Moba players and Injustice: Gods Among Us

Injustice is a great game. It has solid engine, strong character design and a crisp art direction. It's incredibly accessible to all types of fighting gamers with its extensive controller options. Street Fighter style, Mortal Kombat style, toggle on or off Negative Edge, it's got it all. Not only is it a great game with all these wonderful features it also has a gripping and well written story mode, conquering a problem fighting games have had with single player content. This makes Injustice the perfect game to begin or revive your interest in fighting games.

The two genres that have dominated my gaming time are fighting games and moba. Back when I was playing Heroes of Newerth I used to play ranked games of Street Fighter 4 between queues. I've always found fighting games are great for breaking away from frustrating moba sessions. There is nothing worse than losing several games because your team mates are feeding, trolling or perhaps just not good enough (which isn't something to hold against them). Fighting games are down to you.

There is no one else to take responsibility for a loss or a bad decision. I strongly believe that fighting games competitively are an excellent way to critiquing your own game play. In the fighting game genre the fastest way to get better is to understand and learn from your mistakes. It's easier to see the mistakes of others and can sometimes be hard (in a team based game) to take that step back and think 'actually, I shouldn't have let bottom get bullied by their jungler' etc. I'm moving away from serious competitive fighting gaming into the moba scene and all my experience in that genre will help me progress faster.

So as a moba player, how is Injustice appealing and what can you gain from playing it? The two genres have some similarities but also have their differences.

Trial and Error

Everybody was a newbie once. We all had to learn the game and both genres share the same mentality. Trial and error is what I would call it. If you're going to learn a different role in League and all you had done before was a support it is going to take some time to understand the new role. Fundamentally, you'll be fine; you know how to farm, you know the hot spots for enemy ganks, etc. But the role is still new and you'll have to pick up some new champions and play against some different match-ups. It's the same with fighting games.

You pick a character at the start and you learn what it's capable of. After playing loads of games you realise that a certain match-up is bad. You go into training mode, watch videos, read forums on how to deal with the fight. Counter-picking is even an option. Through trial and error you'll come to understand the game and your character better.

The Mind Games

Part of the lane phase involves a mental battle between you and your opponent(s). You test them in all different aspects of their play. Harassing or poking tells you what they'll do in response to aggression. Do they fight back? Do they retreat? Once you've tested them enough you can see patterns and condition your opponents into respecting your presence. The exact same applies for fighting games, especially in longer sets against a single opponent. The start of the round can tell you a lot about your opponent and what type of game plan they may use. If they jump straight in you can assume they will take an aggressive play style.

If they back dash and start throwing projectiles at you then you can assume that they're a ranged type player. Don't set these reads in stone at the start because you opponent could be testing you. They may see how you react to their assault and if the aggression pays off, they may continue to bully you unless you can properly respond to this certain type of pressure. The mind games of fighting games are endless and much like the lane phase of a moba you can condition, bait, and test your opponent.

Knowledge is Power

Knowing your match-ups, characters strength, weaknesses and strong understanding of the game will take you far in both genres. The intelligent player will always prevail over the lucky or reckless. Both genres demand a certain level of mental agility; reactions, reads, on the spot mind games.

I hope this article will bring some new fighting game players into the scene. As a player of both genres I can confidently say that they have helped me become a better gamer overall. Not only that, Injustice is an excellent game and you get to play as Batman!