I bought this game having fond memories of Incredible Hulk:Ultimate Destruction and expected this to push the envelope even further, but it doesn't quite get there.
First off, let me say that there was definitely tremendous work done by the developers and this is not a half-baked job. Beenox did a great job of trying to capture the experience Vivendi pioneered with Ultimate Destruction. The city is 10x larger, everything can be demolished unlike the Vivendi version where only certain buildings can be destroyed, here you can level out the entire city. Hulk can pick up anything as well from pedestrians to fallen debris of fallen buildings to be thrown or knocked-out. I like to pick up a damsel in distress and bounce around the city with her then throw her into a windshield of a city bus, strangely though, she got up but hobbled her way to safety. Still though, this needs more polish.
The combat functions are solid but not as smooth and satisfying as Ultimate Destruction. The square is your light punches and the triangle is the heavy punches, mix and match them and Hulk does various combos and attacks. In U.D. I liked that I could jump into the air and perform combos on hulkbusters while in mid-air and then grabbing them (in mid-air) and slam them to the concrete and pogo-stick the crap out of them all over the city. Here I can't do this, when Hulk jumps into the air, all I can do is launch at a hulkbuster with a flying punch and thats it, Hulk then falls into street. I couldn't even grab a hulkbuster while in mid-air. I also loved cornering a hulkbuster and just unleash punches on him until I stop in U.D. but here, I unleash combos and they either get knocked out far away or escape by walking to the side. Still, you can issue a great deal of punishment on the army and hulkbusters by throwing them into each other or take one up on a rooftop, grab them, jump off and body slam them to their death on the street. The targeting does need improvement, once you lock on an enemy, there's no way to switch to another enemy, you have to release and press L2 again and hope it locks on the enemy you want.
Graphics is good compared to the PS2 version, but after playing games like GTA4 and Infamous, you might expect more visual candy. That can get a pass from me because in those games, the enviroments are not 100% destructible like this game is, so its understandable. Don't get me wrong though, the grahics are PS3 standard, just not up there. The Hulk model is well detailed, he looks like the art-cover of the game, but his chest appears to be flat instead of bulging and ripping like in the comics. Also when Hulk takes a dive into the water, there are no splash effects, like he fell into some thick oil.
All in all, its a good game that should have been in development a little longer. Beenox really put in detailed work within the city. Look up and you'll see a flock of pidgeons flying in the distance. Rip off a donut from a delivering van and reek havoc on passerbys. This game lets you explore your inner rage and you will have fun with it. But the replay value compared to Ultimate Destruction is pretty low. If you are a Hulk fan, you will not be disappointed, maybe a little when you run into the U-Force whom are a carbon copy of the Fantasic Four, Invisible-Girl is a green haired woman that changes into gases, Human Torch is a lightening type, Grimm is a metal-chrome hulking character and Dr. Reed is a super psychic that can animate elements.
- Amazon Business : For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Register a free business account
