Introduction: All of us, who like to think of ourselves as informed gamers, are not big fans of movie to console game conversions. Usually, the variety of interested parties competing for power in the production process results in a game that has obviously been designed by a committee. These titles often tick the right boxes, but as a whole amount to not very much.

Based on this, things don't look too promising for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. It has something of an uphill battle to win us over, and to deliver an experience that adds something interesting and worthwhile to the franchise. That said, there is a glimmer of hope as many recent film tie-ins have managed to throw off the old shackles and deliver a much more convincing experience.

GamePlay: As we have said, the game is based on the movie of the same name. It is therefore slightly surprising that it doesn't make much use of the franchise when it comes to the flow of gameplay. The game cuts its own path when it comes to the story. This obviously isn't necessarily a bad thing, as an original story for a game can lift it above a simple reproduction of the film word for word. However, in this case it is questionable whether they are really adding anything new. More likely, the story seems to have been crafted to make it easier for the game elements available to be combined into something of a cohesive whole.

As you would expect if you have seen the previews, the game plays as a pretty straight forward beat-'em-up. The option is provided to either work through the levels alone, or bring along other players for the ride to provide some assistance. If you do this you can switch characters at will. Included characters are Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, and the Human Torch. All the big names from the film franchise are here, as you would expect after shelling out on an expensive franchise licence.

Again as we mentioned above, the gameplay is something of a grind through the different locations. You simply have to work your way through the different bad guys it throws your way. There is little escaping the fact that many levels are often repetitive and hard going. This is alleviated somewhat by playing with the different characters ability, but even then you will soon tire of an over repetitive play mechanic.

Control: Unlike the PS2 version that has you holding button combinations to achieve different moves, the Wii version lets you use the motion sensitive Wii-mote and Nun-chuck. There is something to be said for waving and gesturing with the controller to trigger the different moves and attacks. It is hard to deny that it adds a certain visceral connection to the on-screen action. That said, even with these innovative controls, things still feel flabby and unresponsive. Furthermore when the number of bodies on screen increases, you frustratingly struggle to fire the particular move you require.

The controls become slightly more interesting when you realise that you can string a number of attacks together for additional points and satisfaction. Some fun can be had working out interesting combinations. Even with this you will soon end up back at the inescapable fact that the environment in which you are fighting is bland at best and repetitive at worst.

Graphics: The Wii version doesn't seem able to raise the bar when it comes to graphics. Whilst the 360 version had a bit of pizzazz to the different on-screen events, the Wii often looks bland and uninspiring. It does the absolute minimum of matching the visuals of the PS2 version. If you are a fan of the film, or comic upon which it was based, then you will enjoy the graphical representations of your favourite characters. They are well rendered within the limits of the engine, and clearly recognisable. Not the best endorsement of game graphics, but hey there's little else to praise.

Sound & Music: The music obviously benefits from being a movie tie in. The original score from the film is drawn upon, and does help give the action more of an epic feel. Even with this in mind, the sound rarely surprises you or delivers anything beyond some background to the action. It's a shame they couldn't get the proper stars of the movie to do the game voice work as again, this would have given proceedings more authority. In their absence, the sound-alike voice actors do a pretty good job of at least reminding you of what they should be sounding like.

Final Comments: It's hard to find very much about he game to be positive about. We seem to have gone back 10 years to the days when movie franchises were happy to churn out a derivative game in the happy knowledge that fans of the genre would buy it regardless. Let's hope that these days, consumers are more discerning and will steer clear of this one altogether. Not only will that save them some wasted time and money, but should also make it less likely for these low quality spin off games to be created in this way in the future.

Pro: Very little to say apart from the Wii controls being a nice touch, it should get cheap quick.
Con: Poor graphics, uninspired story and bland action make for an unappealing game
Final Score: 3.0

Reviewed by: Douglas Andrews