NetherRealm, the studio formed from the remains of Midway, have been one of the few developers outside of Japan that haven’t given up on providing us with beat ‘em up brawlers over the years. Most famous for the Mortal Kombat series, their last title Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe, whet our appetites for more from the DC collection as the two worlds didn’t quite connect as gamers wanted. Mainly because DC won’t let you gut DC characters in the way Mortal Kombat games are all about.

Now we’re free to play as these classic DC characters in a manner much more suited to their elaborate comic book backgrounds. The fighting style and feel may initially seem similar to Mortal Kombat, but it isn’t long before we start to see why this game is standing out from not only Mortal Kombat but other big name fighters too.

We’ve sat through many developer previews at Gamescom this year, where developers have boasted new features that will set apart their game from the competition and when Adam Urbano, senior producer on Injustice: Gods Among Us, says their game’s backgrounds are set to do that I was admittedly sceptical.

Until he showed me.

The fight I see takes place in the Batcave between The Flash and Cyborg. The Flash -unsurprisingly- has many rapid attacks like a series of punches followed by zooming off one side of the screen and appearing behind Cyborg and attacking him. Sliding attacks and speed are key. Cyborg seems to play with much more options. Rockets, lasers, pulse guns, and smashing with massive steel arms make him a much more interesting opponent. We’re not shown too many regular fighting moves, as Urbano is keener to show off the game’s interactive environments.

The Batcave is packed with ways to hurt your opponent. And as you fight, more options are unlocked. Every time you put your opponent down, the whole stage shakes, so expect to see the cave’s pillars eventually crumble making the fighters fall down to a lower level.

Read the rest of my preview at Dealspwn.com