httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utJVXUaI84c

For casual gamers, the awkwardly titled Injustice: Gods Among Us isn't likely to bring to mind a DC superhero (and super villain) brawler in the style (and from the developers) of Mortal Kombat. That said, following the pre-E3 Injustice trailer, we had a chance to go hands-on with the title in Los Angeles to have a look at the gameplay in person - and walked away mostly intrigued.

For those who couldn't attend E3, NetherRealm Studios leading man, Ed Boon (co-creator of Mortal Kombat) recently visited the EVO 2012 World Championships at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas to showoff various Injustice gameplay aspects - including destructible and interactive environments, super power vs. gadget character types, and several of the Fatality-like Super moves.

Why debut the footage at EVO instead of Comic-Con 2012 one week later? For anyone unfamiliar, EVO is one of the most respected fighting game tournaments in the world - crowning the best of the best in a number of game offerings including: Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur V, Street Fighter x TekkenVirtua Fighter 5: Final ShowdownKing of Fighters XIII, and Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, among others.

As a result, not only was Boon looking to feature some of the game's new fighting concepts - he was also interested in soliciting feedback from the genre's premiere players as well as passionate attendees and fans. The video, courtesy of IGN, offers a 15 minute guided tour of Injustice gameplay (featuring a Superman vs. Flash battle in the Batcave and a Batman vs. Solomon Grundy fight at the Fortress of Solitude) - all narrated by Boon. Check out the footage above.

As mentioned, we went hands-on with Injustice for our E3 preview - where we give our impressions on a number of the mechanics depicted in the EVO gameplay footage demo. On the surface, the game does look to offer an immersive and fun experience for DC superhero fans - as well as tournament types that will, no doubt, enjoy exploiting some of the environmental effects for massive combo damage. However, it's somewhat unclear at this point if the game will successfully hit the middle-ground market of casual/hardcore gamers that enjoyed the varying levels of gameplay (and gore) in the recent Mortal Kombat reboot. While the Injustice super moves are certainly fun cinematic moments - they're not nearly as satisfying (or diverse) as NetherRealm's iconic fatalities. Given that DC license agreements prevent Superman from lighting an opponent on fire with heat vision - players are back in the same hard-T for Teen category as Boon's mostly underwhelming Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe attempt.

Regardless, judging by the current (albeit not final) character and stage select screens, which indicate that players can expect around 24 characters and 15 stages, the game is set to offer plenty of fan service as well as some intriguing twists on the current fighting genre format. Hopefully, at least a few of our choices for the 25 Characters That Need to Be in Injustice: Gods Among Us will make an appearance.

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Follow me on Twitter @benkendrick for further updates on Injustice: Gods Among Us as well as other movie, TV, and gaming news.

Injustice: Gods Among Us is currently slated for a 2013 release.

Source: IGN