Soar the cosmos with classic tales of the Fantastic Four as they battle the world devourer Galactus when he chases his errant herald, Terrax the Tamer, to earth. This tale also guest stars the Avengers.This sense-shattering issue is reproduced with computer coloring and includes bios and behind the scenes information found only on the FF's first CD-ROM. See what makes the Fantastic Four the "World's greatest comic magazine".
- Let Spider-Man guide you through the controls and introduce you to the world of Marvel CD-ROM Comics.
- A real live video introduction by Marvel Creator and living legend Stan "The Man" Lee.
- Special "Zoom-in Zoom-out" feature allows you to reveal the book at your own pace and also makes a great introduction to the younger reader.
- Biography pages give you fun-filled facts about your favorite Marvel Heroes and Villains.
- A Mighty Marvel Trivia game that tests your knowledge of the ever-expanding Marvel universe.
- Answer all of the Marvel Trivia questions correctly and see clips of animation directly from the incredible animated television show themselves.
~ from the back of the box
In the advent of CD-ROMs, it was common to chuck a digital version of physical media onto a disc and call it a day. Under the guise of being a new and futuristic way to enjoy art, comics or books, they tended to become passé very quickly. In the case of Pixel Technologies' 1995 Fantastic Four: Interactive CD-ROM Comic Book, the issues that were digitised were already decades old.
Upon launching, you're greeted by Stan "The Man" Lee himself - via grainy video - who warmly welcomes you into Marvel’s pixelated domain before tossing you straight into the familiar panels of the Fantastic Four versus Galactus and Terrax adventure. In case you're stuck in how to proceed (and I'd totally judge you if you do), you can bring up Spider-Man as a guide. Just be prepared to watch a 3-minute video of a lopping Spidey prattling on about the very basics of mouse use.
 |
 |
A brief guide to the game's controls for those who don't know how icons work (left).
Stan "The Man" Lee provides his usual enthusiastic introduction (right).
To save you the hassle, here's the skinny. Navigation is strictly point‑and‑click and collated to a series of buttons to the left of the screen. You can zoom in, zoom out, then hop between pages like an impatient reader. Underneath this are quick links to the character bios screen (more on that later) and a page that details what Spider-Man said in a single page. The main comic itself can be scrolled by holding down the left mouse button and dragging it in any direction.
Some panels contain not-so-hidden hotspots. If the image has a red border and an icon on the bottom left, you can trigger something special. If it's an ear, a brief audio clip will play like a grunt or a zap. Spy a TV icon, and a brief clip from the 90's animated TV show will play out (specifically Season 2 Episode 8 titled "When Calls Galactus"). The best to look out for is the book icon. This will jump to a new series of pages from a different comic book that acts as a flashback.
 |
 |
All of the character have the own detailed bio page. It's pretty expansive too (left).
The trivia game asks questions about the comic book as well as the Fantastic Four in general (right).
The main story comes from issue 242 of Fantastic Four first published in 1982, but they've stretched out that 23-page issue to 53 (not including flashbacks) by splicing in scenes from other issues. As such, the plot jumps around a series of barely connected plotlines in a vague attempt at a larger story. And not all of the pages of the comic it's supposed to adapt is here. In another bizarre choice, the text isn't read aloud. Instead, a condensed narration plays out in a dry fashion.
Other than the comic book, there are a few other features. A basic trivia game asks questions about the adventure you just read and a comprehensive encyclopedia details the background information on all 15 super heroes and villains that feature. Ultimately though, Fantastic Four: Interactive CD‑ROM is a superfluous time capsule that will only please die-hard fans of Marvel. The combination of Stan Lee intros, animated snippets, bios, and trivia amuses somewhat, but this slice of mid‑90's digital pop culture is nowhere near essential.
To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses the DOSBox-X build of DOSBox running Microsoft Windows 3.1 to get the game working on modern systems. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.
File Size: 247 Mb. Install Size: 382 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ
Download
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Fantastic Four: Interactive CD-ROM Comic Book is © Pixel Technologies & Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc
Review, Cover Design and Installer created by me
Like this? Try These...
Oh hey I was wondering if they had other version of that! The one I had was spiderman and covered the comic of the goblins. Specifically the appearance of hobgoblin and green goblins last stand or so
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting thing to me in part because (American) comics weren't really a thing in my country when I was growing up, but they're a huge part of American culture which you can see by products such as this. And from one of the screenshots I learned that Thor used to be more of a Clark Kent/Superman or Bruce Banner/The Hulk character with a 'mystic cane'. It might actually be quite interesting to go through it as someone who isn't a Marvel geek.
ReplyDelete