The Incredible Hulk Review for PlayStation 3

p>System: X360, PS3, PC, Wii, PS2, DS	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Edge of Reality	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Sega	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: June 5, 2008	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Teen	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

Variety seems to be this green monster's greatest weakness. The gameplay found in The Incredible Hulk is about as shallow as the water in a leaking bathtub. Within the first thirty minutes of this game you will be introduced to everything that the gameplay consists of. Almost every mission in this title has you attacking foes/buildings, picking up and carrying objects, running from one destination to another, or some combination of the three. Initially, it is incredibly satisfying to fly through the air, grabbing onto buildings, and launching foes into space with a well-placed punch, but then you realize that, sadly, this is it. Aside from the few mini-games that attempt to inject diversity into the gameplay with timed races and destruct-a-thons, all you are left with are the repetitive missions and whatever random, unsolicited violence you wish to create.

The Incredible Hulk screenshot

With all these problematic issues in the game, it should come as no surprise that Hulk is also host to some pretty bad bugs as well. I had the game freeze on me several times during the course of my first four hours of total playtime. This frequently happened in the middle of missions that had multiple objectives, almost causing me to turn green with rage. Another interesting bug shows itself whenever the Hulk lands in a pool of water. At first he begins to kick and flail while hovering on the water's surface. Continuing his gyrations, he then leaps out of the water onto the ground, leaps a second time away from the water, pauses midair during the second jump, and then seemingly rewinds to his previous land-based location. While this may not frequently have any adverse effects, it looks completely ridiculous and pulls you further out of the experience.

Perhaps the only part of the game that comes close to meriting the "Incredible" in its title are its sound effects. The Hulk sounds exactly as you would expect the massive, rage-filled juggernaut to sound. Whether he is howling in anger, running directly through exploding rush hour traffic, or thunderously crash-landing from hundreds of feet in the air, the destructive symphony he creates is quite appealing. Twisting metal, explosions, and crumbling buildings provide the chorus that only further accentuates just how much damage you are inflicting on everything you happen to come into contact with.

To call The Incredible Hulk a bad game would be a bit too harsh. Instead, it is an aggravating, shallow, repetitive, buggy, and yet somehow moderately entertaining title. Hulk fans will most likely enjoy it for the sheer fact you can simply rampage through an open world with their favorite green tank. Unfortunately, this gets old almost as quickly as the incredibly monotonous missions and mini-games that make up the meat of this title's gameplay. If you want a fun Incredible Hulk game, save yourself some money and find a copy of Ultimate Destruction. It may not be as visually appealing, but it is much cheaper and will still deliver a fairly similar brand of Hulk-created chaos.

By Adam Brown
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.2

Graphics
While the Hulk himself looks fairly good, most of what is left seems generic. Randomly appearing vehicles and enemies only further detract from this game's visuals.

3.0

Control
The Hulk controls adequately, save for the broken and often useless targeting system.

3.1

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The sound effects in the game are great, but much of the dialogue ends up sounding like it is being delivered by a Vulcan on Valium.

2.4

Play Value
While it may initially be fun to smash everything in sight with the Hulk, it too quickly becomes as repetitive and boring as the game's limited mission objectives.

2.9

Overall Rating - Average
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

Unlimited Destruction: Become the Incredible Hulk and experience unlimited destruction. Players can demolish anything in their path and also use it as a weapon - pieces of a crumbling building…a passing car…a light standard. They can even demolish buildings with their bare hands. Damage is persistent, and gamers can use it to gain access to previously unreachable areas.

Powerful Rage: Rage is power. Build the Hulk's rage to learn powerful moves. Cause unheard-of damage to gain and upgrade his abilities.

Incredible Scale: New York City's towering skyscrapers allow for exciting vertically based gameplay, while powerful, massive enemies such as Bi-Beast and the Abomination challenge the Hulk's might.

Dynamic Open World: A realistic next-gen, open-world representation of Manhattan provides gamers with an immense playground of destruction that also contains sub-quests, mini-games, and a story that reaches beyond the film to include elements from classic Marvel comics.