Injustice 2 Tips and Tricks

Superhero fighting game Injustice 2 for the PS4 and Xbox One hit the US on May 16 and it will be out in Europe and India on May 19.

While the game has a lot in common with its predecessor, Injustice: Gods Among Us, there are a few subtle differences that could make or break your chances of winning. Here’s what you need to know.

Injustice 2 Review

Injustice 2 options - Release Check and Input Shortcuts
Before firing up a match, you might want to check the options available in-game, two of them in particular. These are Release Check and Input Shortcuts.

Release Check in Injustice 2 needs you to release a button before performing one of the game’s many flashy special moves, while Input Shortcuts ensures not as much precision is needed to execute an attack, which could result in making the wrong move. If you're having trouble pulling off moves in the game, you should experiment with these options.

Injustice 2 controls
Like most fighting games, there are three normal attacks in Injustice 2 — Light, Medium, and Heavy. You can block by holding back or holding down to crouch, and these also let you dodge enemy attacks. In addition to this, the circle button on the PS4, and the B button on the Xbox One, let you use Traits, which are abilities intrinsic to each Injustice 2 character.

For example, Harley Quinn can summon up dogs to land a few hits, or Superman can charge up his attacks and do more damage. Pressing the triggers (R2 and L2 on PS4, RT and LT on Xbox One) lets you unleash a super move when your power meter at the bottom of the screen is full.

Injustice 2 for PS4 and Xbox One Out Now: What You Need to Know

Injustice 2 rounds, health, and Clash explained
Unlike other fighting games, rounds are determined by health bars. In Injustice 2, each superhero (and super villain) has two health bars that act as rounds. When one is depleted, a brief intermission occurs before you get back to the fight. The other fighter retains health from the previous round and when that bar is completely exhausted, there’s a small pause in the proceedings.

What’s important to note is when the second health bar is available, you can use Clash by pressing forward and R2 on the PS4, or RT on the Xbox One. This has both combatants literally squaring up face to face, with you wagering a portion of your power meter. Properly pull this off and you inflict more damage; successfully defend against it, and you gain more health. Clash could change the outcome of a match, so it’s best to be used wisely.

How to block super moves in Injustice 2
As we mentioned earlier, you can block by holding back or holding down to crouch. While this works for normal attacks, you can also avoid Injustice 2’s super moves as well. When your opponent triggers a super move, immediate contact needs to be made in order to deal massive damage, and have the entire cinematic play out. In the case of Batman or Superman it means charging forward, or Green Arrow having to hit you with his bow. Staying out of the range of attack or a well-timed block will ensure that you aren’t on the receiving end of a match ending move.

This Is the Size of Injustice 2's Day One Patch

We discuss Injustice 2's microtransactions, gameplay changes, and a whole lot more on Transition, our weekly podcast on all things gaming. You can subscribe to Transition via iTunes or RSS or just listen to this episode by hitting the play button below.