Before we had the magic of Injustice: Gods Among Us, Double Helix was actually working on a game known as Justice League Arcade for the Xbox 360. Not to be confused with Justice League Heroes for the original Xbox and PS2 by Snowblind Studios, nor with the Justice League Heroes United arcade game by Konami. This is the first time we’ve ever been able to see the entire Justice League Arcade story missions from start to finish, and you can watch an entire playthrough on YouTube if you want to see it for yourself.
The YouTuber known as “Proto Fgt” recently played through the entire story mode of the game from start to finish. Albeit unpolished, Justice League Arcade actually had the basics of a narrative set up for players. You have the choice of playing as Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, and Wonder Woman, as you travel around to different locations in the DC universe and stop the threat of an unknown evil from unleashing various forms of destruction. You earn points that allowed you to upgrade stats for each of the main characters, in addition to other purchasable unlocks such as alternate costumes and power-ups that were hidden among the game’s story levels.
ACT I: Green Lantern faces off against Mongul in War World, who blows up the local arena. The Guardians of the Universe find him guilty of genocide, trapping him to his own world as a prison. Then at the Justice League headquarters, Batman faces off against Professor Zoom and his shadow ninjas, stopping them from reaching the “Monitor Womb”. Superman tries to protect Bruce Wayne enterprises from an invasion OMACs (humans turned into killing machines), only to discover Sinestro was controlling them the whole time. Superman ends up cornering and defeating Sinestro, but Cyborg Superman helps him escape with a container of nantox. Then, the Flash has to stop the detonation of a bomb that aims to destroy Gotham’s power grid. After defeating an army of shadow ninjas, Flash finds out Lady Shiva was behind it. The Justice League manages to foil her plan, but she escapes via a helpful teleport. In Metropolis, Superman faces off against Bane’s minions and Grundy. After taking care of him, he rushes to stop a device on Centennial Hotel’s rooftop, kicking Bane’s butt in the process. After making quick work of them, they escape the same way Lady Shiva was able to previously. Green Lantern rushes to stop the detonation of the nanovirus bomb, and makes quick work of Sinestro. Act I ends with Sinestro begging to be teleported away, and Wonder Woman getting him to confess to the conspiracy to wreck havoc for the Justice League.
ACT II: Cyborg Superman attempts to cover Metropolis in Sunstone crystal. After Green Lantern defeats him, Cyborg Superman says the rise of Old Krypton is at hand and the Justice League will be unable to stop that. Then, Green Lantern investigates a break-in at the Flash Museum, suspecting to find Professor Zoom behind it. Traveling back in time to defeat Professor Zoom before he breaks into the museum, Green Lantern gets him to confess that he was supposed to steal a mirror for Morgaine le Fey. Batman travels to Fey’s castle and faces off against an army of shades that try and turn his worst fears and doubts against him. Superman manages to stop Morgaine le Fey, who confesses she was promised Merlin’s book of spells for trying to complete a ritual, before she teleports away. Wonder Woman goes to Themyscira to defeat Eclipso and their army of Eclipsed Amazons. After destroying Eclipso’s power diamonds and defeating Eclipso herself, Wonder Woman is forced to deal with an Eclipsed Batman. Retreating to the Watchtower, the Justice League must save J’onn from an intrusion. It turns out to be Cyborg Superman, who steals Superman’s Phantom Zone projector. In a meeting afterwards, it’s concluded by Green Lantern that the various attacks on Gotham, Metropolis, and beyond were meant to draw away the heroes from the Watchtower so Cyborg Superman could set a heist to steal the Phantom Zone projector.
ACT III: The entire Justice League heads to War World, thinking Mongul is the only one who could use freedom from imprisonment, given the beating that Green Lantern had given him at the start of the game. Mongul forces Green Lantern and Batman to face off against Lady Shiva and Bane. They win, and refuse to abide by Mongul’s rules to take their lives. The Flash and Wonder Woman are forced to face off against Morgaine Le Fey and Soloman Grundy in a similar sort of death match, eventually leading to a final round between Superman and Wonder Woman vs. Eclipso and Bizarro. The Justice League manages to break into Mongul’s War World lair, but can’t prevent his escape into the Phantom Zone. Superman rushes in after them, and fights Mongul and General Zod in the Phantom Zone. Defeating evil, a Guardian of the Universe sentences Mongul to the Phantom Zone for the rest of eternity.
