It’s been a wild and shaking week in the gaming industry, as Rocksteady Games released their highly anticipated title Suicide Squad: The Justice League. However, the reception to the game’s release has been disastrous at best. Criticism originally emerged as a Forbes Contributor wrote an op-ed piece with a headline that harshly declared the PS5 game “live service hell”. Since then, social media has been flooded with discontent about what’s been called “Rocksteady’s big opportunity gone wrong”, and no matter how he fumbles, it’s sure to be a hard outcome for the beloved developer to swallow.
It’s been questioned why the team responsible for the award-winning Batman: Arkham trilogy has produced such a heavily reviled release. Certainly, the biggest gripe that fans have is that Suicide Squad: The Justice League requires an Internet connection even in single-player, something that was unheard of in the Arkham games and has been criticized heavily. The all-star cast, which includes fan-favourites like Harley Quinn and King Shark, has also been considered wasted, as the critical response to the State of Play indicated that the combat in the game felt like it simply devolved down to shooting purple orbs; a far cry from Arkham’s intricate, intuitive and brutal hand-to-hand takedowns. Already, the release is being compared to a big budget Agents of Mayhem, a title that found its way into the bargain bin a handful of months after it’s original release.
The gaffe has certainly set back Rocksteady’s reputation and put the gaming community in an uproar. Many have said that having iconic characters from the DC Universe portrayed in such a disappointing manner is downright insulting, and yet more were horrified by the thought of such a beloved developer receiving harsh criticism for what many are now dubbing a “huge mistake”.
Will Suicide Squad: The Justice League ever be able to shake off the negative stigma? Only time will tell at this point. Until then, however, one thing is for certain: Rocksteady will not likely take kindly to any such less-than-glowing assessments of their latest effort. So, have your say on this controversial release and let us know what you think in the comments! Is Rocksteady to blame for this debacle or are fans simply over-reacting? Share your opinion down below!
