Fantastic Four (video game, 2005)

Fantastic Four (2005)
"Flame all the way on!" - Human Torch
Genre(s): Action-adventure Beat 'em up Platform(s): Nintendo GameCube PlayStation 2 Xbox Game Boy Advance Microsoft Windows Release Date: June 27, 2005 Developer(s): 7 Studios Publisher(s): Activision Series: Fantastic Four Successor: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Fantastic Four is a 2005 action-adventure game based loosely on the Fantastic Four film. The game was published by Activision for many different systems in 2005.

Why It Fantastic

1. It is a massive improvement over the previous game released on the PS1, right down to the gameplay, graphics and even the soundtrack.
2. The Fantastic Four get so much more to do than the 2005 movie. For example, they visit different parts of Earth.
3. While Doctor Doom is still a Norman Osborn expy, he uses his Doombots like in the comics.
4. As always, Michael Chiklis does a great job as the Thing.
5. Nick Fury with Samuel L. Jackson’s likeness helps the team out, 6 years before Chris Evans played Captain America and encountering the same character in the first Captain America film.
6. The main actors aside from Kerry Washington use their likenesses and voices in the game.
7. There are bonus levels set in Latveria with the characters designed after the actual comics.
8. Many villains are encountered, not just Doctor Doom. They include Mole Man, the Puppet Master, Dragon Man and Annihilus.
9. Each character has their own moves and combos, making it for varied combat moves for each characters and will make the game not repetitive at all, although it is a little repetitive.
10. It is a cooperative game with two players.
11. The FMV cutscenes are quite good for a 2005 game.
12. Collectibles can be found in every level, providing some replay value. The levels can also be replayed.
13. The graphics we're pretty decent for it's time, with the characters models being faithful to the movie counterpart and this also goes for the art style.
14. Great soundtrack, the soundtrack is also somehow different in each versions.
15. There is an upgrade system where combos can be unlocked, which is cool and can make for some RPG elements in a beat 'em up game, much like some of the Naruto video games.
16. Each of the four characters have their own theme song, with Error Operator by Take Back Sunday also used in the film.
17. There is a featurette with the films’ cast. Other bonuses include comic book covers and pages.

Bad Qualities

1. The tutorials are mandatory.
2. Kerry Washington didn’t return to voice Alicia Masters, as she is replaced by Cree Summer. As with the movie, Alicia is blackwashed.
3. Some of the voice acting is wooden, especially from Ioan Gruffudd and Jessica Alba.
4. The music at the Mole Man’s first encounter was lazily recycled from The Scorpion King: Rise of the Akkadian.
5. Unlike the film, Sue isn’t using her anger to her brother.
6. The Game Boy Advance port of the game is terrible, with it being nearly unplayable.
7. While decent for it's time, the graphics didn't aged well, because of the characters models aging quite a bit and because of some other games released the same year having graphics that didn't aged as much.

Trivia

• Zak Penn, who wrote several superhero films co-wrote the game.

Reception

Fantastic Four received review from mixed to positive compared to the film it derived from.

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