In spite of being able to take four of the greatest Marvel Comic heroes out for a spin, Fantastic Four lacks any real challenge.
Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer
Publisher: Take 2 Interactive
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS
Reviewed on: Xbox 360
Rating: T – Teen
Game type: Action
*** (out of 5)
What’s the premise?
Stretch, scorch, sneak and smash your way through five lengthy levels of super-heroic mayhem trying to figure out the machinations of the enigmatic Silver Surfer as Mr. Fantastic, the Human Torch, the Invisible Woman and the Thing — The Fantastic Four.
This game is most similar to…?
X-Men Legends.
Can I let my kid/kid brother play it?
Only if you’re cool with them pounding on a seemingly infinite number of aliens, robots, etc.
One player or more?
Up to four friends can team up (each taking control of one FF member), but alas, there’s no online play.
What’s missing?
The aforementioned online play, more levels, a challenge.
The (not-so) secret to success is…?
In spite of having four of the greatest heroes in Marvel Comics’ history to take out for a spin, this one’s pretty much Double Dragon (that’s tedious butt-kicking broken up by the occasional boss battle for you non-gamers) so just mash away at those buttons and you’ll be done in no time.
And in the end?
It’s truly sweet to play as the Fantastic Four, but sadly more fun in 2006’s Marvel Ultimate Alliance than in their own new game thanks to a better plot and more levels.
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Wii
Rating: E – Everyone
Game type: Puzzle/party
*** 1/2 (out of 5)
What’s the premise?
Enroll in Big Brain Academy and use your Wii-mote to complete in 15 all-new mini-games designed to give your lobes a workout.
This game is most similar to…?
Big Brain Academy for Nintendo DS.
Can I let my kid/kid brother play it?
As long as he’s old enough to read, it’ll probably do his brain some good.
One player or more?
The multi-player modes are pretty fun and those who haven’t splurged on extra Wii-motes are in luck — up to eight people can play with just two.
What’s missing?
While there’s a decent amount of variation, it seems like there’s just not enough mini-games to keep your attention for too long.
The (not-so) secret to success is…?
Work that Wii-mote. You’ll have to be quick on the draw to earn top scores (calculated in brain weight) as you work your way through the five categories: identify, memorize, analyze, compute and visualize.
And in the end?
As a solo game you’ll want to come back every day to see if you can improve your brain weight and as a party game it may be the only time in your life you’ll want to outweigh your friends.
