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Are you sick of DC Universe Online yet? Of course you’re not! The February update offers up some new content including new fun in the Batcave which teams you with Batman to take on Brainiac and Brother Eye, a Wonder Woman Valentine’s Day special, and a complete new episode highlighting Catwoman. Designed for level 30 characters, you follow a recently cursed Catwoman and battle five new bosses throughout the journey. You’ll also be able to trade gear with other players, and compete in new races and investigations.

Also, there’s a new DCUO trailer titled “In Lex We Trust!” It’s pretty amazing. See it here!

A few more screens from Batman: Arkham City dropped this week. I hope we see more of Two-Face and the rest of the rogues soon. Enjoy.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is just weeks away from release, and all the pretty accessories are on their way with it. The hardcore collectors and pro Capcom fighting junkies will definitely want the official MvC3 tournament fighting stick to go along with the game, but Mad Catz is only issuing 5,000 copies of the game pad at $159.99, so good luck! It sure is pretty.

Though MvC3 doesn’t officially drop until Feb. 15, some copies of the game have already leaked out, and along with it, the game’s final boss. I wont spoil it for you, but it certainly doesn’t get much bigger than this guy. See the video here.

The Marvel vs. Capcom series is one of those rare beams of light in the darkness of comic book video games that shows us the very best that can become of a superhero license. And Acclaim’s Fantastic Four for the PlayStation is one of those games that shows us just how dark the darkness can be, but that doesn’t stop me from pouring a drink, and mourning the death of one of Marvel’s first family the only way I know how.

Fantastic Four

Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Probe Entertainment
Released: Sept. 30, 1997
Platforms: PlayStation
ESRB: Everyone

Game developer/publisher Acclaim has handled some top comic book licenses ranging from Batman movie tie-in games, to X-Men, Iron Man, and arguably the best Spider-Man game ever made, 2000’s Spider-Man for the PlayStation, Dreamcast, and N64. It’s not surprising that not all their games starring superheroes were winners, and unfortunately, the FF ended up at the bottom of the barrel.

The story in Fantastic Four is just silly. Dr. Doom invents a device that transports the FF to various locations to do battle with their greatest foes. But the plot isn’t the crime here; it’s the infantile style of gameplay. FF is your basic beat-em-up, caught in the changing era of technology. Had this game been created a few years earlier, it could have been a great 2D game similar to Acclaim’s Spider-Man/Venom: Separation Anxiety, or released a few years later, it could have been a decent 3D side-scroller. Sadly, it’s caught somewhere in the middle, and ended up a 2D beat-em-up with crappy polygon structures in the foreground.

As Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing, or She-Hulk, you’ll walk through plain, though diverse, settings easily beating up identical henchmen on your way to the stage’s boss. Your weapons are limited, and simple. You have basic attacks, or specials that could be pulled off when you have enough “force power,” but you can seriously go through the whole game using just one move.

Throughout your journey you’ll take on Mole Man, Psycho Man, Namor, Super Skrull, and finally Dr. Doom. You can run through the game in a little over an hour, but the good news is you don’t have to do it alone. The game supports up to four players, or you can assign characters to the computer. The A.I. is sufficient for the most part, but absolutely helpless during boss fights, though you can change characters easily in the middle of your game.

The most annoying part of the experience is that you cannot save your game, and come back to it later. With no unlockables, or challenging gameplay, the game is an absolute bore, though there are a few fun and cute touches. Between levels you’ll have a bonus fight against either Dragon Man, the Hulk, or Ice Man, and the loading screens have racing mini-games to play while you wait.

FF isn’t Superman 64 bad, but it’s definitely somewhere on the “worst superhero games” list. Given the option, I think I’d rather take on an army of Negative Zone monsters than play this game again.

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Andrew Hurst
andrewhurst@comicattack.net
@andrewhurst