Overview

As we could have guessed, Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer does not escape this unstoppable rule that licensed Hollywood games are horrible and lack ambition.

Gameplay

Firstly, one wonders how the developers could create something so ugly as the opening cinematic, especially on a console as powerful as the Xbox 360 (the PlayStation 3)! After this disappointment, the adventure begins with countless scenes where the player will take in hand our four Fantastics - the human torch capable of burning his enemies alive, the thing, the invisible woman and Mr Fantastic, capable of twisting all his limbs. In practice, it's a classic beat-em-up in which the player advances with fists and special moves (four per character) and group attacks. The game is straightforward to access and very easy to play since the adventure is only a series of fights without much interest, interspersed with some puzzles and mind-numbing riddles.

However, some titles such as Marvel Ultimate Alliance could impose themselves thanks to fantastic gameplay and great co-op. The Fantastic Four shines by its lack of originality and its poorly thought concept. You hit the X button, make a few special attacks and get stuck with a surreal puzzle. To make the story more enjoyable, the developers have also designed a cooperative mode that up to four players can play. Unfortunately, this one is simply unplayable due to a camera that leaves very little freedom and doesn't fit very well with the single-player missions. The result? The single-player adventure is more difficult for two players than for one. Admittedly, when it comes to nonsense, it's hard to do worse.

However, the list of absurdities is far from over. We can mention the possibility to upgrade your heroes at will while pointing out that without certain upgrades for some characters (which are not specified beforehand), the next level will be challenging, but also the fact that the game can be completed in less than five hours (which is a shame for an ugly and poorly organized game), without forgetting the difficulty management, which can go from very simple to almost impossible during some boss fights. Add to that the inevitable scenes of chasing the silver surfer. The player will embody the human torch launched in pursuit through incredibly long tunnels without any danger or difficulty. Finally, we'll laugh one last time at the camera management, which leaves something to be desired, especially during the cooperative game phases when it tends to go off on a tangent and considerably limits the players' actions.

Graphics & Sound

The proof is that the developers seem to have forgotten that the Xbox 360 console could've provided them with an opportunity to shine. The result? A game from another age with a shameful technical achievement, empty scenes, a basic scenery destruction system, characters modelled with an axe, cars with square wheels, a soundtrack that's just about sound and special effects not very good. Did you want to discover something fantastic? You will be surprised every time! Because these Fantastic 4 don't reserve you many surprises, including the bonuses with some simple comic book covers, the unlocked cinematics, some alternative costumes (without the slightest interest), without forgetting the trailers and teasers of the movie. This is a shame, but it does add the icing on the cake.

Conclusion

As expected, Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer is a colossal disappointment. With ugly graphics, an extremely short lifespan and a particularly poorly thought game system, the title from 2K Games is undoubtedly one of the Top 5 worst Xbox 360 games released. To be avoided like the plague, even for fans!