It was pretty shocking news when I first heard months back that Injustice wasn’t going to have a dedicated Block button. I couldn’t believe it. Every MK game, I mean EVERY one, from the first to the ninth, had a dedicated Block button. The famous “X” shaped buttons with the Block in the center: that was iconic MK, a defining feature. Back to block? That sounded a lot like Street Fighter and all the other fighting games. Likewise, it was also stunning to learn that Injustice was going to have the Light, Medium, Heavy Attack mechanic. When I think MK, I think Low Punch, High Punch, Low Kick, High Kick, or the MK9 mechanic of each button corresponding to a limb. Light, Medium, Heavy Attack? That’s not MK! Again, that sounds a lot like SF! So two of the most fundamental aspects of controlling the character, both attacking and blocking, were changed in Injustice from MK-style to a more SF-style system. If anything, the Scorpion debate demonstrated how much of a change it was to move away from the dedicated Block button.
Granted, there are still some MK-like elements. It isn’t like Injustice is NRS just copying Capcom, but with DC Comics characters. Perhaps the biggest that comes to mind is that projectiles go through each other. There’s that whole “3D moves in a 2D fighter” aspect.
Yet there are also a lot of brand new aspects of Injustice. Interactables, Level Transitions, the Clash System, these were all new. Ok, MKvDC had some stage transitions, but not exactly the same. For the most part, these were all new and all of us were starting from the same place in trying to figure out how the Clash System works, figuring out where Interactables were and how to best use/avoid them, and so on.
I admit I am no expert on all things fighting game, but it seems that Injustice has a pretty even split between SF elements, MK elements, and brand new elements. With back-to-block and the Light-Medium-Heavy attack, it seems fair to say at least 1/3rd of the gameplay is similar to SF. Maybe 1/3rd of it is MK based. The remaining 1/3rd is brand new for everyone.
Frankly, with so much conceded to SF-style mechanics, I thought there’d be A LOT of Capcom players who would pick up Injustice and do very well with it. They should. The Light-Medium-Heavy Attack and Back-to-Block mechanics should be very familiar to SF players, while unfamiliar to the NRS-only diehards. They’ve been doing it for years, NRS players for a couple months. I understand that there is something of a “war” between some people in the communities as to which is a better fighting game and who has the better players. Capcom players could douche on NRS from afar, even if they couldn’t do well themselves in the MK tournaments, because the games were very different. That just doesn’t seem to be the case with Injustice. If it were any more like SF, then Capcom players would just say that NRS is ripping off Capcom. Yet, I think enough concessions were made to the SF-style mechanics that no one could say that SF players are at a disadvantage in Injustice or that MK players had an advantage. It is a pretty even playing field, IMHO, so I’m still surprised there aren’t more.
If Capcom players wanted to prove they are “better” there should be a lot more of them doing a lot better. I don’t think it is valid to argue that Injustice is too much like MK as an excuse.
