Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League since its announcement in the summer of 2020 has been under a microscope, to say the least. Some have analyzed it so heavily because it is the next game from the talented developers at Rocksteady. Others because they are huge DC fans and after years of so-so film releases, they want something to latch onto and help it succeed. A lot of the rest of the criticism comes from people not wanting Rocksteady to make this game, but they are so I think it is a good idea to talk about some things that can be exciting about this new release. Here's a breakdown of the 5 reasons I'm excited to play Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League when it releases on February 2, 2024. 

Story

I have not truly been excited for any Suicide Squad-related product to come out in the last 8 years. I wasn't raised on the comics and would personally rather have a story about heroes (like most critics and talking heads in the gaming space). However, what I wanted Rocksteady to make has no bearing on what is coming. I'd like to take this moment to think about the two Suicide Squad films the 2016 film(yes, that one) and the 2021 film (that I think had a large part in James Gunn and crew getting the job as creative heads of DC studios) and examine how they will impact the story. 

The 2016 film proved that the combination of quirky, wild bad guys fighting an overpowered evil is profitable and at the very least fun to watch. Then the 2021 film proved that in the hands of a great creator and artist, like James Gunn, the combination can be both a creative and financial success. Rocksteady has proven for years they know what is important to fans about the DC universe. Its tender love and care for the characters, great interaction between supporting and main characters, as well as hints at the larger universe. 

This is the larger universe, Rocksteady has stepped up to the bat and is trying to hit a home run here with cards stacked against them. They are bringing in the most well-known heroes in pop culture and making them the bad guys. Then they are taking the best bits and pieces about prior Squad-related content releases and putting the player in control of them. They are going to need to mess with expectations and deliver a crazy, heart-wrenching story. Creatives seemed to be attached to this squad of disposable anti-heroes, it allows them to be flawed and mirror other characters in interesting and unique ways. Ultimately, I have faith that Rocksteady will be able to create a fun, engaging story that is worth my time.

Gameplay

Many online live-service games live and die by their core gameplay loops. For me, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's Gameplay doesn't have to be super innovative. What it needs to do right is to be satisfying. Whether it be as I'm fighting hundreds of no-name mobs, or as I take on one of the five Justice Leaguers so far revealed for the game, I want that time to feel like it's progressing me. I need to be leveling up skills and earning new equipment and weapons to fuel my fight against Brainic's brainwashed Justice League.

Another core element of the game, that I need to be dialed in is the boss fights. I need these encounters to feature the iconic powersets of these famous characters and make them as cool as possible. Since there is endgame content, I imagine it will be like other live-service titles where I will need to come back and re-fight the bosses. When I get there I don't want it to feel like a slog because it is a higher difficulty, and I don't want it to feel like a walk in the park. Finding the balance for endgame boss fights will be a challenge for sure, but I have faith in the team to do it.  

Make the playstyles different enough that I am encouraged to check out another character besides my main. This already seems to be built-in to Brawler (King Shark), Marksman (Deadshot), Speed (Captain Boomerang), and Finesse (Harley Quinn). So all it needs to do to click for me is make my friends have a blast, so we want to switch it up to keep it fresh while we are playing.

Friends

Friends and the online community are going to be a huge part of this game's legacy. For me, it is one of the main reasons I am excited to play. I get to play with my friends in the DC universe as wacky anti-heroes as we weave our way through hoards of enemies to defeat the Justice League and save the day. We have already discussed in group chats who is going to main which character. That has me excited before we even start, that kind of player agency reminds me of when I started playing Destiny years ago. Similar to Destiny the whole campaign can be played drop-in/drop-out co-op style. We get to progress through story beats together and break down as we play. All while we find tasks that we will be excited to replay in preparation for endgame content. At the end of the day, it'll just be fun to be able to add a game into the rotation of what we play hopefully for months and years to come.

Roadmap

Having an announced roadmap before the game even launches is huge. I have done my best to toe the line between staying spoiler-free and still learning about the game through its press. The content roadmap is top-level enough that I took a peak. I'm excited that players will get the chance to unlock new playable characters each season. As well as new environments and more story content. More story content and environment will help to keep core players like myself coming back for more. New characters and some story elements will keep players like my friends engaged in the long term. In the end, I'm just excited somebody somewhere has a plan for this game even if it is only through the end of the year.

Rocksteady

Rocksteady as a team has always delivered excellent stories in my opinion. I know people were lukewarm on Arkham Knight solely because of how they hyped the reveal of the Arkham Knight character. I believe it's aged very well and so have their other three games. I have faith that they will deliver once again. Additionally, their gameplay has always been satisfying to play so I look forward to seeing what part of the new gameplay loop hooks me the most. Finally, their games have always been very polished to me. Great design, beautiful textures, and lots of tender love and care put into the final product. I know a lot has changed in the industry since their last release but I think they will be able to uphold a similar standard of quality this time around. In the end, I will continue to trust this development team until they prove me wrong. Some of their key members have left during the development of this project and the studio was highlighted for abuse claims. This may be a sign of changes at the studio. I think they still have more to give to the industry and the fans so I remain optimistic.