Bruce
Banner’s legacy lives on once again in The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate
Destruction. With so many superhero games out there, can the angry green
giant create enough destruction to make his newest adventure a hit? Let’s
see.
Graphics 8/10
The graphics aren’t
particularly amazing at first. You have your big cities and wastelands,
but overall they aren’t particularly interesting. But that’s before
you start smashing stuff. Once Hulk starts moving a military base can
wind up a parking lot thanks to the huge amount of destructible
environments scattered about. The amount of animations for Hulk is
large, and frame rate remains constant. The only negatives are when too
much destruction happens. The screen becomes clouded with debris making
gameplay difficult. That combined with a few clumsy camera angles in the
city, make gameplay slow at times. Fortunately, these minor problems don’t
destroy the game’s diverse and fresh graphics, just hinders them a
bit.
Audio 6/10
Nothing special here.
Bruce and friends’ voices are pretty well done, and the Hulk’s
trademark roars are good. Music is very basic, presenting your superhero
symphony and heroic harmonies. Smashes are good, but overall the audio
doesn’t do much to push the game forward.
Gameplay 8/10
The title says enough;
Ultimate Destruction, and you’re gonna be doing a whole lot of that.
The Hulk has gotten the free-roam treatment and it works. The Hulk’s
primary transportation method, jumping, is fluid and makes traveling
around the wide levels fun. Along with climbing, dashing, and running up
buildings, Hulk is tricked out with a nice array of techniques. Hulk’s
techniques can be chained together to eliminate the many hoards of
enemies that will appear. Outside of the huge amount of techniques, Hulk
can use the environment to his advantage. Using the many objects around
him, he can bludgeon, throw, and smash things to attack. Pretty much
anything can be used as a weapon, including the enemies. New moves can
be bought using Smash Points, which you receive after causing enough
destruction. When you start linking all these techniques together, Hulk
proves to be a powerful character. Missions were diverse, but at points,
became tedious. Sometimes you would have to perform identical feats,
just in different areas. Also, the destruction can be brought to an
annoying halt if you cause too much of it. Some insanely powerful
enemies will hunt you down after one too many times of throwing a
civilian. But, overall, the game creates one of the best sandbox
experiences you’ll find.
Replay Value 8/10
Unlockables can be
unlocked by finding comic books in the levels and missions. With so many
missions and challenges, Hulk’s newest romp promises plenty of replay
value, mostly thanks to the guilty pleasure of causing mass destruction
inside the Hulk universe. Even if you just want to smash stuff, this
game will satisfy that craving.
Final Verdict 8/10
Hulk’s newest
adventure sets a new high for superhero games. It creates one of the
most (dare I say it) incredible experiences, thanks to the fluid
controls, huge environments, and unique gameplay. It’s incredibly
satisfying to just rip apart a car and use the halves as boxing gloves.
Hulk fans will flip at how good this game is, and even if you’re not a
Hulk fan, just going around smashing stuff will please any gamer. The
Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is one of this year’s most
pleasant surprises so far. Unless you detest smashing things, this game
will make any gamer’s day.