Game: "Fantastic 4."

Console: Playstation 2 (also out for Xbox, PC, GameCube, Game Boy Advance).

Developer/publisher: 7 Studios/Activision.

Genre: Action.

Number of players: One or two.

ESRB: E.

Premise: To save the world from the evil Dr. Doom, you must play as the Fantastic 4: Mr. Fantastic, the Human Torch, the Invisible Woman, the Thing.

Game play: (This review contains no spoilers. If you haven't seen the movie yet, feel free to keep reading.)

"Fantastic 4" is based on a movie based on a comic book created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee (the latter created the "Spider-Man" comics as well). Like many recent superhero games, this one follows the simple format in which you beat up enemies and score points that you use to unlock hidden items.

In this game, you follow the story of the movie, along with some extra stories the movie doesn't have, and you alternate among the heroes. Most of the time, you can use only one character while your fellow heroes are fighting foes elsewhere.

When there is more than one hero on screen, control of them can be switched by using the directional pad. Because of objectives for specific characters, switching is sometimes essential to passing the level: Mr. Fantastic must be used to solve riddles, the Invisible Woman is used to freeze things, the Thing uses his brute strength and the Human Torch ... well, you can figure it out.

During levels, you are given certain objectives to complete as well as bonus missions, which include defeating a set number of enemies, destroying any number of objects (I guess gratuitous property damage isn't frowned upon for superheroes?), and passing the level in a certain time frame. In each level there is a hidden icon you must find to unlock prizes in other modes.

When story mode isn't cutting it for you, there are other modes you can play to break the tedium; these include practice mode to hone your crime-fighting skills and survival mode to test your abilities against a set number of opponents. Levels in survival mode are unlocked through acquisition of icons, while you can unlock the medium and hard difficulty levels by winning on the default easy setting. There are also tons of extras, such as interviews with the movie cast (all of whom do the voices for the game) and concept art.

Good/bad: The controls in the game aren't as responsive as they should be, which can lead to unnecessary loss of life. And every enemy you defeat will earn you points to unlock the hidden prizes — while this helps with the instant gratification most games indulge in, in the long run it decreases replay value. The dinginess of the environments takes away from the fun feel beat-'em-ups are supposed to have.

My take: Much like "Batman Begins" and the two "Star Wars" games released for PS2 this year, "Fantastic 4" is just a way to cash in on a popular movie. To put it simply: The game isn't as fun as it should be because of its weak controls and drab-looking environments. While not horrendous and definitely worth at least a rental, "Fantastic 4" isn't ... well, fantastic at all.

Jeremy Castillo is a student at Windward Community College.