'Injustice: Gods Among Us' Zod Impressions

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k4tzm4n

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Edited By k4tzm4n  Moderator

"I don't want Zod as a DLC character! He's just going to be a Superman clone!"

Was that you when you found out Zod would be the the fourth downloadable character? If so, prepare to eat your words because Zod is quite awesome. Yes, the Kryptonian has similar powers to Kal-El, but that hardly means his moves are the same. NetherRealm Studios did a very thorough job making Zod not only feel like a unique and fun character, but also a balanced one.

Zod can beat you with both hands tied behind his back.
Zod can beat you with both hands tied behind his back.

Zod has the ability to wreck his opponent's face at any range. In close range, he's got some vicious and effective combos which are super easy to memorize and execute. He has a nice blend of forceful haymakers and slams as well as fluid kicks. In addition to relatively easy to use combos, Zod has some useful special moves for close to medium range. There's the simplistic Phantom Strike which is basically a palm punch with a small shockwave in close range (which becomes one of the coolest moves in the game when you meter it), General Parry to counter your enemy's attacks in a jaw-droppingly cool sequence, and Zod Charge is pretty much what you'd expect from a man who can fly and has superhuman strength. Meter it and he throws some extra punches in there. It's nothing out of the ordinary, but it works.

Zod Seagal strikes down Superman.
Zod Seagal strikes down Superman.

At a distance, Zod can utilize his Side Arm, Ground Blast and Kryptonian Rifle. The former offers a fast projectile and when metered, spams additional shots straight forward. Ground Blast has Zod use his heat vision to focus on the surface and create an concussive force. You can opt to fire this at close, medium or long range based on what direction you press immediately after pulling off the move. Furthermore, you can simply press it once to fire a quick but weak blast which will only faze your enemy, or you can hold it down for an explosive force which will send them soaring into the air and of course does more damage. Using your meter makes him scan his heat vision across the map with explosive force the entire time and it's quite cool. Finally, Kryptonian Rifle is essentially a high tech version of Reptile's force ball from Mortal Kombat 9. The projectile will juggle your opponent into the air if it hits and you can hold forward to make the projectile move faster or back to make it travel slower. When metered, Zod juggles his enemy into the air with multiple blasts and again, it's pretty sweet.

Yup, he's got the kneel line. Don't say NR Studios never did anything for you.
Yup, he's got the kneel line. Don't say NR Studios never did anything for you.

Zod's throw is pure fan service. He blasts his target with heat vision on the chest until they fall to their knees. Zod then drops his signature line ("Kneel before Zod!") before blasting them in the back. Also, Zod has a great character trait. He can make a Phantom Wraith appear behind his foe and from there, you can make it slash or grab the character and begin biting their neck. The slash temporarily interrupts your enemy and the grab leaves them completely vulnerable.

And then there's the super move. Man oh man, it's a good one. You know how Superman sends someone into space and Doomsday smashes them through the planet? NR Studios must have said, "Well, why not combine them?" Zod drags his opponent into space and then sends them smashing through the moon. Once he goes out the other side with them, he blasts them with heat vision and the poor soul goes crashing back down to Earth. Let me repeat that: he smashes them through the freaking moon. Yeah, it rocks.

STRAIGHT TO THE MOON!
STRAIGHT TO THE MOON!

My only complaint is his totally disappointing ending. Maybe it's my fault for expecting more, but his ending is just about as formulaic and predictable as it gets. I was really hoping they'd use the opportunity to do more with this universe and possibly tease more characters or new relationships with other characters, but ultimately, it's a pretty generic ending. And just like with the other DLC characters, Zod has no features in the library.

Was Zod picked because of Man of Steel? Probably. But you know what? It doesn't matter why he was selected because at the end of the day, NetherRealm Studios did a topnotch job with the character. He's effective at any distance and has plenty of really enjoyable moves to utilize and chain together. He's a solid addition to the roster and definitely worth purchasing.

And in the event you don't like his costume, feast your eyes on the following.

No Caption Provided

Despite being all kinds of mediocre at the game, Gregg Katzman is still addicted to Injustice: Gods Among Us. If you play on the 360, follow him on Twitter to see when he creates the "Comic Vine" room and join in on the fun.

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mattwing87

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I don't like how he put his hands behind his backs in between moves. Make him seem really slow but I do love how brutal some of his attacks are! I think they should have skipped Scorpion and gave us someone else before Zod but whatever

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hart7668

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If they had a MoS skin....I'd cry :')

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SideburnGuru

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Honestly, I'm just not too huge on what they did with him. He's a great character, don't get me wrong. It's just.. it doesn't feel like Zod.

Also, I don't know how to feel about getting the MoS skin. Honestly would just prefer them to go with Superman 2, or Last Son Zod. But whatever.

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SandMan_

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#4  Edited By SandMan_

:D

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ShadowSwordmaster

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Nice.

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Cavemold

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Hed really good dlc

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JediXMan

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#7  Edited By JediXMan  Moderator

1. Really awesome moves with nice combos and air juggling. I like how he plays.

2. Unfortunately, some of his moves are a little slow and clunky. It's hard to make the transition from one move to another with him. I especially think his sprint (that the right term?) is too slow.

3. Don't like the costume. I'd be fine if I at least got some choices, but I don't like it much. I want the Man of Steel skin or his skin from New Krypton.

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SmashBrawler

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Zod is a fine character, at least had more fun playing as him than I did with Batgirl. But yeah, he's kinda clunky and his design really sucks. I'll honestly take any other costume over the current one, even Pokolistan Zod.

Sadly, the MoS Superman skin was very disappointing.

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Paragon_Sean

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#9  Edited By Paragon_Sean

I don't like Zod all that much, he's kind of clunky. Also,I'm not really a fan of his design. I don't hate it, but it's very meh. I prefer Babs over him, personally. However, I'm not all that great at the game, so my opinion isn't worth much.

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saoakden

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#10  Edited By saoakden

Awesome.

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RedheadedAtrocitus

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That move of slamming Zod's adversary into the moon is pretty neat, in my opinion.

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Black_Claw

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Loving Zod. 1000x better than freaking Batgirl.

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lilben42

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I love Zod.

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JonesDeini

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I don't get all the Batgirl hate, before Zod she was my favorite DLC. I suppose she fits my play style though. Zod's great though. I'll have to give him a few more spins, but I haven't felt the clunkiness issues some are mentioning. I feel that once you get the timing of his combos/range of his special moves down he's a blast to play with. He's pretty well balanced and feels like Zod should to me, I'm quite impressed with the move set and how they made him truly feel like a unique character. Only complaint I have is that costume. I may just buy that MOS skin if it's legit gonna happen.

On a side note, anybody actually get that email for the Arrow Skin?

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IDontLikeBirds

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Honestly I don't mind Zod, but I guess he doesn't suit my fighting style. He feels clunky, and I have trouble getting used to him. Batgirl, Lobo and Scorpion I was able to get into pretty easily. I'll give him a few more tries, feel him out more.

Just curious, anyone download/purchase Zombie Mode today and have trouble to get it to work?

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ManofIron11

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#16  Edited By ManofIron11

I didn't buy Zod in the end simply because I hate his apperance. For tommorow skin Zod

would've been bad ass. Not some bald scrawny guy who looks like my gf's dad.

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cdw101

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Honestly, I think he's a decent character with awesome moves, but I agree with people above that the costume sucks, id even be happy with a superman 2 Terrence stamp costume.

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ccraft

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Zod is very awesome, need more practice before I go to online and ruin my fighting avg.

Also I real need to stop fighting spammers, but for some reason I fight them around 20x, I keep telling my self, the reason why I stay is for the practice of fighting them. But I did learn a few things fighting them.

  • Best character against spammers...is Sinestro! No joke, he's really good against Doomsday & Scorpion spammers. He can prevent Doomsday from doing that jump and smash move, and he can stop Scorpion with Sinestros chain move that hold him in place.
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Jonny_Anonymous

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Injustus: Scorptions Among Us

I challenge anybody to a duel on the Xbox version of Injustices, the names Strunkiin so if you want some come get some.

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NightFang3

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Zod needs a cape!

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Shallbecomeabattoo

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I need that MoS Zod skin, ASAP!!!

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ThomasElliot

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#24  Edited By ThomasElliot

Its just the bald head and goggles really that ruin it. Like, where did even that design choice come from? I think if he had hair, no goggles, but the same outfit, people wouldn't hate on it as much. Though, the exclusion of a Kryptonian glyph or shield is questionable.

Its almost as if Netherealms started making a Ra's Al Ghul or Vandal Savage character then re-appropriated the designs as Zod.... hmmm... bet there's a unspoken story in it somewhere!!

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LordRequiem

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I said it before and I'll say it again, we've been had with these DLC characters, they are utterly stupid. What a waste of money. The game itself is still superb, but with a roster in much need of reinforcement.

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Birthright

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He needs a Man of Steel skin. I hate his current design and his facial feautures. I would have loved to see him designed and looking like Michael Shannon. His New Krypton costume would be good as well.

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Jonny_Anonymous

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Its just the bald head and goggles really that ruin it. Like, where did even that design choice come from? I think if he had hair, no goggles, but the same outfit, people wouldn't hate on it as much. Though, the exclusion of a Kryptonian glyph or shield is questionable.

Its almost as if Netherealms started making a Ra's Al Ghul or Vandal Savage character then re-appropriated the designs as Zod.... hmmm... bet there's a unspoken story in it somewhere!!

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evilvegeta74

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#29  Edited By evilvegeta74

Easy to use

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Decoy Elite

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I'll try him out for myself tomorrow.

Don't like the character design already though.

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Argothor

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I like him. His super moves combo really well into his attacks and I don't like his look either.

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Yung ANcient One

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Was it worth the wait? I dunno, I spoiled myself by looking at the "leaked" information. At first I thought it was wrong. Why would they put Zod, Scorpion, or Batgirl? It made no sesnse to me. Zod=Superman, Batgirl=Batman,Nightwing,Catwoman plus we have enough BAt related characters, and Scorpion just seemed random.

I thought about it for a while, I realized Zod will be in the MoS, so it makes sense to put him in the game. I also thought about Scorpion, it still seemed random but made sense for NeatherRealms to do something like that, but Batgirl... really?

Anyways Batgirl was soon announced, and I knew the "leak" had to be legit. He was 2/4 right thus far and again Zod made a lot of sense for me. Once Scorpion was announced. I didn't even bother to wait for the next DLC I was extremely confident knowing that Zod would be the last DLC.

( + )

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ComicStooge

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Zod is my favourite character in the game, followed by Lex and Martian Manhunter.