The Hulk produces some fun gameplay which is capable, more often than not, of countering most shortcomings the game has.
You play Bruce Banner, a nuclear physicist plagued by the effects of an experiment gone wrong. The result of this scientific meddling is Bruce’s Jekyll and Hyde existence, where any provocation can lead to the rise of the beast he holds within him.
The game’s story is separate and distinct from the film and features some of the comic book characters, like Half-Life and the Leader, who are the typical megalomaniacal bad guys bent on acquiring Bruce’s abilities for their own purposes. While there is a story in The Hulk, it really isn’t anything substantial or important to the game. Suffice it to say that some bad guys have done some stuff that Bruce doesn’t like, so he’s got to take ‘em out.
It is the aforementioned fluctuation between the calm and irritated Bruce that sets the tone for The Hulk. The game consists of two modes: stealth and out right anarchy. You must use stealth in the few missions where you play the unprovoked Bruce, who possesses a relative weakness in his normal state.
Frankly, Bruce doesn’t have much success with brute force tactics. He is no match for the armed soldiers and altered creatures that patrol most of the installations through which he must navigate, though he can attack when in a tight spot. This is unadvisable in most cases, as alarms sound immediately upon being spotted and enemy reinforcements are usually just around the corner.
Missions involving Bruce are typically quite short and require one to sneak and scurry between crates or other convenient cover. When not cowering in some corner, Bruce’s missions will have you dealing with simple puzzle-solving, code breaking, and crate moving puzzles that are of little challenge to the majority of gamers. When all is said and done, Bruce’s missions ultimately only exist as brief respites in between Hulk missions.
Thankfully, you play the Hulk through about 90% of the game. As the Hulk, your main job is to destroy anything that gets in your way; and you will destroy stuff. Practically everything you see that isn’t ground or wall is destructible and, potentially, a handy weapon. You’ll find objects like explosive barrels, parked cars, fallen columns and stones, even enemies themselves, can become useful weapons against opponents or obstacles.
Speaking of opponents, you’ll find The Hulk’s array of normal and “enhanced” soldiers present quite a challenge. This is so, not necessarily because of their individual strengths, but because of their sheer numbers. Wave after wave after wave of enemies are thrown at you throughout the course of the game.
This can become quite a challenge in later missions where enhanced soldiers with energy weapons are common and quite lethal. Though you might think it somewhat out of character for the Hulk to flee a fight, it is required that you do so in later missions where large waves of soldiers produce forces beyond even the Hulk’s ability to control.
The Hulk comes with his own set of punches, grabs, slams, and throws that do some serious damage to the unfortunate souls that dare to tangle with him. You’ll even find some handy combos that can take care of lesser enemies quickly and without too much effort on your part. While the available catalogue of moves is small, it nonetheless serves its purpose well and never fails to appropriately handle even the toughest baddies.
The Hulk also has a rage meter that, when filled, sets off the Hulk’s rage mode. This mode, marked by a roar and a nice green glow, gives the Hulk an even more damaging power to inflict maximum destruction on anything in sight, for a limited amount of time.
The Hulk’s graphics are relatively good. The game utilizes a kind of cell shaded animation to create a comic book feel to the characters. This effect is especially noticeable in cut scenes. Most of the environments don’t look half as good. There’s nothing that really stands out as bad looking or noticeably out of place with most of the level design. It’s just that many levels have a tendency to be repetitive as the game progresses.
The vibrancy of the characters and animations make up for the blandness of the environments, however, and most characters look quite detailed when rendered by a modest system. The neat particle effects that result from the breakage of a hefty door or a stone across the head of an enemy are also quite fun to look at.
The sound in The Hulk is somewhat wanting, however. Most sound effects, such as the rumble of the Hulk’s slams or the blast of enemy weapons fire comes across fine. You will find some unfortunate sound casualties, like the musical score, which is almost non-existent and barely noticeable in its current muted state.
Things like the Hulk’s roar and certain other sounds also come across a bit too quiet. There is some nice voiceover work to be heard, including the voice of Eric Bana, the star of the upcoming Hulk movie, as the voice of Bruce Banner.
Control wise, The Hulk is acceptable, yet a bit too indicative of most console control schemes for this reviewers taste. There is no mouse support, but the keyboard does do an acceptable job alone. A gamepad seems to be the best way to handle The Hulk. Be sure to have a decent controller to make the best use of the game’s gamepad control features.
Overall, The Hulk is a fun game, requiring little time and a minimum of effort to figure out. Its unique look and genuine Hulk destructibility certainly fits the mold of what a Hulk game should be. That, coupled with the game’s nice array of extras from the upcoming movie and a more than reasonable professionalism in its design, make The Hulk a game comic fans and novices can both enjoy.