Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Controls-wise, the game is near-identical to "X-Men Legends." [Aug 2007, p.108]

There was a wealth of material here that it seems the dev team tried to cram into the story. Instead of a well-scripted tale, this game is a random (repetitive) level run that loosely fits some story, if you can find and hold on to the main thread.

Lack of online and sketchy graphics headline the game’s serious flaws while the wonky co-op camera almost kills the idea of any type of multi-player action.

Compared to the competition, RotSS feels more like a side story that borrows just enough gameplay elements to provide fan service for those who can't get enough of the film, but as a game, it's not much of a leap from an expensive bag of stale popcorn at the theater.

The bottom line is you never feel like you're the Fantastic 4. Instead, you're a big orange tank and three kick boxers who know some magic tricks.

Fantastic Four isn’t bad in the sense that it’s incredibly buggy or overly frustrating. It’s just mind-numbingly mundane. And the thinly veiled attempts at character customization aren’t enough to make the game any less boring.

There's nothing inherently broken with the game, and until it fizzles out at the end the story's not bad, but the gameplay is so contrived and repetitive that it's unlikely anyone will garner much enjoyment from the game.

The only saving grace that this game has is its combat mechanic. By no means is it good, but it’s competent, and successful in making you feel like you clocked someone pretty hard. If you have some friends over, you can delve into four-player co-op. However, like a friend who picks out a crappy movie, there’s a good chance that your buddies will mock you for this spirit-crushing game for the remainder of your days.