Review: Catwoman, Injustice - Gods Among Us

            When it comes to iconic comic book females, Catwoman is a name that is sure to cross a few people’s minds. As such, it was really no shock that she made it into Injustice: Gods Among Us. The feline fatale sharpens her claws on her enemies and proves to be a rather seductive thorn in the good guys’ collective sides.

            Agility is at the forefront of Catwoman’s fighting style. As one of the faster characters in the game, she utilizes quick swipes and a few cracks of her whip to rack up the combos. Her claws comprise a large part of what makes her so much fun to play as. They add just the right amount of damage to make you wince at how much pain your opponent must be feeling. The inclusion of her whip is not only expected but also necessary. Since she’s not a character who would use projectiles, the whip closes the gap when she needs to fight long-range. Catwoman’s unique “power” in the game is that she accumulates a tally of scratches throughout the battle which you can put towards unleashing a powerful scratch-happy combo. It’s one of the more useful abilities as it essentially performs like a mini-super combo.

            More generally, the producers of the game fumbled tremendously with Catwoman. They underused her in the story mode and failed to recognize the potential she had within the narrative they established. Rather than explore her perspective in this alternate universe, they chose to keep her in the background. This is especially enraging since there are disposable chapters in the story mode that would have been put to better use had they featured Catwoman. Of course, it’s even more infuriating when you consider the fact that Wonder Woman was the ONLY female to receive a chapter in the story mode. Sexism at its finest, folks. Additionally, it’s quite clear that the writers had no clue who Catwoman is but just had a general idea of how she might act. As such, she’s more of a caricature of Catwoman than anything else. She’s quite obviously in the role typically filled by Wonder Woman’s nemesis Cheetah and is treated as little more than Batman’s love interest. Disappointing. Where they did go right were her costumes. They deserve a standing ovation for carefully tucking Catwoman’s breasts into her costume so she can be taken seriously for once without the eye-roll worthy objectification she is subjected to elsewhere. Her default costume is a fabulous black leather get-up with a corset and metal attachments as claws. Her alternate costume is even better – it’s a purple catsuit with a proper mask! Now, if only we can get DC Comics to put her in it in their comics…

            If you’re looking for a fierce female to kick tons of ass with, look no further than Catwoman. She's fast and tons of fun. However, if you’re a Catwoman fan (like I am) you’ll likely be disappointed by the lack of thought that went into her character.

Grade: A+ (but a big ol’ D for narrative)