By Nick Authenrieth and Ryan Penagos
In our first Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer video game preview, we detailed
the enemies that intrepid gamers will be tear through when the game hits stores on June 15. But what do the Fantastic Four themselves bring to the table? In our second in-depth look at the Rise of the Silver Surfer game, we explore the incredible abilities of each of these unique characters. Once again, Paul Weaver, Senior Producer at Visual Concepts, unleashed a wealth of must-read info.
"We think we've honestly managed to create a Fantastic Four game which has a clear distinction between the gameplay styles of the different characters," says Weaver. "The Thing as a brawler, Human Torch being able to fly around the world at will, Mr. Fantastic's stretch attacks and technology and the Invisible Woman's defensive powers all give the characters their own feel. The Fusion attacks pull these abilities together in awesome ways and we think that fans of these characters are going to have a blast!
"Obviously due to the rich heritage of the Fantastic Four, it was easy for us to concentrate on the core powers that the team possess," adds Weaver. "Through our relationship with Fox in the pre-production of the game, there was a lot of talk about 'power transference' of which you can see in the movie trailers right now. This actually fueled our idea for Fusion attacks where the characters combine their abilities as a group and is one of our game's central features." One such example we've been clued into is the 'Fire Wave,' in which Thing pounds a wall of flames upon enemies with the help of The Human Torch.
But even on their own, the Fantastic Four are just as dangerous.
The team at visual concepts truly had a blast creating the unique powers for each hero. "One of our personal favorites is a move we call the 'Reverse Grapple,'" comments Weaver. "With this, Mr. Fantastic stretches out towards enemies and if he grabs them, he will slingshot towards them before delivering a superhero-sized head-butt. Not only that, but if another enemy is close enough, you can actually 'chain' this move and continue flying around the screen delivering this attack." That sounds like reason enough to get a copy of the game. Weaver is as enthusiastic as any gamer could and should be about this game. "In the hands of an experienced player, this is a real sight to see!"
Something that's beleaguered fans in the past is the difficulty that comes with switching characters while the game is in progress. Weaver assures there's no need to panic in this regard when it comes to Rise of the Silver Surfer. "It's incredibly easy! Using the D-pad, Up changes to Mr. Fantastic, Right changes to The Thing, Down changes to The Human Torch and Left changes to The Invisible Woman" That sounds simple enough. But then what if you end up switching to a character with zero health? "An on-screen display or 'HUD' reminds you of these button combinations at all times, as well as the overall health and condition of the characters. We concentrated a lot of our efforts on making this fluid and easy. This allows the player to quickly experiment with each of the team members and use each of their abilities to the fullest extent no matter what the situation."
This is going to be a game that will deliver for all fans of a variety of genres as well as eras. And don't worry. You don't need to be a gaming genius to be able to enjoy the incredible features this game has to offer. "The base powers of the Fantastic Four are a constant. In development, we were very conscious about making these abilities available to the player from the moment they start playing," adds Weaver.
But for fans looking to expand the experience, there's plenty to enjoy here. "To keep things interesting and even tactical," notes Weaver, "players can find and earn money which they can spend on upgrading their abilities, such as increasing the damage or range on The Human Torch's fireball or the Power Cosmic Cost of him flying. What's even better is that as you spend points on these abilities, you'll see a physical difference in-game with these attacks getting visually more spectacular as well as doing more damage and enhancing the Fusion Attacks associated with the upgraded powers."
Another aspect of the game that will please the RPG veterans and fans of the recent smash, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, is the part costumes play in the game. "There are a range of costumes available to the team, which are directly related to the various eras of the Fantastic Four," explains Weaver. "As an example, the team can find and use their costumes from the 1960s comics and this gives them a permanent defense bonus. With the variety of costumes available, this changed the way players can choose to upgrade their character and play the game. Wearing the 1960s costume will allow the player to concentrate on the more aggressive upgrade paths and change their experience from the player that chooses to wear one of the other costumes."
Weaver sums it all up pretty nicely. "Pretty much anything you've wanted to do with the Fantastic Four in the past, is doable in this game! The Thing is a tank like man-monster who relies on his muscle and can pick up, smash and throw almost anything and anybody in the world, Mr. Fantastic takes full advantage of his abilities to stretch both horizontally and vertically. The Invisible Woman has a range of superb defensive and offensive powers from Invisibility (which will confuse enemies) to her force shield (Which can deflect bullets. The Human Torch is frankly amazing and players can flame on and off at will, throw fireballs and can fly around any of the game levels at any time. Pay close attention though because there are also some powers that have slightly less obvious alternate functions.
"We think the major difference for this title is quality over quantity," says Weaver, explaining how this Fantastic Four game will go above and beyond fans' expectations. "We've focused in on a particular set of moves for each character, a particular set of villains and a range of highly-detailed environments. The last game was a very ambitious offering which probably threw too many bad guys and too many abilities at the player and we wanted to avoid that. The other major thing is the co-operative gameplay element which allows up to four players to take on each member of the team and drop-in and out as they wish. Being able to play multi-player as a family with the 'First Family' of superheroes is an experience that can't be beat!"
Keep checking Marvel.com for the final installment of our Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer video game previews when we explore the title's different levels.
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