Software:Fantastic Four (2005 video game)

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Fantastic 4
North American PlayStation 2 cover art
Developer(s)7 Studios
Beenox (PC)
Torus Games (GBA)
Publisher(s)Activision
Director(s)Sara Margaret Stohl
Producer(s)Julia Humphreys
Nabil Yared & Stéphane Brault (PC)
Designer(s)Jeffery Gardiner
Programmer(s)Paul Haban
Gérard Bélair & Sébastien Poirier (PC)
Artist(s)Damon Conn
Barclay Chantel
Carl Loiselle (PC)
Writer(s)
  • Zak Penn
  • Martin Signore
Composer(s)
  • Rik W. Schaffer
  • Jason Freedman
Platform(s)
Release
  • NA: June 27, 2005
  • EU: July 15, 2005
Genre(s)Action-adventure, beat 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Fantastic 4 is an action-adventure beat 'em up video game based on the 2005 film of the same name, developed by 7 Studios and published by Activision. Players play as the characters of the Marvel Comics superhero team Fantastic Four using combos and special attacks to fight their way through hordes of enemies and bosses. Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans and Julian McMahon reprise their roles for the game. It was followed by Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, itself based on the film of the same name, released in 2007, with 2K taking over Activision from publishing the game.

Gameplay

The game is primarily a third-person action beat 'em up game, with minor platforming and puzzle elements, which can be played either solo or in co-op. Players move through the levels as one or two members of the Fantastic Four, defeating various enemies, such as robots, street punks, underground creatures, and cosmic aliens, and destroying objects. Each of the four have their special abilities:[1]

  • Mister Fantastic has the ability to shift his body (or portions of the same) into a super-malleable state, enabling him to stretch, contract, deform, expand, elongate, compress or otherwise reshape his physical form at his will. He can also hack terminals by aligning rings in a puzzle.[2]
  • Invisible Woman possesses the ability to bend light and ultimately become invisible (wholly or partially) at will. She also has telekinetic powers and the ability to project force energy from her body. She can also use her invisibility to avoid security cameras and sneak up on unsuspecting enemies and instantly kill them.[3]
  • The Human Torch can manipulate fire. He usually allows his entire body to be engulfed in flames considering his body can sustain the highest levels of heat. Another ability of his is flight, which players can use in the game. He can also create holes in locked doors and throw fireballs as a ranged attack.[4]
  • The Thing is incredibly strong and has an exterior stronger than diamonds. Ben Grimm can carry heavy objects with ease and deal heavy damage to enemies, as players will find out while playing as this character.[5]

As the players defeat enemies and accomplish tasks, they earn points that can be cashed in for upgrades to the characters' attacks, as well as bonus artwork, interviews with the film's cast, and biographies. By performing different button combinations, the players build up an orange bar, which when full, grants them a super move, which varies depending on the character (The Thing stomps around with a powerful spinning attack, Mr. Fantastic turns into a wheel that damages anything he comes into contact with, and both Invisible Woman and Human Torch have a radial clearing attack). One team member can also "buff" another member, ex. Invisible Woman encases Mr. Fantastic in a protective bubble for a short time.

The game includes a number of villains and characters not featured in the film, many of whom are based on their Ultimate Universe versions like the Yancy Street Gang, Mole Man, Puppet Master, and Nick Fury. Diablo, Dragon Man, Blastaar, and Annihilus appear as bosses, during which players have control of the entire team. Players also can find hidden "F4 Tokens" in each level, which unlock arenas for the game's combat arena mode, as well as bonus interviews with Stan Lee and the game's developers. Completing the game on certain difficulties unlocks two bonus levels in Latveria, set in the continuity of the comics. With a cheat code, an extra level set in Hell can also be unlocked.

Plot

The game begins with Reed, Sue, and Johnny on a roof lying helpless after being knocked unconscious by a blast from Doctor Doom. Sue is the first to recover, so when she sits up and turns around, Dr. Doom is preparing to fire an electric blast at them. Sue holds it off with her force field and calls Ben Grimm for help. Then it cuts away to Ben, who is recovering in the transformation chamber after having his rocklike exterior genetically removed from him. As he contemplates why the circumstances have led to this, he remembers the period when all of this happens.

This is when it reverts to the beginning of the movie: Reed signs the pact, they go into space, and Ben gets the samples ready. In space, they are hit by a cosmic storm which alters their DNA and gives them superpowers. If it hadn't been for Victor, they might never have arrived back to Earth and into his medical compound, where they recovered. When Ben discovers that he has become a monster-like figure, he deserts the other three and heads home.

Ben runs on a rampage to try to calm himself. This brings the army to New York under the control of a deep, dark, sinister figure who is yet to be revealed and they try to get Ben under control. However, after Ben and the other three rescue a fire truck from falling off the Brooklyn Bridge, the forces lay off and watch the Fantastic Four to see if they become hostile.

Reed attempts to find another power source, but is interrupted by a call for help. It seems that strange creatures have invaded Grand Central Station and the police seem to have no effect against them. The Fantastic Four stop the creatures from invading the city and face their leader, the Mole Man and his mighty pet. Because of the utter destruction caused by their fight with this giant monster, the city is in a mess and Victor blames Reed for all this mess.

With Ben in hand, Reed sets out to identify their mutation and possibly cure them of it. He constructs a machine with Victor's help which will use cosmic rays to reverse the signal being sent through their bodies by the mutation. He then turns to sources to power this machine and identifies a cosmic meteor that landed in the jungle of southern Mexico. They travel to Tikal to retrieve this meteor when they encounter Diablo, who desires to have this meteor so he can harness its power to conquer the world. The Fantastic Four defeat him and bring the meteor back, but its power is insufficient to power the machine. Later, Victor invites Sue to the opening of his Egyptian wing in the museum that night.

While they are there, Alicia Masters is kidnapped by the mummy creatures who have come to life by the Puppet Master, which throws Ben into an outrage. Reed intends to disable the security system to free her, but they have to deal with animated mummies and dinosaurs. They free Alicia but end up destroying half the museum while repelling the reanimated creatures, which infuriates Victor to no end.

In his last attempt to alleviate his anger towards them, he has a conversation with Sue in which he attempts to find out why she continues to stay with Reed. She says she can't abandon them because they're her family now, which prompts Victor to send Doombots after them to destroy them after they finish their meeting. The four have a massive battle in Times Square, which they nearly demolish with the help of the VDI Mechs, prompting Nick Fury, to take them to the Vault prison for their safe keeping.

They arrive there and are quarantined until Dragon Man decides to break out and cause utter chaos. The Fantastic Four's security systems are deactivated and they try to restore order. They are successful in their mission so when they reach the entrance at the top of the prison, they encounter Fury who agrees to release them on one condition: that they find out what happened to his laboratory. When they arrive, they discover it has been taken over by mutated plants and insectoid creatures and they must destroy the station after obtaining the power source they need to finish powering Reed's transformation chamber. This proves to be successful and the machine is powered up to its maximum.

With this knowledge, Victor travels to the Baxter Building with the intent to defeat the Fantastic Four. He sets Reed's security systems against them and lures Ben to the transformation chamber where he steals his power. The remaining three fight against an enhanced Dr. Doom but his power is too great and they are defeated. Ben, however, feels terrible for leaving his friends just because he wanted to look normal again, so he decides to re-enter the transformation chamber and turn back into the Thing. Dr. Doom is about to destroy them when Ben busts out onto the roof and savagely attacks him, allowing his teammates to recover. They fall to the street and the other three join them there to finish Doom once and for all.

Development

Zak Penn and Martin Signore co-wrote the story for the game. Penn also wrote a draft of the film, which served as the basis of the game.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(GC) 65.02%[6]
(PC) 64.35%[7]
(PS2) 62.18%[8]
(Xbox) 61.50%[9]
(GBA) 55.50%[10]
Metacritic(PS2) 64/100[11]
(PC) 63/100[12]
(Xbox) 62/100[13]
(GC) 61/100[14]
(GBA) 57/100[15]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM5.67/10[16]
Eurogamer6/10[17]
Game Informer7.5/10[18]
GameRevolutionC−[19]
GameSpot(GBA) 7.1/10[20]
5.8/10[21][22]
GameSpyStarStarStarHalf star[23]
GameZone8.7/10[24][25]
(Xbox) 8.5/10[26]
(PC) 7.5/10 [27]
(GBA) 6.9/10 [28]
IGN6.5/10[29]
(GBA) 5/10[30]
Nintendo Power(GBA) 6.5/10[31]
(GC) 6/10 [32]
OPM (US)StarStarStarHalf star[33]
OXM (US)6.3/10[34]
PC Gamer (US)52% [35]
Detroit Free PressStarStarStar[36]

Reviews of the game were mixed. GameRankings gave it a score of 62.18% for the PlayStation 2 version,[8] 61.50% for the Xbox version,[9] 65.02% for the GameCube version,[6] 64.35% for the PC version,[7] and 55.50% for the Game Boy Advance version.[10] Likewise, Metacritic gave it a score of 64 out of 100 for the PS2 version,[11] 62 out of 100 for the Xbox version,[13] 61 out of 100 for the GameCube version,[14] 63 out of 100 for the PC version,[12] and 57 out of 100 for the GBA version.[15]

IGN rated the game a 6.5 of 10 stating that "Fantastic 4 is a passable action game with some interesting ideas. In short, rent this one first".[29]

The game got some retrospective praise for paving the way of Marvel.[37]

Music

The game is notable for having four bands record brand new songs to be used as the themes for the characters. It also used John Ottman's main theme from the film as the main menu theme. The bands who contributed songs and who their song was for are:

  • Taking Back Sunday — "Error Operator" (Mr. Fantastic)[38]
  • Go Betty Go — "Everywhere" (Invisible Woman)[38]
  • The Explosion — "I'm On Fire" (Human Torch)[38]
  • Jurassic 5 — "Clobberin' Time" (The Thing)[38]
  • John Ottman — "Theme From Fantastic 4" (Main Menu Theme)[38]

Sales

The game sold 320,000 units and generated more than $16 million in revenue.[39]

References

  1. ↑ "Fantastic Four Biography". http://www.marvel.com/universe/Fantastic_Four. 
  2. ↑ "Mister Fantastic biography". http://www.marvel.com/universe/Mister_Fantastic. 
  3. ↑ "Invisible Woman biography". http://www.marvel.com/universe/Invisible_Woman. 
  4. ↑ "Human Torch biography". http://www.marvel.com/universe/Human_Torch_%28Johnny_Storm%29. 
  5. ↑ "The Thing biography". http://www.marvel.com/universe/Thing_%28Benjamin_Grimm%29. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Fantastic 4 for GameCube". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/926324-fantastic-4/index.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Fantastic 4 for PC". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/926326-fantastic-4/index.html. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Fantastic 4 for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/926907-fantastic-4/index.html. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Fantastic 4 for Xbox". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox/926325-fantastic-4/index.html. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Fantastic 4 for Game Boy Advance". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/926323-fantastic-4/index.html. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Fantastic 4 Critic Reviews for PlayStation 2". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/fantastic-4/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Fantastic 4 Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/fantastic-4/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Fantastic 4 Critic Reviews for Xbox". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/fantastic-4/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Fantastic 4 Review for GameCube". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/fantastic-4/critic-reviews/?platform=gamecube. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Fantastic 4 Critic Reviews for Game Boy Advance". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/fantastic-4/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance. 
  16. ↑ "Fantastic 4". Electronic Gaming Monthly (195). September 2005. 
  17. ↑ Gibson, Ellie (2005-07-25). "Fantastic 4 Review". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_fantastic4_ps2. 
  18. ↑ "Fantastic 4". Game Informer (149): 101. September 2005. 
  19. ↑ Dodson, Joe (2005-07-27). "Fantastic Four Review". Game Revolution. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/fantastic-four. 
  20. ↑ Provo, Frank (2005-07-08). "Fantastic 4 Review (GBA)". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fantastic-4-review/1900-6128798/. 
  21. ↑ Colayco, Bob (2005-06-30). "Fantastic 4 Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fantastic-4-review/1900-6128494/. 
  22. ↑ Colayco, Bob (2005-07-06). "Fantastic 4 Review (PC)". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fantastic-4-review/1900-6128646/. 
  23. ↑ Chapman, David (2005-06-30). "Fantastic 4". GameSpy. http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/fantastic-four/630360p1.html. 
  24. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (2005-06-27). "Fantastic 4 - PS2 - Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/fantastic_4_ps2_review. 
  25. ↑ Laferty, Michael (2005-06-27). "Fantastic 4 - GC - Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/fantastic_4_gc_review. 
  26. ↑ Hopper, Steven (2005-06-27). "Fantastic 4 - XB - Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/fantastic_4_xb_review. 
  27. ↑ Code Cowboy (2005-06-29). "Fantastic 4 - PC - Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/fantastic_4_pc_review. 
  28. ↑ Bedigian, Louis (2005-07-06). "Fantastic 4 - GBA - Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/fantastic_4_gba_review. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Castro, Juan (2005-06-28). "Fantastic 4". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/06/29/fantastic-4-2. 
  30. ↑ Harris, Craig (2005-07-18). "Fantastic 4 (GBA)". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/07/18/fantastic-4. 
  31. ↑ "Fantastic 4 (GBA)". Nintendo Power 194: 83. August 2005. 
  32. ↑ "Fantastic 4 (GC)". Nintendo Power 194: 81. August 2005. 
  33. ↑ Byron, Tom (September 2005). "Fantastic Four". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. http://opm.1up.com/reviews/fantastic-four_11. Retrieved 2014-11-05. 
  34. ↑ "Review: Fantastic 4". Official Xbox Magazine: 86. September 2005. 
  35. ↑ "Fantastic 4". PC Gamer: 70. October 2005. 
  36. ↑ Huschka, Ryan (July 31, 2005). "'Fantastic 4' (PS2)". Detroit Free Press. http://www.freep.com/entertainment/videogames/gmini31e_20050731.htm. 
  37. ↑ Brooks, Nicholas (July 21, 2021). "The Fantastic Four Had a Dungeon Crawler Game - And It Was AWESOME". https://www.cbr.com/fantastic-four-movie-game-dungeon-crawler/. Retrieved June 3, 2022. 
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 38.4 "Fantastic Four's The Thing has his own song, but it's hip hop, not rock". April 16, 2005. p. 113. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85116248/. Retrieved August 30, 2021. 
  39. ↑ Buchanan, Levi (September 27, 2005). "Summer box office doldrums extend to games as well". https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-09-27-0509270150-story.html. Retrieved August 30, 2021. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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