|
One would presume you know who or what the Hulk is, but in case you don’t, here is a brief history. Dr. Bruce Banner was experimenting with gamma rays when one day an accident occurred which resulted in him being bombarded by these rays. Now, whenever Bruce Banner gets angry, his body transforms into a huge green beast dubbed the Hulk. The Hulk possesses superhuman strength allowing it to do what it does best – SMASH; in fact you can always tell where the Hulk has been by the trail of destruction left in his wake. He’s big, he’s mean and a lovely shade of green – the Hulk is back and this concludes the history lesson.
Gameplay:
It’s hard to write about the game play of this game considering you can do almost anything you like without actually playing any of the missions. Of course, if you want to progress further into the game, you do need to play those missions but the style of them is nothing that you can’t do outside of them….mainly smash everything in sight. There are about 30 main story missions ranging from destroying or protecting objects to the big boss fights. As well as the main missions, there are sub quests which are timed events concluding with you being rewarded if you manage to get a good score. The mini games are quite a lot of fun especially the one where you use a pole for a baseball bat and have to swing it at the soldiers to see how far they go.
Back to the main story, you start off as the Hulk at an abandoned church with your friend Doc Samson after being chased out of seclusion by Emil Blonsky, who would like nothing better than to see you turned into a mushy pile of green goo (sounds like school dinners). The Doc is trying to cure you and needs you as the Hulk to retrieve, destroy and protect certain buildings and items that will be helpful in the pursuit of this cure. From outside the church you can jump (literally) to any of the jump points inside the City which is where all the action takes place. The City is very much along the lines of Grand Theft Auto where you can roam to your hearts content, terrorising the local populace and basically using everything in sight to cause as much damage as possible. The Hulk starts off with a few basic punches and kicks but these soon get replaced by purchasing new and more devastating moves after accumulating ‘smash points’. Have no fear though, the game is not tight on points and these points build up very quickly. Along with the usual punching and kicking, Hulk can use various objects throughout the city such as picking up a car, tearing it in half and than placing each half on its hands for gloves. These moves are in abundance and are gradually unlocked as you progress. As you can tell, there isn’t much of a storyline but who needs one when you are the Hulk.
Graphics:
The animation is superb and you really feel like you are the Hulk with every move being so responsive to the controls. The populace of the city and the soldiers of the Badlands are quite small to give you the impression of how big the Hulk is. The scenery is quite bland but what do you expect from a city except buildings, neon lights and the occasional bridge, as for the Badlands, plenty of sand and an army base.
The main plus factor is the way the Hulk is able to destroy everything and anything. The damage and explosion effects are top notch, truly bringing a sense of devastation and chaos when the Hulk goes on a rampage.
Sound:
This is another area where the game comes to life. You really feel like you can hear the power of the Hulk as he stomps around the streets, running up the buildings or just smashing cars everywhere. The voice acting keeps the story alive with nice support from a great soundtrack which manages to set the tone and mood throughout the game. If you have surround sound, than you better warn your neighbours because with it turned on, it sounds like World War 3.
Longevity:
The main story won’t take to long to complete but with 40 plus side missions to compete in, the life of this title can be hugely extended. Unfortunately this is also where the game fails, the repetitive nature of just smashing everything into tiny pieces soon wears thin and becomes tedious at times.
Overall:
This game is a must for true Hulk fans as it captures the spirit of this green beast to perfection, BUT the game play as mentioned before it repetitive and short lived if you are just going to play the main missions. Your best bet is to rent it out first before shelling out your hard earned money.
Pros:
- Free-roaming environments and missions.
- Excellent sound all in dolby digital 5.1
- Explosive action literally.
Cons:
|
