Jack White
The Clown Prince of Crime
Introduction
Hello everyone, I'd like for you all to direct your attention to this picture. Above, is the most iconic super villain of all time, and thanks to NRS, we have a fantastic fighting game for which we can play as him. I can't begin to express my gratitude for such a privilege, and I'm endlessly happy about it to this day, but there are some significant things in all of this greatness that bothers me and many other Joker fans.
As many of you are aware, the Joker is considered by most to be unquestionably the worst character in this game. For this reason, he is one of the least played characters in the roster, despite how important he is to the DC lore. Sure he has some strengths here and there and a dedicated player can still win, but the sad truth of the matter is that he just doesn't have tools on par with the rest of the cast. And his problems don't end with his balance either. His moveset itself has a few staggering omissions.
Despite being known for his assortment of clownish gadgets and gag weaponry, the Joker's moveset only contains 2 (not counting the pie he throws for his Super), 3 if you consider the gas can one. The non-gag aspects of his gameplay are perfect, with his knife-play and gun usage being so on point that the moveset was good despite the missing appliances. Seriously, the animation for some of his knife swipes are as smooth as butter, and I never grow tired of looking at them, but this thread here is about what we can do to make it all even better.
In this topic I will suggest balance and design changes for the Joker that can take his character in Injustice from good to perfect. Obviously, the community will have feedback and give their own suggestions, but the hope is that we have something concrete to show NRS while developing Injustice 2 (if they indeed are).
I'm posting this now, instead of at a formal announcement because a huge amount of the development for the game happens before the announcement even takes place (we know part of MKX was developed alongside Injustice), so if we can give this enough publicity for NRS while they're in the midst of development, that could make a big difference. Without further ado, let's begin.
Balance changes
Normal Attacks and Combo Changes
In terms of balancing his normals, I only have a few simplistic suggestions because the Joker has a few simplistic problems that hold him back. His flaws are that:
-He has poor mobility
-He's mainly only strong in the corner (which is an issue because this game has such huge stages)
-He has a terrible time opening opponents up in neutral
-He can't convert any damage off overheads
These aren't all of his problems, but these are the big ones I can think of. To balance him out, a few of these should be addressed, but before I begin, I should note that my suggestions will not involve any changes to his mobility (because I think that's a fair weakness for character with the range he possesses) or the size of the stages (because it's great that Injustice gets huge stage sizes).
Move Changes:
-F2 (Belly Buster) is now an overhead. This way, the Joker has a way to convert damage off an overhead attack, standing opponents have to worry more about his mix ups, and he has more valuable teeth set ups midscreen.
-His Last Laugh combo (1,1,2) and Joke's on You combo (F2,1) should end with lows rather than overheads. This is to differentiate the combo enders for his 1,1 strings (which are both overheads) and to give him access to a quick and tricky mixup, similar to what he has with his Punch Line combo (B1,2) but reversed.
-His Put It There Pal combo (2,1,2) should have a more consistent ending. Sometimes, the final knife strike goes over the opponent's head, and sometimes it doesn't depending on the character. It's apparent that this is a powerful move due to its frame advantage, and the overhead ending variation is there for a reason, but perhaps it can be adjusted for consistency's sake.
And that's all I have for basic balance changes, but that doesn't mean balancing ideas end here.
Special Changes
As mentioned before the Joker's moves are good yet have missing pieces, so this section is the most important because it refers to how to make the Joker feel more like the Joker. To start with, let's talk about his most glaring omission.
1. Joy Buzzer -
The Joker really should have a move that involves this (as it was in MK vs DC too). My idea is that he gets a command grab where he reaches out and grabs his opponents palm, electrocuting them while laughing maniacally. Obviously he'd have some sort of quip along the lines of "Put 'er there pal!" of course. I don't know what else to say about this suggestion but to say that's probably the most requested Joker change I've heard from what I gathered in this community (although, the trait complaints may outnumber this one).
2. Laughing Gas -
The Joker's venom has to be his most iconic attack ever, yet it gets next to no representation in Injustice. The reasons for this are clear however, since for this move to work, one would have to record a laughing track from every voice actor in the cast and then make a laughing animation for the characters. I know that's a huge undertaking, but it will help in making the Joker feel that much more complete. I mean, this is his most well known move, it's the sign of the Joker! So here are my ideas for having it put into the actual game:
- When you meter burn a laughing gas attack on a grounded enemy, instead of popping the opponent in the air, they are immobilized in a laughing animation, thus giving you an opportunity to extend your combo, or even set up a dangerous reset situation with the teeth. Not only would this make the Joker more dangerous, it would also be a way of incorporating the attack in which he is known for the most.
3. Laughing Fish -
This move suggestion is the most serious change I'm proposing. The Joker's Laughing Gas move (DB1) is replaced with a move where he tosses a big flopping laughing fish, much like the ones that appeared in the famous "The Laughing Fish" comic. The throwing animation would be exactly the same, but instead of throwing a gas tank, it's a disgusting grinning fish with a visible trail of stench that makes gross fish noises when it hits things. You can still meter burn it to blow it up (since it's also filled with joker venom), but there are few functional differences in this move since the attack in Injustice was underpowered. The changes I suggest are:
- You can dash cancel the lag after a certain point, but you can't throw another fish while it's out or meter burn after you cancelled.
- The move is now weaker than before.
- The meter burn explosion is an overhead that forces the opponent to stand and laugh.
This will give Joker more options at full screen, and perhaps a better way to combat airborne opponents like Hawk Girl (who are nightmare to face now). Not only would this move serve as a functional buff, but it'd also be a fitting and hilarious addition to the Joker's moveset.
The rolling laughing gas should be renamed to just "Laughing Gas" if this change is implemented.
4. BANG! Flag -
The Joker's gun special should have a meter burn variation where a bang flag comes out instead of a bullet. You should also be able to meter burn and hold the flag out to fake out opponents. Firing the gun sends a stronger projectile (the flag itself) that travels more slowly than the bullet, but hits overhead. A problem with the gun now is that opponents who move ever so slightly lowered (like a batarang tossing Batman) avoid the shots, which gives you a huge disadvantage full screen. Not only would this serve as a sweet reference The Return of the Joker, but it's also a good way to get around this problem.
Another function is that confetti comes out of the gun when you meter burn it, and that confetti stuns the opponent a little if they're close, setting you up for a killer shot. It's pure comic genius!
5. Joker's Wild (Trait) -
This is where many players are at a loss with the Joker. His trait is not only underbalanced in comparison to most characters, it also isn't very Joker like. Don't get me wrong, it's a very cool attack as it showcases Joker's knife skills, but it doesn't leave as much as an impression as other traits in this game (compare it to Batman's for instance). Furthermore, the "HA!" bonuses just aren't that great. Faster movement speed and jumps are a little helpful, but they're not worth the risk of countering. For this reason, my suggestion here is to kill two birds with one stone and change this attack into something more appropriate for the Joker, and something that's actually good.
My idea is to turn the main function of this attack into a move utilizing the Joker's lethal playing cards. He would keep the counter of course (they could serve as the moves he uses when the player holds back + the trait button or down + the trait button for the low counter variation), but the main function of the move would be sharp card throws. The cards would be weak, mid-hitting projectiles that add a "HA" to Joker's trait bar (just as the counters would do) if they land. The new HA effect could be something more practical like something that reduces the cost of meter burn attacks, an effect that increases with each HA.
This change would make the Joker's trait more useful, more Joker-like, and make it more name appropriate. Let's face it, the name "Joker's Wild" sounds a lot more like a card move than a counter move.
So, that's all I have for Joker move change ideas. We can't have too much since the command list is pretty much filled out. The chattering teeth are fine as is, the crowbar is great now thanks to those stellar balance changes, and the acid spray has always been perfect from release. Nothing more to say here, so let's move on.
Misc Changes/Additions
Here, let's talk about changes that won't affect the Joker's gameplay, but would be nice tweaks to have in general. More precisely, this will cover changes to his win animation and suggestions for alt costumes.
Win Animation Changes
With one, minor tweak, the Joker's win animation, can be made to be perfect. Right now it has one fatal flaw that has absolutely nothing to do with the direction of the animation itself (which is stellar). It's the fact that the Joker has to pull a match out of his jacket pocket, which creates 2 problems:
1. A glitch where the jacket clips through the flower and has the flower "moved" onto the Joker's inner shirt. This glitch happens whenever the Joker wins facing the left side of the screen. You can see it here if you look for it as he takes out the match.
The reason for this is because the flower is actually part of the Joker's model, so moving the jacket won't move the flower, it'll just have the jacket clip through the jacket. This has become very distracting after many, many matches of playing.
2. The fact that the Joker has to reach into a jacket to pull out something in his win animation seriously limits his alt costume potential. Have you noticed that all of the Joker's costumes have an open jacket? Even the Joker's tourist alt, which is based on the Killing Joke is slightly altered to be an open shirt instead of a closed shirt like in the comic it was based on. This may not be too big of a deal now, but think of all the potentially great Joker costumes lost because of this "jacket" restriction.
My solution? Make it so that the Joker pulls out the match like a magician makes something appear out of his palms. It would fit the Joker perfectly, and it'd solve both the problems I pointed out here. One other alteration I'd suggest is to have the Joker have a big smile at the end of his win animation instead of the uncharacteristic sneer he has now, it'd really fit better.
Additional win animation suggestion: How about having one that involves the Joker Venom? Finishing the opponent off and making them have a laugh at the same time would be incredible.
Alt Costume Suggestions
1. Arkham Origins Joker -
This one is a real no-brainer, and the bonus to it is that you can have Troy Baker voice him here too. Baker already voices 2 other characters in this game, and to have an alt with a Troy Baker voice switch would be awesome. He really does an incredible job in Arkham Origins, so it'd be cool to hear him in Injustice.
2. The Dark Knight Returns Joker -
That amazing white suit he wore in TDKR is one of his best designs. Hell, I even have it as my avatar right now. Having some sort of Dark Knight Returns pack featuring Batman, Superman, and the Joker would be a must-buy.
3. Batman Beyond Joker -
The red eyed and creepy design he had from Batman Beyond would be sweet as well.
Conclusion
NRS has done amazing job capturing the spirit of the DC universe in a fighting game, better than I could have expected, but I feel like more can be done for a character who is without a doubt the biggest comic book villain of all time. To those working at NetherRealm Studios, please consider implementing some of these changes to the next game you may be working on, I really feel it'd help make the Joker feel more complete.
To the Joker community, if you like any of what you see here, like this post and help in spreading the word to NRS. If you have suggestions of your own, feel free to post it. We can all have a debate and update the OP accordingly, but we really should nail down one definitive list as soon as possible. The thing that matters most in the end is having our voices heard in a clear and concise central message, one that won't be lost in a flood of voices. We need to be unified here.
Let's all give them something to smile about!
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