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Though the movie won’t be released until July 8th, you can catch Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, Invisible Woman, and The Human Torch on a Xbox near you. Fantastic 4 is the latest film-to-game adaptation courtesy of Activision. The company has had success with its movie-based games, and though Fantastic 4 doesn’t quite reach Spider-Man 2’s level of quality, the game is certainly enjoyable.
Fantastic 4 the videogame, much like the film and comic book, stars the four characters I mentioned in the introduction. Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, Invisible Woman, and The Human Torch all have special abilities and can be controlled in the game. Mr. Fantastic has the ability to stretch himself, The Thing is incredibly strong, Invisible Woman has the ability to (duh) turn invisible, and The Human Torch can turn into a moving fireball. These abilities come into play during the game. For instance, Mr. Fantastic is able to reach enemies from a distance and Invisible Woman is able to freeze enemies. The Human Torch can set fire to enemies, and The Thing has brute force at his disposal.
Aside from the expected abilities, each character boasts a number of combos, special power moves, and context-sensitive moves. Combos are accomplished via button combinations and pack a good punch. The characters’ three special power moves are simpler to do but require energy. Thankfully, energy can be refilled from fallen enemies or broken items. It also refills by itself but too slowly to make a difference. The game allows you to upgrade the special power moves or combos through points earned during the levels. As mentioned above, there are a number of context-sensitive moves. The Thing can use its strength to move masses of ruble while The Human Torch can weld together leaky pipes. These moves usually require a simple minigame. The game doesn’t make it particularly difficult for you to realize when one is needed either as lit up areas indicate when one can be used.
Fantastic 4 is largely a beat-em-up. As such, you’ll spend most of your time going through the levels wiping out the enemies and items (in hopes of refilling your energy) and continuing along the way. Most of the time you won’t have access to all four characters are they are elsewhere according to the plot, so you’ll be playing with one or two characters. The AI controls the other character(s), though you can easily switch between them with a button press. The actual combat is enjoyable though slightly repetitive since creativity isn’t really favored. The targeting system is a bit cumbersome, as well. Combat is most worthwhile against the minibosses as skill is actually required to beat them. The developers added some gameplay variety, including the ability to control turrets or mechs, but by and large, Fantastic 4 remains a beat-em-up.
The game includes a two-player cooperative mode. This makes things a bit more interesting as you don’t need to rely on the AI. Throwing cars at enemies is just more appealing with someone else to witness it. There is also an arena mode that is fun for a short amount of time but hardly worthwhile.
As a bonus for fans of the comic and film, there are a number of unlockables. Comic fans can unlock comic art and character biographies. Fans of the film can check out the behind-the-scenes interviews. Playing through the game on higher difficulties will unlock two hidden stages – one for medium and one for hard.
The game’s visuals are suitable. The different characters look great and animate fluidly. The different moves look realistic, thanks in no small part to the effects in the game. The environments are all impressive and can be nearly fully destroyed, which is a great addition. The visuals are too much to handle for the engine at times resulting in some framerate stutters. There are also some clipping issues.
The audio is fitting, too. The soundtrack isn’t amazing but it gets the job done. The sound effects share the same fate – they lack that “wow” factor but are certainly good enough. The spotlight, in audio at least, is given to the voice acting. The cast from the film provide the voice acting for the game. While the voice acting isn’t superb, the authenticity helps create a compelling atmosphere.
Fantastic 4 offers four characters, a repertoire of moves, and compelling level design that culminate in an engaging game. The production values are good, thanks in no small part to the authentic voice acting. The bonuses are a cool addition to the game as well. While not out of this world amazing, Fantastic 4 will alleviate any beat-em-up gameplay wishes.
-- Edited by Jose Liz -- Adam Nunez, PGNx Media
---- Jul 1, 2005
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