THE HULK
PlayStation 2
Universal Interactive
Smashing. Makes other movie-based games green with envy. It'll have the shirt off your back. Let's get the obvious jokes out of the way right now.
Videogames have long been a way for the Hollywood movie machine to bilk a bit more money out of the "property." Everything from The Addams Family to Running Man has been farmed out to software companies, in order to be made into a sideways-scrolling platform game.
In recent times, as games consoles have become more powerful, and moviemakers have become more involved with the game makers, more sophisticated and more faithful tie-ins have been produced. Some games have worked better than others: Spider-Man was a diverting piece of fluff, whereas The Two Towers was a thin pastiche of arcade classic Golden Axe.
Fortunately for the gammaphiles amongst us, the Hulk game works. It works like a Hulked-out carthorse.
The plot and characters will be familiar to longtime readers of Hulk comics, making use of both our modern-day Jekyll and his radioactive Hyde. The cast includes a couple of odd choices. For example, only the most anal of fanboys will remember Ravage, from the short-lived Rampaging Hulk. Naturally, I have all his comics.
Of course, the plot is secondary to the real point of the Hulk, which is to see just how much property damage you, and your radioactive alter ego can cause.
I play videogames in order to do things that I could never do in real life, like flying spaceships, grappling with monsters, or skateboard standing up. The Hulk taps into a primal need for carnage that I never knew I had. Every aspect of the Hulk's rage and power is brought to life in this game. He runs, and the ground shakes. He throws a punch, and the walls shake. He bellows, and the roof caves in.
It's a cathartic experience, being able to trash buildings, make Hail Mary passes with automobiles, and slap faceless henchmen around. And it's that catharsis that lies at the heart of this game's success. The control system is straightforward, and the range of actions - especially those involving a buildup of brobdignagian ire - is pretty broad.
My only problem with the Hulk side of the game is that he doesn't jump very high. Okay, most of the time he doesn't need to, but it's a signature power of the character that doesn't make it into the game. But that's only a minor complaint. The Hulk experience is addictive fun.
Amazingly, the Banner parts of the game inject some much-needed tension into proceedings. While, to be honest, all Banner gets to do is sneak around solving puzzles, the time limits imposed on the player, and the violence that ensues when the enemy catches him, make for a fine few minutes relief from all the puny human smashing.
Graphically, Hulk is head and shoulders above any movie tie-in that I can think of. The quality of the animation and the character designs are such that there's barely any difference between the game and the superb in-game movies. It's like being immersed in a really good CGI cartoon. And, frankly, it puts things like Enter the Matrix to shame.
The game is full of neat little touches, like the liverspots on face of Banner's old teacher. The best of these, however, has to be the incontinent terror exhibited by the soldiers as the Hulk bears down on them like a bright green angel of death.
The sound design is equally superb. The Hulk constantly growls: even when he's at rest, the breath rasps in his lungs, with barely-contained rage. Eric Bana offers a superb performance as the good Doctor Banner. If he's as good as this on the big screen, then The Hulk is going to be an incredible film.
Whereas the Spider-Man movie game lacked longevity, and The Two Towers was a glorified trailer, Hulk has plenty to offer, even once you've completed the main game. The five challenge levels are good for fans of pick-up-and-play action, and are an excellent way to perfect your Hulk-fu. In fact, the only thing that's missing from the game is a free-roaming smashathon on the streets of San Francisco. I suppose you can't have everything,�
And that's really the only bad thing I have to say about The Hulk. There's a little bit of a glitch in the game's plot, perhaps. And the ending is a bit abrupt. But in all honesty, I've had to really look for things to dislike. That's a good sign, I think.
The Hulk game is about as good as the movie license genre gets. Far more satisfying than either The Matrix or Two Towers games, it manages to be both a solid piece of promotion for the upcoming movie, and an excellent game in its own right. Whether you play it for relief from the stresses and strains of the working week, or as a way to become your favourite green
monster hero, The Hulk is the game for you.
So play it. Or you'll make him angry. And you�well.
You know the rest.
Review text (C) Matthew Craig
Originally published in the pop culture magazine Robot Fist