With so many superheroes seeing the
transition from comics to film to video games, it seems only right that Reed
Richards and crew get the same treatment. The Fantastic Four is the latest comic
franchise to traverse the silver screen, and Activision is releasing a game
based on the upcoming movie. The game features some great gameplay with touches
of both the Spider-Man 2 game and X-Men Legends, complete with fully
destructible environments and raging multiplayer action. While the game doesn’t
quite feel as developed as either of the previously mentioned titles, it borrows
some of the best elements from both to create a solid superhero experience.
The game follows the plot of the
film as the Fantastic Four – Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Sue Storm (Invisible
Girl), Johnny Storm (Human Torch) and Ben Grimm (The Thing) – battle it out
against their friend-turned-supervillain, Dr. Victor Von Doom, or Dr. Doom for
short. Along the way, you battle against other foes and gradually come to terms
with your newly acquired abilities and, in some cases, physical attributes.
The game pushes the player through
the storyline, giving them control over each member of the four at certain
times. Occasionally, you’ll be able to play as more than one and up all four
members of the team. You can switch between available teammates on the fly by
pressing a direction on the D-Pad, similar to the system used in X-Men Legends.
You can also perform a variety of combos and moves unique to each character. For
example, the Human Torch can shoot fireballs at enemies and burn holes through
doors, the Invisible Girl can go invisible and sneak past foes, and the Thing
can pick up huge objects like cars and knock around his opponents with them. In
another nod to X-Men Legends, you can perform team combos and pair up attacks
with other enemies.
Aside from the straight up fighting,
there are some mini-game puzzles that you must complete to proceed through the
game. For example, Reed can hack through doors by completing puzzles where you
must link up an electrical conduit within a certain time limit. Also, there are
some reflex puzzles that require you to tap a button on the controller quickly
for a few seconds to do certain things, like destroy a fire escape with a
gun-totting gang member on it and so on.
Unfortunately, there is a bit of a
downside to the Fantastic Four. It borrows heavily from the top two Marvel
superhero-based games, Spider-Man 2 and X-Men Legends (both also made by
Activision), but becomes a bit of a jack-of-all-trades master-of-none. The
combat elements feel like Spider-Man 2, but the game lacks its overall
non-linear, free-roaming wow factor. Also present are the team-based elements
found in X-Men Legends, but missing are the deep character development factors.
Graphically, Fantastic Four looks
pretty good, with the characters bearing the likenesses of their film
counterparts. The Fantastic Four character models are well animated, as Mr.
Fantastic’s arms will stretch and flail about as he performs combos, and the
ground will crack whenever Invisible Girl lets out a force explosion. The
environments also look pretty impressive, and have a good amount of
destructibility to them, especially when the Thing is tearing through.
Unfortunately, the enemies look pretty simplistic and lack overall detail and
the camera angles can get a little irksome as the onscreen action intensifies.
The sound department is pretty
impressive, as the film stars lend their voices to give the characters an
authentic personality. The music is pretty good as well, as the rock soundtrack
gives the game a good sense of atmosphere.
Fantastic Four is a solid action
game and a pretty good licensed one. While the game doesn’t provide as deep an
experience as other certain titles in the genre, it still is worth checking out
if you are a fan of the comic series or if you are looking forward to the
upcoming flick.
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Gameplay: 8.0
The gameplay is
very fun, allowing you to rack up combos and take on multiple enemies at once.
The team-based elements are great, calling to mind X-Men Legends. Unfortunately,
the game lacks depth and feels pretty linear, making the adventure short lived
overall.
Graphics: 8.0
Graphically,
Fantastic Four has its high points and its lows. The Fantastic Four look great,
complete with the likenesses of the film actors. The environments are also
impressive and almost fully destructible. The downside is the simplistic look of
the enemies, the camera issues and the overall lack of detail.
Sound: 8.5
The sound is
great, featuring the voice talents of the film’s stars. The music is also pretty
good, giving the game an edgy sense of atmosphere.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 8.0
While it isn’t
the best superhero action game, it does borrow heavily from the two top dogs,
Spiderman 2 and X-Men
Legends.
Multiplayer: 8.5
The multiplayer is great, giving the deep team
elements in the game. Pairing up and completing the game co-operatively is
definitely the way the game was meant to be played.
Overall: 8.5
Fantastic Four won’t take you too terribly long to complete, and the gameplay
isn’t too terribly deep or non-linear. However, Fantastic Four is still a fun
game with some solid team-play elements that fans of the comic would do well to
check out.
