Fantastic Four

"There's nothing fantastic about this train wreck of a game"

You would think that making a game based on a comic book character shouldn't be that hard. All a developer has to do is stay relatively true to the source material and add good gameplay, and they should have an instant hit considering the game will come with an existing fan base. For you non-comic book fans out there, the Fantastic Four is one of Marvel's marquee teams and was co-created by the man himself, Stan Lee. Unfortunately, like fellow superhero icons Batman and Superman, the Fantastic Four do not make the transition to the realm of gaming very well. Amazingly, Acclaim managed to create a game which not only defiles the name of the FF but also offends any decent gamer and humanity in general. This game is atrocious, plain and simple. This game just goes to show that too many companies are simply willing to slap a name on any piece of garbage and hope that it sells.

Gameplay

Gameplay is the most important part of any game, and unfortunately for FF, this is where it falters the most. You are given the choice of five characters at the beginning: Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, the Thing, and She-Hulk. You are also granted to ability to switch characters during gameplay, which doesn't help much.

Basically, Fantastic Four is a simple side-scrolling beat 'em up with a fancy license slapped on. I don't know how much Acclaim had to pay Marvel for the rights to the FF, but considering what they did with the game, they just wasted their cash. Even though FF is armed with simple gameplay, it still can't provide a decent experience. Each character has a special move at his/her disposal, which is sort of neat at first but quickly wears thin. Even switching characters doesn't do much to alleviate the boredom. As you progress through the levels, you face wave after wave of enemies which look the same and an occasional boss thrown in for good measure. Control is pretty responsive, but it's unlikely you'll care much about it since you'll be bored with the game quickly.

Acclaim's development team must have really been asleep at the controls because they failed to include any type of save or password system, meaning you are forced to play this in one sitting. The game is not really that difficult, but it is fairly long, so most gamers are simply not going to have the patience to slog through it.

Another complaint here is that the load times in FF are BRUTAL. Acclaim rectified this by including some kind of racing game you can play while the game loads. Of course, the problem is that this game is more fun than the main game. You know a game has problems when staying on the loading screen is more fun than the core game.

Score: 1/10

Story

If Acclaim had been smart, they would have taken the time to craft a nice story around this game. The FF universe is rich in great villains and potential storylines, and of course, Dr. Doom, perhaps the greatest comic book villain ever, is behind the problems plaguing the FF. Unfortunately, the story is so cookie-cutter that it is embarrassing. Doom is a great character, and seeing him misused in a game like this is disturbing. Sure, this is a beat 'em up, but, like all the other areas of the game, Acclaim could have done a much better job here.

Score: 1/10

Graphics

I can stand bad graphics in a game if the core gameplay is solid, but unfortunately, that is not the case here. The five available characters are blocky and only slightly resemble their comic book counterparts. Also, get ready to see a grand total of two or three main types of enemies throughout the game, as the developers obviously spent their time improving other aspects of the game. And if anyone can find out what those are, I wish they would let me know. Backgrounds are ugly, and you may finding yourself wincing at the television in agony as you play this one.

Score: 0/10

Sound

Can you say ''most annoying soundtrack ever''? If not, you should really learn how because that is what you will run into when you play this one. I've heard this described as techno-type music, but I call it crap. After listening to beautifully scored games like Final Fantasy, this game is a travesty to the ears. The sound simply is not appropriate for the game and is just plain bad regardless. If you do decide to play this game, do yourself a favor and mute the television. The sound effects here are serviceable enough and are probably the strongest part of the game.

Score: 2/10

Overall impressions

Here is where I normally tell the reader whether to buy or rent this game, but I think you're smart enough to figure out my recommendation by now. If you really want to see this mess for yourself, give it a rental. The most disappointing thing here is that this game could have been great, even as a beat 'em up. Hopefully, with the FF's recently renewed popularity, a developer will take the time to do this team justice and give them a game they truly deserve. Until then, FF fans are stuck with this travesty representing some of the greatest comic book heroes ever.

Overall score (not an average): 2/10

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 08/19/03