for tournaments.

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Why competitive players don't need to fear Injustice 2's gear system

One of the questions that has been fresh on the minds of fans since the reveal of the gear system in Injustice 2 is, "How will the gear system affect competitive play?"

Ed Boon isn't shy about sharing his thoughts on the importance of the competitive scene, and both he and the rest of the NetherRealm Studios team have us in mind.

Boon alludes to game modes where players can step into the ring customization-free. When asked about how gear will be handled in competitive play, he states: "We are absolutely going to have mode of play that is kind of like a normalized, even level playing field."

Since the game is still in the early stages of development, many of the details have yet to be fleshed out. At this point, however, we can expect that those who want a ladder experience without having to worry about gear buffs will be able to play the way that they'd like.

Source: eventhubs

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

We're going to introduce characters people wanted to see in the first Injustice, but never did

Continuing his run through Injustice 2 details, NetherRealm Studios' Ed Boon was asked about what major features this game will have outside of gear.

"We're expanding the roster," answered Boon. "We're going to introduce characters people wanted to see in the first Injustice, but never did."

Adding to the mix, NRS said the game's online play will be a lot better out of the gate than the initial title.

"We learned a lot with the online network code for Mortal Kombat XL, and that will be incorporated into Injustice 2," said Boon.

Mixing the old with the new

NetherRealm was also asked if the returning cast members would see new attacks in the sequel.

"Absolutely. While there are a lot of fans of the returning characters, we definitely want to give those characters a fresh feel, so we're going to be enhancing and improving them," stated Boon.

He said to expect familiarity, but new moves at the same time.

Also, Injustice 2's story mode will continue with the cinematic presentation like in the first title, with a very detailed, multi-hour length experience, just like watching a movie.

Source: eventhubs

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

It's good they will have modes for tournament play like Smash did.

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Lack of fatalities in Injustice 2 increases possibilities for guest characters, we'll be seeing more 'girl-power' as well

If you're hoping to see some guest characters who maybe aren't as strongly based in the horror genre featured in Injustice 2, you're in luck.

NetherRealm Studios' Ed Boon mentioned today that the lack of fatalities in the upcoming game opens the door for some guest characters you may not have seen in the Mortal Kombat franchise.

The MK games are known for featuring combatants like Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Alien and Leatherface — characters firmly associated with gore, making them a more natural fit there.

Boon also confirmed we'd see more female characters in Injustice 2 stating they "will certainly have more girl-power" in the roster as well, which of course could be a reference to Power Girl... or the Spice Girls, depending on how you look at it. You can find both of his tweets below.

Source: eventhubs

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Does girl power mean Power Girl perhaps?

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Sorry, Krypto fans... Ed Boon says the super dog will not be in Injustice 2

With Injustice 2 officially unveiled to the world, fans are wondering what characters beyond the initial six we'll be seeing on the playable roster at launch. From Poison Ivy to Sandman (make it happen, NetherRealm Studios), the company has seen requests for a very large portion of characters in the DC Comics universe.

On Twitter, one fan suggested that Krypto the Superdog be added to the upcoming fighting game's cast. Unfortunately, Creative Director at NRS, Ed Boon, was quick to shoot that idea down.

While this might not be an official statement, it's fairly likely that Boon is speaking truth. Back before Mortal Kombat X's release, we saw Boon similarly take to Twitter to "deconfirm" Jade.

On the plus side, animal lovers, you can look forward to using the assistance of Dex-Starr by playing Atrocitus.

Source: eventhubs

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

'Injustice 2 is a very heavily evolved version of the original game' - Ketchup and Mustard recount their hands on time with the brand new title

We've known about Injustice 2 for about two weeks now, and the community has been plenty busy soaking in the amazing visuals, breaking down the characters and learning about the gear system.

Very few have had any hands on time with the upcoming title at this point, but NetherRealm Studios gave the fighting game duo PND|Ketchup and PND|Mustard a few hours to investigate this very early build.

The brothers are experts when it comes to NRS' recent titles like Mortal Kombat 2011, MKX and the original Injustice, and so they're able to offer a bit of comparison in terms of gameplay and feel when it comes to Injustice 2.

When asked "how does this game differ from the first?" their response was very encouraging:

"Injustice 2 takes what is good, and elaborates on that... a bigger and better approach. It takes what was fun about the first, and builds upon that." 

In their time with Injustice 2, Ketchup and Mustard were able to test out some of the characters that're brand new to the series.

They report that Gorilla Grodd actually has an "Ermac style float" that he can access when using his character power. They go on to say that while the new characters do indeed bring something new to the table, they still very much fit the Injustice world.

"They still feel like Injustice characters... if you played Injustice 1, you're not going to feel out of place using them," they explain.

Heres the full video interview

www.periscope.tv/w/1OwGWpBadwmJQ

Source: eventhubs

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

No Krypto...


That said how do you feel about the characters being mostly the same play wise from their Injustice 1 versions?

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Injustice 2 will see a 'more aggressive' DLC release plan, NetherRealm aims to have more added fighters than Mortal Kombat X

Creative Director at NetherRealm Studios, Ed Boon, recently sat down with IGN to discuss their upcoming blockbuster fighting title, Injustice 2.

As with any newly announced fighter, fans are anxiously awaiting the reveal of the game's playable roster. However, NRS already has big plans spanning beyond the launch cast.

Speaking about the longevity of Injustice 2, Boon gave a glimpse into the current mindset of the development team.

"One of the things we’ve been doing, trying to do more and more with every game… is to support it for a longer period of time," Boon stated.

He went on to explain that the number of DLC characters released in their modern fighting titles has seen a progressive increase: Mortal Kombat (2011) had four added fighters, Injustice: Gods Among Us had six, and Mortal Kombat X had eight.

Boon says that he and his team aim to continue this DLC pattern with Injustice 2. "It will certainly be more aggressive than we’ve been in the past."

Another prime feature in Injustice 2 is its new Gear System -- that which allows players to attach articles of equipment to each character for visual and gameplay changes. Though players will be acquiring loot after every match, it looks as though NetherRealm is also considering a "pay-to-unlock model."

This will give players who don't have enough time to grind out match after match in search of specific gear unlocks to expedite the process. Having said that, Boon explains that nothing is set in stone on that front just yet.

Source: eventhubs

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

I hope they don't go overboard with the "support" and end up ruining comp play trying to cater to the masses with nonstop balance patches.

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

'I have complete faith that NRS will make the gear [in Injustice 2] balanced for tournaments' - Ketchup talks Injustice 2, MKX's success and more

Contrary to most of the other interviews being posted right now, this is actually an interview that was decided on way back at Hypespotting in April, but due to mismanagement on my part, it's been delayed until now.

This time, I talk to famed Mortal Kombat commentator and competitor PND|Ketchup. In this interview, he discusses the juggling of commentary and competitive play, what Injustice 2 might bring, how Mortal Kombat's variation system turned out in the end and much more.

MajinTenshinhan: You and your brother are famous as commentators, but you're both also fierce competitors in the game. You made it to the first Fatal 8 for Mortal Kombat X, as well as top 8 of EVO last year. How do you juggle consistently participating in both commentary and tournament play?

PND|Ketchup: Back when we commentated Season 1 and 2, we were living out in Poland. Our only source of entertainment was basically grinding MKX like everyone else so we could understand what we were talking about when casting high level play. Having a background in competitive playing helped us learn the game faster than others, which went hand in hand when we actually could compete.

That's definitely slowed down these days as we've had to take a complete step back out of competing in favor of working in eSports full time. It's a trade we've happily taken for career purposes, but of course we miss the competition side and will do forever.

MajinTenshinhan: A hotly debated feature of Injustice 2, especially in the competitive scene, is the addition of and focus on customizing your own character. How do you feel about this feature, and how do you think it will affect the game competitively?

PND|Ketchup: I have complete faith in NRS that they will work at making the gear system balanced for tournaments. I assume there will be perhaps some preset gear, or a tournament mode which disables the abilities but retains the visuals or something.

I'd like to see the gear system work in a way that fits, as it seems like such a huge part of the game, and not turn it all off completely. I remember a lot of people wanting the Variation system in Mortal Kombat X to perhaps be turned off before people understood what it would actually be.

MajinTenshinhan: There's been one constant throughout Mortal Kombat X - cR|SonicFox. SonicFox has 3 ESL championships under his belt, as well as one EVO title for this game. As a commentator and analyst, what do you think it is that makes cR|SonicFox so incredibly dominant?

PND|Ketchup: cR|SonicFox is the world's best player because he has always taken the game for what it is and has built his style around it. If his character gets nerfed, he either drops them or picks up another character to fill the hole that was created.

He started just using Erron Black, and over the course of over a year he now plays multiple characters and never picks into a bad matchup. His dedication to the game and ability to adapt so fast is what makes him the best player around.

MajinTenshinhan: Mortal Kombat X added an interesting system mechanic to the game, namely Variations to each character, where characters' movesets and gameplan shift around a bit based on which variation a player has picked.

With the game being active for more than a year, how do you feel about Variations? Do you think NRS accomplished their goal of giving each character several viable versions to accomodate different types of players?

PND|Ketchup: I think Netherrealm nailed the variation system. Almost every variation does have a place in the game, but obviously there is the case where one variation trumps all, but it's rare. It added a whole new depth to MKX we had never seen in previous games, every character was ripe for picking apart, even when one variation was being explored, two more were there to choose.

Some variations early were up for debate and very subjective in their ability to compete. It reminds me of when I was labbing Sorcerer Quan Chi at launch while everyone said Summoner was the only one worth using, but we all know what happened there.

MajinTenshinhan: Mortal Kombat has built up quite the roster of creepy and brutal guest characters now. If Mortal Kombat X does end up getting a Kombat Pack 3, are there any guest characters you'd hope to see added? For that matter, are there any MK characters you'd hope to see return?

PND|Ketchup: I wouldn't hope for more guest characters, but I wouldn't mind if they were added. Guest characters are incredibly successful in fighting games, and a successful Kombat Pack 3, should it exist, would mean a stronger chance for more content later.

MajinTenshinhan: Are there any characters in particular you'd like to see in Injustice 2?

PND|Ketchup: I was a Deathstroke main in Injustice 1, I would be happy if they took out Deathstroke and replaced him with Deadshot. I would assume they may have similar styles.

I'm not a DC fanatic, although I enjoy the universe. So any character with a fun amount of zoning and setups will fit the bill for me. It's why Atrocitus was so fun at E3.

Source: eventhubs

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

Gear systems like this pretty much never are but it will be interesting to see.

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Ketchup & Mustard Break Down Gorilla Grodd and Atrocitus in the E3 Build of Injustice 2

During E3, NRS commentators and content providers, Ketchup and Mustard, managed to get a few hours of time in with the initial build of Injustice 2. Feeling that there was a lack of information about two of the game’s new villainous additions, Flash nemesis Gorilla Grodd, and Atrocitus, the leader of the Red Lantern Corps, they recorded a video detailing their early findings and impressions with the characters.

They preface this episode of “K & M Talk” by noting that this an extremely early build of the game, so much of what they’ve found is subject to change. Their goal was to answer some of the questions that are “kind of in limbo–things that people may wonder, but there is no conclusive answer on.”

First, the duo talk about some of the sequel’s new mechanics, noting that the game feels “more responsive and sped up, compared to the first Injustice,” which was known for its character’s extremely slow walk speed. There is also the new ability to Meter Burn your forward dash into a roll, similar to MKXL’s run, which allows you to cover distances quickly, cross up your opponents for mixup opportunities, as well as providing another method around projectiles beyond the standard dash blocking from Injustice 1.

There is also an Air Tech mechanic, that will allow you to break a combo without spending your Clash, by pressing Up+Meter Burn, in exchange for being punished on landing from a new falling animation, similar to a Burst from Arc System Works games.

Ketchup begins the character breakdown portion of the video by talking about Atrocitus, who’s game he feels revolves a lot around his Trait. Atrocitus’ ability is to summon his cat and fellow Red Lantern, Dex-Starr, who can shoot a fireball, attack the opponent with a lunge, or place a shield around Atrocitus that acts as a physical projectile that can both reflect attacks and also hit the opponent. This is comparable to Sinestro’s Beware Your Fears from Injustice 1, or Summoner Quan Chi’s Demon Spawn from MKXL. Atrocitus has a full-screen projectile in his Blood Lift, and a full-screen, tracking low, which seems to function similarly to D’Vorah’s Spawning Puddle. He has a breath attack that is safe on block and aimable, as well as a rush move similar to Goro’s Punch Walk. His final special move is a life drain where he goes into a stance that will drain the opponent’s health if they are standing near him, which can be Meter Burned to create an explosion that OTGs the opponent for a juggle or Trait extension.

Ketchup closed this portion of the video by claiming that the character has a lot of mixup potential, by using his mid hitting strings and Dex-Starr to set up jailing pressure, along with full-screen zoning and conversions, combined with knockdown situations when Trait is available. He also felt that the Red Lantern was the strongest character in the E3 6-character build, with lots of safety and high damage output.

In the third and final portion of the video, Mustard talks about Gorilla Grodd, a character who does not have much footage or descriptive information available at the moment, leaving many to wonder about this new character’s playstyle and abilities.

Mustard felt that he was unfinished, with the damage on his special moves being quite low. In terms of specials, his BF3 is similar to Bane’s Raging Charge, that has no startup, gives knockdown on hit, and is safe on block. However, its most interesting property is that you can press Back, Back or Forward, Forward to stop him from running mid-charge, which allows him to cancel it for combo extensions, or to punish opponents jumping back. His Gorilla Leap allows him to jump into the air, with air punch and kick follow-ups, as well as a Meter Burnable grab for a launchert. Though the telekinetic simian seems to be light on mixup potential, due to lacking any overheads, he can Meter Burn many of his strings to launch opponents. With grabs universally doing 16% damage now, he can condition blocking opponents to fear his command grabs, and score large punishes when they attempt to avoid them.

His Trait–for anyone familiar with him from DC comics–is his signature Telekinesis. This allows Grodd to access a myriad of new moves and strings, one of which makes him fully immune to projectiles. Lastly, he can levitate while in Trait, and gains access to an Ermac-style Ground Pound, a forward air dash, or an aerial explosion, which has large range and large hitstun–enough for Grodd to land, dash in and get a full combo.

Mustard believes he’ll be a heavy read-based character with an extremely powerful D2, though most of his specials seemed to be unsafe on block, with large amounts of whiff recovery.

Source: shoryuken

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

'I believe that MKX and Injustice could certainly co-exist competitively' - Mustard talks fighting game beginnings, Injustice hopes, MKX meta and more

Contrary to most of the other interviews being posted right now, this is actually an interview that was decided on way back at Hypespotting in April, but due to mismanagement on my part, it's been delayed until now.

Yesterday, I was talking to PND|Ketchup, but today, it's his brother, also a famed commentator and competitor, PND|Mustard's turn. In this interview, he discusses ---.

MajinTenshinhan: How long have you and your brother played fighting games, and has it always been NetherRealm fighting games that have been your main focus?

PND|Mustard: NetherRealm fighting games have always been the primary focus, but we've been playing fighting games for our entire lives!

Mortal Kombat 9 was the start of our competitive careers back in 2011, since then we've played Injustice: Gods Among Us, Killer Instinct, even Street Fighter 4 and Street Fighter X Tekken a bit, and obviously now Mortal Kombat X and Street Fighter 5.

MajinTenshinhan: Injustice 2 is set to be released next year, and people are getting pretty hyped up for it. Do you think there's room for Mortal Kombat X and Injustice 2 to co-exist with eachother in the competitive scene?

PND|Mustard: Injustice 2 is looking very interesting, not only to the Mortal Kombat community, but also to those looking to get into a newer franchise that isn't Mortal Kombat.

I believe that Mortal Kombat X and Injustice could certainly both co-exist in the competitive world. I suppose it's mainly up to the community to make sure that happens. I know that PND|Ketchup and I will certainly be taking both games very seriously.

MajinTenshinhan: Besides the defending champion cR|SonicFox, what players do you think have solid chances of winning Mortal Kombat X at EVO this year, and why?

PND|Mustard: Mortal Kombat X at EVO is a tricky one, regardless of who wins it'll be a great accomplishment, but obviously cR|SonicFox is the favourite to win. However, with the format being 2/3 instead of the usual 3/5 before Top 8, we might see some surprising results.

PxP|A Foxy Grampa is always a strong contender, as well as players like PG|Scar, cR|Dragon ... But there are some amazing players attending EVO that have made sure the ONE tournament they enter is EVO, so who knows.

MajinTenshinhan: How do you feel about Mortal Kombat X as a whole, after having played it for over a year? Is there anything they added this time around you're hoping to see removed in future installments, or perhaps something you'd like to see them add?

PND|Mustard: Mortal Kombat X has been a milestone game for PND|Ketchup and I, it's by far the game we've had the most involvement with and it holds a special place for us. Overall, I love the game, the character selection is vast with basically 100 playable character variations, amazing online netcode and a healthy community.

However, if I were to nitpick? Maybe some better anti-airs, or have jump punches have less priority somehow. Maybe a little more risk on certain moves when the reward is so high, but that's about it really. After playing the game for over a year, you have to accept the meta for what it is.

MajinTenshinhan: Mortal Kombat has built up quite the roster of creepy and brutal guest characters now. If Mortal Kombat X does end up getting a Kombat Pack 3, are there any guest characters you'd hope to see added? For that matter, are there any MK characters you'd hope to see return?

PND|Mustard: Honestly, I couldn't wish for any particular guest character at this point. All the horror icons I would have liked to have seen in have been put in, haha.

Predator was probably the one I was excited about the most, and he's really cool. As for returning Mortal Kombat characters? Noob Saibot, Fujin, Rain, the usuals, really!

MajinTenshinhan: Are there any characters in particular you'd like to see in Injustice 2?

PND|Mustard: I do not have many requests for Injustice 2 characters, but I do like my Batman villains. So, fingers crossed for Mr. Freeze, Ra's Al-Ghul or Black Mask!

Source: eventhubs

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Two more Injustice 2 characters to be revealed at Comic Con

We first heard that there'd be an Injustice 2 just before this year's E3. We then got a ton of early information on the game at the yearly expo.

Since then, crickets have widely replaced the town criers at NetherRealm Studios, but all that will soon change as a big reveal is set for Comic Con on July 22nd. The game's head developer, Ed Boon, made the announcement earlier today on his Twitter:

Given DC's vast roster of heroes and villains to choose from, there's no telling who we'll end up seeing. Perhaps one returning fighter from the original Injustice, and one newcomer would be a fair guess?

Source: eventhubs

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

I wouldn't be surprised if one wasn't a Bat character, but we'll see.

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Ed Boon says fans should read The Killing Joke and Flashpoint for information on future Injustice 2 characters; no plans for MK vs. DC 2

NetherRealm Studios is gearing up for a big Injustice 2 announcement at San Diego Comic-Con later this month. With two new characters set to be revealed, Creative Director Ed Boon may have just pointed us in the direction of where we might find them in EPNdotTV's recent interview.

During their chat, Ed Boon was asked which comic book series fans should read for information on future Injustice 2 characters. Boon was quick to recommend comic book classic The Killing Joke and 2011's Flashpoint.

Residing within the pages of these titles are characters such as The Joker, Batgirl, Reverse-Flash, Booster Gold, and many more. We've seen the likes of The Joker and Batgirl in Injustice: Gods Among Us, and they're both widely popular characters meaning their return is likely.

As for the characters in Flashpoint, it would be refreshing to see any of the main heroes take to the Injustice 2 battlefield. 

Despite the overlap with Injustice 2's announcement and Mortal Kombat's Kombat Pack 2 release, it looks as though NRS has no plans for a sequel to the Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe fighting game. Boon explains that working on each franchise separately is refreshing for the company, and there is nothing in the works on that front at this time.

Source: eventhubs

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

A Flash character would definitely make me happy. We'll see what's up!

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Blue Beetle and Wonder Woman Battle it Out in New Trailer for Injustice 2



Introduced during its own panel at San Diego Comic Con, DC Comics and NetherRealm Studios have revealed the next two fighters for Injustice 2, being returning fighter Wonder Woman and brand new addition Blue Beetle. Wonder Woman retains her sword, shield and the famous Lasso of Truth while Blue Beetle utilises the high tech weaponry of his insectoid battle suit to duke it out against his opponent. A PlayStation Blog entry has shed some light on the unique abilites of both fighters, with Wonder Woman being able to deflect incoming fireballs with her Bracelets of Submission, while her new character trait has her calling on the pantheon of Greek gods to aid her in the fight. For example, she can call upon Hermes to give her an air dash and a general mobility boost. For Blue Beetle, NetherRealm must have taken inspiration from D’Vorah, as Blue Beetle’s ability has him summoning blades from the scarab bonded to his spine to stab at incoming opponents. The animation is similar to that of the Swarn Queen from Mortal Kombat X, so look out for more instances of shared animations and traits between the two games.



To use these gnarly looking blades, Blue Beetle must temporarily give up the ability to fire his arm cannons, which allow him to fire quick energy blasts on the ground and in the air. You can toggle the blades on and off as part of his unique character trait. Along with said blades and blasters, Blue Beetle can use his wings to dart around the screen and he can even morph his hands into shields and clubs for massive close up damage. They are using the latest incarnation of Blue Beetle, Jamie Reyes, in Injustice 2 so maybe expect other Teen Titans joining the fray in future trailers. I still hope my main man Booster Gold joins the fray and is able to fight alongside his best mate Blue Beetle.



GGPO netcode and a dedicated Tournament Mode was also announced alongside these two fighters so expect a place for dedicated tournament players to face off without the fear of Gear skewing results in a certain combatant’s direction. Expect more in-depth news about this Tournament Mode, as well as some hands-on impressions of both Wonder Woman and Blue Beetle coming off the show floor in the next day or so.

The InjusticeGame Twitter account noted that Blue Beetle was very highly requested by fans. " So glad to make that happen for the players and fans," their tweet reads.























Source: shoryuken & eventhubs

[The Big Daddy C-Master]

A lot of people have been saying he hits like Leonardo from TMNT, what do you think?

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

The Suicide Squad joins the cast of the Injustice mobile app today

A pretty big update just dropped today for the Injustice mobile app that adds quite a bit of Suicide Squad related content to the game.



The latest is the largest update to come to the game in over a year, bringing in Deadshot as a new character, and new skins, challenges, and in-game rewards for Harley Quinn and Joker.



You can catch some screenshots of the new content and the official trailer below.















Source: eventhubs

[Nyu Nozomi Hyuga]

Ed Boon Teases the Red Hood for Injustice 2, Asks “Joker or Jason Todd?”

NetherRealm’s Ed Boon isn’t shy about using Twitter polls as a way to hint about possible characters for Injustice 2. His latest one, however, seems to be the most direct confirmation of a character yet.

In his latest Twitter poll, Ed Boon only mentions one specific character: the Red Hood. The poll itself only asks whether or not fans would prefer him to be the Joker or Jason Todd.

For those not familiar with the the Red Hood mantle, this was originally the moniker usedby the man who would later become the Joker–before his fateful dive into a vat of chemicals that finally transformed him into Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime. The first Injustice game referenced this by giving the Joker a Red Hood alternate outfit.

In addition to this, the Red Hood moniker was used by resurrected a former Robin: Jason Todd, who became an anti-hero of sorts, stopping crime in his own violent crusade to get back at those who wronged him in the past.

Take note that this isn’t outright confirmation that the Red Hood will be in Injustice 2. That said, these Twitter polls are a good indication of who Ed Boon and NetherRealm are considering for Injustice 2.

Source: shoryuken