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Fantastic 4 Mini Review
Jon Wilcox
15/07/2005
TVG gets zapped by cosmic rays and takes a look at the latest movie tie-in from the Marvel Universe...
Fantastic 4 is the latest Marvel franchise to be heading to the silver screen and this week also sees the release of the movie tie-in from 7 Studios and Activision on Xbox, PlayStation2, GameCube, GBA, and pretty much every other format goingā¦
Although based on movieās story-arc, Fantastic 4 also delves into some side-plots featuring characters and environments from the long-running comic book series. Penned by X-Men 2 scribe Zak Penn (appropriate name for a writer), Fantastic 4 follows the team of four characters changed at the molecular level by a cosmic ray storm leaving each of them with their own specific superpowers. A third-person action title, the game implements a basic squad system with players able to switch between the characters via the D-pad, as well as featuring several team combos and team interaction.
Although the game can be played in Single-Player and Co-Operative mode, ironically the ability for four players to play Fantastic 4, is omitted. Having said that, the camera system is twitchy at the best of times in single-player mode and restrictive in co-op mode so the expectation of a fluid and enjoyable four-player mode would have been unlikely. The gameplay is a typically linear and uninspired affair, and is every bit the movie tie-in with the actors from the movie providing both their likenesses and voices (including Welshman Ioan Gruffudd with a strangely passable American accent.) The developers have introduced various environmental elements that panda to each of the characterās powers (such as The Thingās ability to pick up items including cars and destroy specific objects), but with the constrictive level designs and ropey invisible walls, players are directed through the game every step of the way.
In a similar manner to the forthcoming Ultimate Spiderman, character specific āF4 Spotsā act as quick side-objectives, with different controls commanding the four members such as rotating the thumbstick for Sue āInvisible Womanā Richards and pummelling buttons for Ben āThe Thingā Grimm. Like the other elements, the hot-spots add a little depth to the game and act as breaks in between the enemy bashing action. The range of moves and powers open for players in the game is one of the positive elements in Fantastic Four, with points picked up throughout the missions allowing the characters to level up, strengthening and adding new powers to the team in a similar yet simplified manner to Activisionās X-Men Legends franchise.
The gameplay is hindered by two crucial elements, the camera system and the targeting system. Players arenāt given the freedom with the camera that they should and there are too many occasions when the action is too close to really comprehend ā“ and as with the power up system, it really feels like Fantastic 4 should have been implemented with a system similar to X-Men Legends. Targeting can also be an issue in Fantastic 4, with repeated efforts to select an enemy off-screen frustrating ā“ something that may have been helped by a superior camera system.
Like the gameplay, the visuals in the game are quite uninspired and in some cases bland, and Fantastic 4 also suffers from that great bane of videogames: Repetitive Goon Syndrome ā“ do bad guys just clone them, or they just one big happy family?
There are a host of unlockable options and items in Fantastic 4 including a game trailer, cast interviews, character bios, and comic book covers, as well as an Arena Mode where players can fight through waves and waves of enemies across the various levels, but itās unlikely that they will increase the gameās lifespan significantly.
Whilst not the worst film tie-in, Fantastic 4 still feels heavily watered down and certainly comes across as a weaker version of X-Men Legends. The camera and targeting systems donāt feel as solid as perhaps they should, with the camera not as free-roaming as it really needed to be. There is āsomeā depth to the gameplay with ālock-pickingā and range of special powers adding some variety, but these are small and unoriginal features seen in a multitude of titles. Fantastic 4 doesnāt offer too great a challenge either, and even casual gamers will make light work of the enemies thrown in their way ā“ itās an uninspired title with originality spread exceptionally thinly, but itās not a bad game.
Anonymous
Date Added:Sun 8th Jun 2008 14:46