Fantastic Four
Added July 25th, 2005 by Serenity Now
Introduction:
I’ve always been a big fan of the whole ‘’comic-to-game’’ deal. I immensely enjoyed titles such as X-Men Legends and The Punisher, and am absolutely stoked for X-Men Legends II. When I heard a Fantastic Four game was in development, I was filled with anticipation. Fantastic Four is based on one of this summer’s biggest films staring Jessica Alba (Sin City) and Michael Chiklis (The Shield). This is a straight-up action game at heart, but has some unique gameplay elements as well. Did it live up to its decent amount of hype, or is it yet another victim of the ‘’movie curse’’? You’re going to have to keep reading to find out!
Gameplay:
The gameplay concept in Fantastic Four, on paper, sounds great, but as you make your way through the game, you’ll come to realize that it’s not all that ‘’fantastic’’ after all. You play as the Fantastic Four -- four superheroes out to save the day. There’s Reed Richards, also known as Mr. Fantastic; Sue Storm, who goes by the name of the Invisible Woman; followed by her brother, Johnny Storm, or as his enemies call him, the Human Torch; and finally, there’s Ben Grimm, who has the fitting nickname the Thing -- because he likes to smash objects. Hey, you can’t blame him, who doesn’t like to wreck havoc from time to time?
I’ve always been a big fan of the whole ‘’comic-to-game’’ deal. I immensely enjoyed titles such as X-Men Legends and The Punisher, and am absolutely stoked for X-Men Legends II. When I heard a Fantastic Four game was in development, I was filled with anticipation. Fantastic Four is based on one of this summer’s biggest films staring Jessica Alba (Sin City) and Michael Chiklis (The Shield). This is a straight-up action game at heart, but has some unique gameplay elements as well. Did it live up to its decent amount of hype, or is it yet another victim of the ‘’movie curse’’? You’re going to have to keep reading to find out!
Gameplay:
The gameplay concept in Fantastic Four, on paper, sounds great, but as you make your way through the game, you’ll come to realize that it’s not all that ‘’fantastic’’ after all. You play as the Fantastic Four -- four superheroes out to save the day. There’s Reed Richards, also known as Mr. Fantastic; Sue Storm, who goes by the name of the Invisible Woman; followed by her brother, Johnny Storm, or as his enemies call him, the Human Torch; and finally, there’s Ben Grimm, who has the fitting nickname the Thing -- because he likes to smash objects. Hey, you can’t blame him, who doesn’t like to wreck havoc from time to time?
Normally, I would walk you through the different gameplay modes and talk about things of that sort. Well, in Fantastic Four all you really have is a boring single-player campaign. How does it play? Simply put, it’s a cluttered mess. Everything from the control scheme to the actual objectives is poorly done. This is truly a ''movie game.'' It feels as if they rushed it so they could release at the same time as the movie to capitalize on advertising and help insure sales. There’s just one problem with that scenario; rushing a game usually results in an awful title, therefore not boosting any sales. When people go out to purchase a game, they want quality and entertainment, and folks, this isn’t either one.
Each character has special abilities that need to be used in order to continue your progress through the game. In many cases, you have to work as a team in order to complete an objective. However, it lacks the finesse that would make this aspect an enjoyable gameplay element. The best word to describe the gameplay in Fantastic Four would be ''clunky.'' This is supposed to be a fast-paced action game, but it feels like something is holding it back from being exciting. Maybe it’s the control layout; maybe it’s the lack of well-executed gameplay features. Either way, any fun this game would have provided is killed by the clunky gameplay.
You can purchase upgrades with the points you obtain along the way. Sadly, the only thing you can really upgrade is your moves. The truth of the matter is that this is a button masher. You can tap your way through the entire game without any difficulty. The only motive you’ll have to purchase move upgrades would be to add replay value. But then again, move upgrades can’t fix the tedious gameplay.
The cooperative play is by far this game’s most attractive facet. The fun level vastly rises when you play with a friend. However, not nearly enough to justify a purchase. The clunky gameplay is still here, it’s just easier to go at a problem with someone by your side. You’ll be tackling many in Fantastic Four. Please though, don’t go at it alone. Or you could just not go at it at all... that’s what I recommend. Something I was really disappointed by was that you could only play with one person when playing cooperative mode. Hold on, I don’t think you heard what I just said. You can only play with one person in cooperative mode, yet there are four characters. Very weird, very weird indeed.
Arena Fight mode is basically a little something extra thrown in just so there wouldn’t be only one mode of play. You have two options when you choose Arena Fight mode. You can either enter the Practice Room or play Survival Killing. In the Practice Room you can practice your fighting skills on the enemies of your choice. Survival Killing, or survival mode as most games call it, is where you try to kill as many baddies as possible before dying. You can pick the arena of your choice as well as what kind of enemies you would like to fight against. Arena Fight mode feels like a filler more than anything else. As you can see, the gameplay in Fantastic Four is lacking substance. All you have here is your basic single-player campaign and a survival mode. Oh, wait, I forgot, you have a practice mode too. Not only does Fantastic Four play like an unfinished product, it has about the same amount of playable content as one.
Graphics:
The graphics in Fantastic Four are definitely not up to par, especially for an Xbox game. Effects look cheap, character models are dreadful, and just about everything else is sub-par as well. Even for a multi-platform title, this game’s graphics are just plain bad. The biggest problem would have to be the textures. Everything is just way too dull for a superhero action game. If you want to see how graphics are supposed to be done in titles like these, take a gander at X-Men Legends or even Spider-Man 2.
Each character has special abilities that need to be used in order to continue your progress through the game. In many cases, you have to work as a team in order to complete an objective. However, it lacks the finesse that would make this aspect an enjoyable gameplay element. The best word to describe the gameplay in Fantastic Four would be ''clunky.'' This is supposed to be a fast-paced action game, but it feels like something is holding it back from being exciting. Maybe it’s the control layout; maybe it’s the lack of well-executed gameplay features. Either way, any fun this game would have provided is killed by the clunky gameplay.
You can purchase upgrades with the points you obtain along the way. Sadly, the only thing you can really upgrade is your moves. The truth of the matter is that this is a button masher. You can tap your way through the entire game without any difficulty. The only motive you’ll have to purchase move upgrades would be to add replay value. But then again, move upgrades can’t fix the tedious gameplay.
The cooperative play is by far this game’s most attractive facet. The fun level vastly rises when you play with a friend. However, not nearly enough to justify a purchase. The clunky gameplay is still here, it’s just easier to go at a problem with someone by your side. You’ll be tackling many in Fantastic Four. Please though, don’t go at it alone. Or you could just not go at it at all... that’s what I recommend. Something I was really disappointed by was that you could only play with one person when playing cooperative mode. Hold on, I don’t think you heard what I just said. You can only play with one person in cooperative mode, yet there are four characters. Very weird, very weird indeed.
Arena Fight mode is basically a little something extra thrown in just so there wouldn’t be only one mode of play. You have two options when you choose Arena Fight mode. You can either enter the Practice Room or play Survival Killing. In the Practice Room you can practice your fighting skills on the enemies of your choice. Survival Killing, or survival mode as most games call it, is where you try to kill as many baddies as possible before dying. You can pick the arena of your choice as well as what kind of enemies you would like to fight against. Arena Fight mode feels like a filler more than anything else. As you can see, the gameplay in Fantastic Four is lacking substance. All you have here is your basic single-player campaign and a survival mode. Oh, wait, I forgot, you have a practice mode too. Not only does Fantastic Four play like an unfinished product, it has about the same amount of playable content as one.
Graphics:
The graphics in Fantastic Four are definitely not up to par, especially for an Xbox game. Effects look cheap, character models are dreadful, and just about everything else is sub-par as well. Even for a multi-platform title, this game’s graphics are just plain bad. The biggest problem would have to be the textures. Everything is just way too dull for a superhero action game. If you want to see how graphics are supposed to be done in titles like these, take a gander at X-Men Legends or even Spider-Man 2.
This definitely isn’t one for the claustrophobic. Environments are fairly small and don’t offer much variety making for a generic gaming experience. And as mentioned before, the effects are nothing special, and for a game like this, that’s huge. Fantastic Four lacks the creativity found in other titles of this genre, not just with its generic visuals, but with its clunky gameplay as well.
Audio:
Even though the actors from the movie did the voice work here, there’s still nothing special about the dialogue in this game. Look at the movie for example. It had, for the most part, a non-fitting cast. Sadly, it’s the same way in its video game counterpart. Cheesy lines, no real emotion, etc. Bad gameplay and low production values in a movie game? Unheard of! In all seriousness though, there is absolutely nothing special about the audio in this game. From the mediocre music score, to the cheap explosions, Fantastic Four won’t be winning any awards.
Controls:
As mentioned in the gameplay section, this game is a (insert random obscenity) to control. This has been a problem in quite a few Xbox games as of late (see Conker: Live & Reloaded). What’s the main problem? Too much stuff to control! Just by switching characters and figuring out how to do a special move, things can get ugly, and quick. This clunky setup eliminates the fun of beating up loads of enemies.
Switching between these four fantastic heroes is actually pretty easy to do. There’s an icon on-screen with a picture of each character’s face. To change characters, use the D-pad and point to the picture symbolizing the hero you would like to play as. The control layout is pretty basic, however, things can get pretty complicated when you start carrying out all the special moves available. This isn’t exactly the problem. When playing, for some reason, it feels as if you’re on a bad connection or something. What? No, I haven’t gone crazy. The response time when you perform an attack feels a little off. Like I said, this plays like a rushed product.
In most button mashers, the controls are very fluid allowing for some quick button mashing. This may be a button masher, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to maneuver your character and accomplish different attacks. No, in fact, it’s quite hard. Just like the gameplay, the control layout is a cluttered mess.
Replay:
The single-player campaign can be completed in approximately eight hours. There is some bonus material to be unlocked, but I highly doubt you’ll want to take the time it takes to unlock these little extras. The cooperative play will certainly add some replay value, especially if you’re a fan of beat-‘em-ups. Even so, there isn’t nearly enough playable content to validate the price tag. Heck, the only other actual mode, aside from the main campaign, is the Arena Fight mode, which quickly becomes very repetitive. This games is worth a rental at most.
Audio:
Even though the actors from the movie did the voice work here, there’s still nothing special about the dialogue in this game. Look at the movie for example. It had, for the most part, a non-fitting cast. Sadly, it’s the same way in its video game counterpart. Cheesy lines, no real emotion, etc. Bad gameplay and low production values in a movie game? Unheard of! In all seriousness though, there is absolutely nothing special about the audio in this game. From the mediocre music score, to the cheap explosions, Fantastic Four won’t be winning any awards.
Controls:
As mentioned in the gameplay section, this game is a (insert random obscenity) to control. This has been a problem in quite a few Xbox games as of late (see Conker: Live & Reloaded). What’s the main problem? Too much stuff to control! Just by switching characters and figuring out how to do a special move, things can get ugly, and quick. This clunky setup eliminates the fun of beating up loads of enemies.
Switching between these four fantastic heroes is actually pretty easy to do. There’s an icon on-screen with a picture of each character’s face. To change characters, use the D-pad and point to the picture symbolizing the hero you would like to play as. The control layout is pretty basic, however, things can get pretty complicated when you start carrying out all the special moves available. This isn’t exactly the problem. When playing, for some reason, it feels as if you’re on a bad connection or something. What? No, I haven’t gone crazy. The response time when you perform an attack feels a little off. Like I said, this plays like a rushed product.
In most button mashers, the controls are very fluid allowing for some quick button mashing. This may be a button masher, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to maneuver your character and accomplish different attacks. No, in fact, it’s quite hard. Just like the gameplay, the control layout is a cluttered mess.
Replay:
The single-player campaign can be completed in approximately eight hours. There is some bonus material to be unlocked, but I highly doubt you’ll want to take the time it takes to unlock these little extras. The cooperative play will certainly add some replay value, especially if you’re a fan of beat-‘em-ups. Even so, there isn’t nearly enough playable content to validate the price tag. Heck, the only other actual mode, aside from the main campaign, is the Arena Fight mode, which quickly becomes very repetitive. This games is worth a rental at most.
Summary:
I had high hopes for Fantastic Four. I went into this game expecting fast-paced comic book/movie action. What I got was clunky gameplay and an almost laughable amount of modes. They had a great franchise to work with here. I mean, it’s Fantastic Four, one of the most beloved and memorable comics of all-time. When this game was announced, I thought it was going to translate perfectly to a video game. I mean, how could it not? Well, sadly, for some reason, it didn’t. I personally think it was due to being linked to the movie. They rushed it to get it out in time. I may be going out on a limb here, but can you blame me? If you want some real comic book action, skip this one and wait for Ultimate Spider-Man, due out later this year.
I had high hopes for Fantastic Four. I went into this game expecting fast-paced comic book/movie action. What I got was clunky gameplay and an almost laughable amount of modes. They had a great franchise to work with here. I mean, it’s Fantastic Four, one of the most beloved and memorable comics of all-time. When this game was announced, I thought it was going to translate perfectly to a video game. I mean, how could it not? Well, sadly, for some reason, it didn’t. I personally think it was due to being linked to the movie. They rushed it to get it out in time. I may be going out on a limb here, but can you blame me? If you want some real comic book action, skip this one and wait for Ultimate Spider-Man, due out later this year.
