The newest playable character for Injustice: Gods Among Us is released today and it’s Scorpion. Much like how when Freddy Kruger was released for Mortal Kombat 9, gamers are deeply divided about having a Mortal Kombat character in what was, up until now, an all DC Universe oriented game. Personally, I’m fine with it as it wouldn’t be a Netherrealms game without Scorpion in it in some way. Even Mortal Kombat 3 learned that. Would I rather have a DC character like Booster Gold, Animal Man, Swamp Thing or the like in here? Sure I would, but I also love the character of Scorpion and it’s not like he hasn’t interacted with DC characters before via MK8. What matters is how Scorpion plays. For Season Pass holder like myself, we’ve had access to the character for a week or so now and I think Scorpion holds up decently. I’ve yet to lose in an online match with him, but that’s probably because so few people have access to him. Here now are my first impressions with the character.
1. I really like the costume Scorpion has here. It’s very organic – as if it is part of him rather than a standard ninja outfit. The armor bits are almost chitinous – which is very fitting for a guy named Scorpion.
2. Scorpion’s intro is straight from MK9. From Shao Kahn’s end stage to the world of Injustice, Scorpion seems confused, out of place and pissed that he wasn’t able to perform his Fatality on Sub-Zero. Really nice job here. His winning pose thing is equally awesome, and perhaps as close to a Fatality as the game will allow.
3. Most of Scorpion’s special moves have the same command inputs as MK9. However they also perform differently. Scorpion’s spear automatically has a heavy punch connected to it instead of simply drawing the character to you and stunning them for a short period. Scorpion’s teleport has a slightly different frame rate and it seems easier to make juggle combos with it than the MK9 version. Either that or I’ve just got better timing in Injustice. The fiery flip kick is new, as is Scorpion’s Throw, which is better described as, “Skeleton drags opponent into hell while Scorpion curb stomps him.” It’ll be interesting to see if the same strategies that worked in MK9 will work here or if Scorpion is at a disadvantage because people know what to expect from him. People shouldn’t make the mistake of think he plays exactly the same as he did in MK9, as that sort of overestimation could cost them the match. At the same time Scorpion should also be the most accessible character to MK fans as they have a good idea of how to play him already.
4. Scorpion’s Character Power is “Shroud of Flames” which gives him a damage aura. This means those trying close combat attacks on Scorpion will take damage, which is nice. It also means you’ll just see projectile spam once it gets turned on.
5. Scorpion’s Super Move is…okay. It’s not as visually impressive or funny as other. He just teleports the opponent to the Netherrealm and then beats on him there for a while before ‘porting back. Damage is mid-level for a Super Move. I guess I was expecting more, either damage, hit count or visual wise.
6. I’ve found some interesting combos for Scorpion – all of which do in the mid 30s for damage. It’s also really easy to chain together say, a heavy punch into an air throw and then a teleport punch for some easy damage, and that’s only three moves. Hellfire/Flipkick/Teleport Punch is another easy one to learn. He actually has a lot of merely 3-4 hit combos that do damage in the mid 20s, which is neat and probably makes him very accessible to a more casual or less skilled fighting gamer. More experience players will find some nice juggle opportunities for Scorpion, but of course the bigger the combo, the more buttons you have to press and the more accurate your timing has to be. I’ve found a few 14-15 hit combos with him but again, nothing super crazy high in damage. I’m actually surprised Scorpion seems to be mid tier. I thought either NR would nerf him so he didn’t overshadow the DC characters or overpower him since he is their baby. They did a really good job balancing Scorpion and I think he’ll see some nice play even if he’s not Aquaman or Batman crazy.
7. I have no idea why, but every time I get Scorpion on the motorcycle in the Wayne Manor stage, it cracks me up.
8. Scorpion’s ending is interesting. It involves Trigon and Scorpion becoming far more malevolent than he usually is. I think the ending would have worked better with Satanus or Blaze, but that’s just me. It’s a fine ending and fits the character although I’ll be honest – I was hoping for something with Etrigan (who really should be in this game!) or the Phantom Stranger rather than Trigon. Hell, having Constantine get Scorpion to join Justice League Dark would have been a killer ending.
9. Patrick Selz is still doing the voice work for Scorpion. Very nice to hear! I especially loved the Mortal Kombat reference in the Clash against Superman and also the “You are no Sub-Zero” to Terry McGillis.
10. Overall I’m liking Scorpion. Like Lobo, he brings a very different dynamic to the game and he’s fun to play and fight against even if he’s not going to swarm the tournament scene. It’ll take a while for people to figure out all that is possible with the character, although not as long as other simply because hey, he’s Scorpion. So far, he’s my favorite of the three DLC character to PLAY with, even if he’s not the most powerful of them. Bring on General Zod I guess.
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