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The
Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
Score: 8.8 / 10
I’ll get this out of the way right now.
Hulk SMASH!
If one wanted to write a two-word review of The Incedible Hulk: Ultimate
Destruction, the above would more than suffice. Not only does it
adequately convey the basic gameplay mechanics but it also indicates the
raw power that can only be described with monosyllabic exclamations.
Ultimate Destruction is the first time in a long time I’ve felt powerful
playing a game. Games like Max Payne 2, Armed and Dangeroud, or Destroy
All Humans!
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provide the gamer with a sense of power at
the trigger end of a gun. Hulk forgoes guns in favor of raw, in your
face, toe-to-toe with a tank bestial power that is conveyed by fantastic
sound design, monstrous amounts of environmental damage – most
everything can be destroyed one way or another – and layer upon layer of
brutish demonstrations of Hulk’s formidable roster of moves. The
combination |
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is so powerful that I’ve had several dreams
that involve running up skyscrapers, taking out military helicopters by
landing on them, and bounding through the desert with impossibly high
jumps.
There is a reason behind of Ultimate Destruction’s free-roaming
destruction.
Bruce Banner, with the help of Doc Samson, is attempting to rid himself
of the Hulk. Banner feels that something dark and sinister is taking
over the Hulk persona so time is of the essence but with familiar foes
on the Banner’s trail the only way to assemble the components to attempt
a cure is to let the Hulk take over.
The story mission are doled out similar to the Grand Theft Auto series –
find the marker on the map and activate the next mission that progresses
the story. Or you can just spend time running around smashing things,
looking for collectibles, raising your “wanted” level (with explosive
results), or taking part in optional Challenge missions that go a long
way to earning Hulk “smash points” which can be redeemed for
increasingly powerful moves. Some of the story missions can be tough to
complete so it’s a welcome options to be able to just practice by
running around causing mayhem.
The Challenge missions are almost a separate entity. In fact, most of
them feel like mini-games. Hulk can be tasked with “moving” a car to a
ring of flares across town without picking up the car or seeing how far
he can smack hapless soldiers with a big steel girder or fighting
Hulkbuster mechs to maintain control of a rooftop or simply running
through a marked course as quickly as possible. There are 40 Challenges
spread out between the City and the Badlands, Hulk’s two main areas of
“exploration.”
The central hub between the two is Hulk’s hideout, an abandoned church.
It’s here that Hulk must bring the components for the “cure” that Doc
Samson is cooking up. It’s also where Hulk can upgrade his moves and
take a look at background info. The boss fights are accessed from this
area as well.
The highlight fights with the bosses are only a minor part of the game
though most of them succeed in being outright cool. Most of the time
Hulk has to contend with lesser foes like (easily swatted) infantry,
Hulkbuster mechs, tanks, and helicopters (plus a few surprises). Many
times you’ll jump into a situation where the numbers are simply
overwhelming then frustrating as they pound Hulk into submission and
you’re forced to restart the mission. (The enemy “swarming” is not an
uncommon occurrence.) This is where the weaponization feature comes in
handy. First, a number of objects can be turned into makeshift missiles
(until you can get your hands on the real ones) but Hulk can also use
large vehicles as shields (or even a “skateboard” when the right move is
purchased) and smaller ones can be torn in half and worn as makeshift
boxing gloves for more punch. But even with these advantages it will
still be you mastery of Hulk’s moves – air and ground – that will see
you through.
The screenshots of Ultimate Destruction don’t do the game justice.
Though the textures may seem slightly smeared the action never slows and
it’s a great game to watch. The Hulk’s effect on his surroundings are
extremely well done with plenty of impact craters to tell the world
“Hulk was here!” Layer this with some extremely satisfying sound effects
and bass response and you’ve got the best looking and sounding Hulk
experience to date.
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is – if you can’t tell – a fun
game. (Smash Hulk through one of the auto service stations and listen to
what the attend has to say!) It has its shortcomings, like the enemy
“swarming” and a camera that sometimes gets blocked by buildings, but
there’s too much to like about Ultimate Destruction – the feeling of
being the Hulk, a great comic book storyline, lots of stuff to do, a
deep combo system – to dwell too much on the downsides.
Hulk: Ultimate Destruction comes highly recommended.
- Omni
(September 19, 2005) |
