Izayah Morgan
Editorial Staff
To say “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” was controversial is an understatement.
Online discourse for this game started as soon as it was announced that developer Rocksteady, which created the genre-defining “Batman: Arkham” trilogy, were now making a live service, looter-shooter game.
This brought a healthy skepticism and concern, as when a company creates something completely different from what brought them success, fans can be worried.
The game released after a year-long delay and an alpha test that was completely hidden under non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) preventing those who played the alpha test from talking about it.
Just a few weeks ago there was a private showing of the game to gaming journalists and outlets. Fans were hungry for a big gaming outlet to give their thoughts and were eager.
Disappointment followed.
IGN was the first big outlet to give their thoughts and they were not positive. Titling their video “We played ‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’ and we didn’t like it,” the internet soon after went into a frenzy and discourse online was overwhelmingly negative.
Now as early access has ended and we have a global release, buyers need to know - is it worth $70?
The story follows characters Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark, as they are captured by Amanda Waller and bombs are placed in their heads. The gallery of rogues are tasked with one mission - to kill the Justice League. The Justice League has been taken over by Brainiac, who has wiped out 99% of the population in Metropolis.
The opening act is very well done, but quickly falls from there. Facial animation and cutscenes are masterfully done and it's clear Rocksteady put some great work and passion into these characters. However, the story narrative moved way too quickly, as by the fifth or sixth hour players will start killing all Justice League members like they're grating cheese.
The ending leaves much to be desired. As a live service, this ending was probably made to leave room for future content. However, despite that the ending is disappointing and leaves long-time “Arkham” fans wondering why this game was part of the larger Arkham universe.
Traversal is very fun and shooting feels really good. There are different tiers of weapons - common, rare, legendary, and notorious. Notorious weapons are based on DC villains and the most creative part of the gunplay.
The open world is set in a Metropolis - brighter and open compared to Rocksteady’s older “Arkham” games.
After nine years, it does not feel much more alive than other games. Enemies patrol but there are never many. Side missions are repetitive in gameplay, and rewards are, at most, vendor upgrades primarily used in the endgame.
Riddler challenges make a return from the “Arkham” series and are an enjoyable detour from the main story.
A problem with the open world is that while being big, due to traversal, players stay above the rooftops, never getting a chance to fight on the streets.
That's the problem - we have two different games trying to come together. Narrative story-driven focus that Rocksteady is known for, and a looter shooter, live service game. Two genres Rocksteady tried to bring together, but didn’t scratch either itch for fans.
As a live service game that has potential to improve, we already have Joker to look forward to in the coming months. We already have about two years worth of content planned for the future of this game. However, looking at the state of launch, I have a skeptical view moving forward.
I wouldn’t recommend this game at full price right now.
Rating: D+
Suicide Squad: kill your pockets
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