I was so happy to see the Justice League back on
TV. The Cartoon Network brought the heroes back, and without the goofy Wendy and
Marvin or ludicrous Wonder Twins! They dropped that "Super Friends"
tag and made the stories more in line with the DC Comics from which they
originate. So, when I saw that they were releasing a version of the series for
play on the Game Boy Advance, I jumped at the chance to try it.
Justice
League: Injustice for All challenges you to save the world from Lex Luthor’s
evil scheme to control the minds of us mere mortals and gain world dominance. He
has enlisted a who’s who of enemies based on the heroes themselves. It follows
the Cartoon Network’s series very well. They haven’t thrown in any villains that
wouldn’t appear in the show. In addition to the elusive Luthor, you battle the
gangs of The Joker, The Shade, Felix Faust and Solomon Grundy among others. Each
villain has their own dangerous perils to navigate– with a good amount of thugs
and/or weapons to slow you down and try to eliminate you from the game.
This played a lot like Mario Brothers with super
powers. That’s not a bad thing, but there were enough passages, pipes and doors
to explore to give me that feeling. Collecting "coins" (JL icons)
along the way added to this flashback. It’s a platform game in which you are
given mission objectives, and along with a specifically chosen super-partner,
you must get through the traps and bad guys to destroy a mind control orb and
eventually a boss. Same scenario, different game. There are crates and other
objects hiding goodies like valuable keys, so smashing things around helps you
get far.
Each character has been awarded their own genuine
powers, though I found some were missing that could have helped more. Flash can
run at almost the speed of light, Wonder Woman can fly and use her lasso, Batman
is a great fighter, Green Lantern’s ring helps him fly and shield himself, The
Martian Manhunter flies and fights, Hawkgirl flies and fights, and Superman…..
well, he’s Superman. The JLA consists of seven heroes, and you must use them
all. There are various mission levels to complete, and you are paired with other
team members– not of your choosing (darn). In most cases, you must use both
characters to get through a level. IE: There are some places Batman can not
reach, so you launch The Flash into action and watch him zip up a wall to reach
the target. This is done by pressing the "select" button. Your players
will switch places. Also, if a player gets beaten too badly, the switch occurs
automatically.
At the end of a level there is a large orb that
must be smashed. It’s a mind control device placed by Luthor. Then, the
obligatory boss must be defeated, and more information is given upon completion.
The bosses love to talk– even without always using the golden lasso! They all
say the same thing: "I was hired by Luthor to distract you and slow you
down".
That’s the crux of the game, and it is an easy
one, for sure. I went through several levels before sustaining enough damage to
warrant a continue. That’s rare for my sloppy playing style for this type of
game. The thugs and distractions are not much of a challenge. You just plow
through them and look for hidden passages and portals to other rooms or
sublevels. Therein will be hidden valuable keys and power-ups like extra lives
and health restores. The bosses are easy to beat, and do not require much
strategy. This was an amusing revelation. I planned to utilize each hero’s
unique powers to maximize the damage, but found (in most cases) I could just
wail away on the boss the old fashioned way and beat them. Supe’s heat vision is
too short, and I don’t think I used the Batarang once!
The game looks good, and I am impressed by the
level of detail for the small platform. Though there were some perspective and
dimensional issues to overcome, things moved along easily and objects were
mostly clear. There are cut scenes between action, and though there is no
movement, it is nice to see characters looking like they do on TV. The sound is
good, and even better with headphones. The music was not annoying at all, and
the environmental sounds were effective.
This is an overall fun game to play, but I
finished faster than any game I have played in years. Kids will get more out of
it than seasoned gamers, but even then, it may fall short on replay value. I
loved playing the various characters, and the feel was great, but having
completed it– I don’t feel the need to pick it up again and start over. Maybe
in a few days. Your level completions are timed, so I guess I could go back
through and beat my times, but I otherwise don’t have a replay challenge calling
me. A great game for a few hours of fun, but I think even kids will get through
this wa too easily. Wonder Twins powers– activate!!
Gameplay: 7
Very easy to pick and start without
touching the manual. Your missions and the storyline are laid out for you as you
go. The moves are straight forward, as everyone punches, and some can fly
(poor Batman). It was a familiar game, even with not having touched it
before.
Graphics: 8
Stylish
and clear for the most part. There were some issues with buildings and where you
could, and could not, go. No clear separation from non-passable objects to the
ones that you can walk by. Some of the mounted laser cannons are hard to see.
You feel and hear them, but they are so blended with the wall that they’re tricky
to locate quickly. I don’t think that was by design. The characters looked good,
even in motion. However, Wonder Woman’s lasso whips out so fast that you can’t
tell what it is!
Sound: 7.5
The sound is good; better
with headphones (I always say that, but it’s true). There’s the occasional
laser-fire sounds and the typical grunting and punching as you beat your way to
the bosses. The characters don’t really have any unique sounds. The Batarang
sounds like the Golden Lasso.
Difficulty: Easy
I
think only NASA could make this game easier. It was not much of a challenge in
any way. It’s easy to pick up and start playing (without consulting the manual),
as you are told what to do as you go. The thugs are not much of a threat, and
can be jumped or flown over and just avoided in many cases. If your character is
low on health, switch players until your find Health, then switch again to give
the drained player the power-up. No-brainer.
Concept: 6
It’s
a side-scrolling platform game with TV heroes. There’s nothing new or exciting
about the way it’s laid out. Bosses and things to get in your way. Working as a
team when needed, otherwise just punching and flying your way to success. I did
not experience anything unique enough to set it apart from every other game like
this.
Multiplayer: N/A
Overall: 7
I really could give
this a lower rating, but though it was short and easy, I did have fun playing
it. I enjoyed seeing the heroes in action, and felt some satisfaction beating
the bosses and finding hidden objects encased in crates. There is also the
challenge of knowing how to complete an objective using your partner’s powers
when you fall short. But, I went through three of the twelve levels in less than
15 minutes. You get the idea. What game time there is, is fun. I think a young
player will have fun, and get enough playing time out of it to make it worth
their while. For comics geeks like me, it’s a must-have. If you’re seeking a
long, in depth platform challenge, you won’t find this very fulfilling. But, at
least there is not Wendy and Marvin to mess it up!!
