02/09/2006>> The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (PlayStation 2)

Genre: Superhero Action

 

 

 

 

 

It was pleasure to smash.

 

Never, since the days of Spider-Man, has there been a superhero game that captures the true essence of the main character so accurately. And never before has there been a superhero game that gives you the feeling of being the hero such as this one. You aren’t merely playing as the Hulk- you ARE the Hulk. From the very first in-game sequence, you’re hit with an incredible sense of Hulk-like power and anger so intense that, when your game session comes to an end, don’t be surprised if your skin has taken on an uncomfortably greenish tone. This is the monstrous effect that comes from but a single brief session of the game- don’t even get me started of the effects of playing for a few hours (I don’t think my chimney will ever be fixed). This may very well be one of the best superhero games yet.

 

Taking a leaf from GTA’s book, The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction takes place in various free-roaming environments. You romp around, smash, and wreak general havoc… and that’s just in the missions, which you can activate at your leisure. The events that are apt to go around in the free-roaming part can be summed up in one phrase: pure chaos.

 

No matter how vividly I attempt to explain, it is virtually impossible to grasp the level of control and freedom you have without actually experiencing it. Picture this: Every and any object, from the lamp posts of the city to the rocks of the desert, can either be picked up, defaced, wielded as a weapon, or destroyed. Take this one scenario: While running loose in the city, you casually uproot a tree as if it were a flower. Taking it to the middle of a crowded intersection, you fearlessly approach an incoming metro bus and smack it with the tree trunk as if it were a baseball. The bus careens across the road and smashed into a corporate building, bringing it crumbling to the street in an ironically beautiful display of fiery explosions and screams (is it wrong that I was overcome by a giggling fit at this point?). The possibilities of destruction are only limited by your sadistic mind.

 

 

The fact that you can interact with nearly everything in your environment isn’t a trivial one, either. Oftentimes, utilizing the objects around you is integral to the gameplay. Say you’re assaulted by a hail of bullets and are unable to get close enough to your attackers to attack. Simply pick up a passing truck and use it as a shield! Unable to destroy that heavily armored tank? Crush a dumpster and use the metal remains as steel fists to pack some extra punch! Sometimes, you have to pause and admire the innovation.

 

If possible, the only thing more amazing than the sheer variety of random chaos you can cause is how easily you can pull it off and how natural it feels to do it. The thing I have to give the game makers the most credit for is how they somehow managed to make controlling a two-ton colossus feel so incredibly seamless. With a button and the left stick, it’s possible to leap 30 feet off the ground, bound off the side of a building and use your momentum to latch onto another, and then proceed to scale said building in a primal Spider-Man style. While on top of the building, it takes only two more buttons to rip off an air conditioner, aim it at, say, a pesky helicopter, and send it flying at the unfortunate target like a missile. While controlling the Hulk may feel overwhelming initially, (but who wouldn’t be overwhelmed when prancing around with the behemoth?) in barely 30 minutes you’ll be tearing through midtown and clearing entire canyons in a single bound with relative ease.

 

The story missions contain a surprising amount of variety, considering that about 99.999% of them can be boiled down to smash, smash, and smash some more until whatever it was you were supposed to be going after is destroyed. While that may not sound too deep at first, the various situations and limitations that you may face add some unpredictable variables. The good thing is that the token few- and I really mean few- instances where you won’t feel compelled to let loose almost never seem forced, and still have enough action to stay compelling.

 

Of course, there is that one gripe I have with the story mode: SOME OF THE MISSIONS ARE JUST TOO FREAKIN’ HARD!

 

From as early as the second chapter of the game, you’ll be pitted against the toughest enemies this side of Marvel. From tanks tougher than adamantium, to helicopters with inhuman speed and maneuverability, to specialized Hulk-hunters with weapons that make the giant himself wince…

 

Oh, and did I mention that you’re often facing multiple combinations of these enemies at the same time??

 

 

Now, I understand that the Hulk is by nature a near-invincible character, and if the makers wanted to give the player a realistic challenge, they either needed to weaken the Hulk (as if!) or make some powerful enemies, but come on! Three helicopters firing a seemingly limitless supply of automatic fire circling the Hulk as no less than four tanks fire their near-nuclear powered missiles at him in the second mission of the second chapter? Can you say “overkill?” The unbalanced difficulty level likely will be the only real turn off for those not prepared to restart missions a few too many times because they slipped for a second or missed a critical jump and allowed the enemies to overcome them.

 

Initially, one may not be impressed with the game’s visuals, simply because the game doesn’t look that impressive initially. The character models are sort of jagged and the environments a tad bit on the generic side. But if you pay attention to the details (like the developers obviously did), you might come away impressed. As the Hulk runs down the road, his dinosaur feet leave nice imprints in the pavement. If he decides to jump, someone pray for the side walk below, as it will be unrecognizable when the force of gravity decides to act upon the green giant. And the destruction effects are so intense that they might just bring a tear to your eye. Random particles and sparks fly as you pound away on your enemies, and the sounds of the destruction and the screams and sirens combined are almost overwhelming. And the explosions- hands down some of the prettiest in videogames. It is an experience nearly unmatched by any other.

 

It is near impossible to come away unsatisfied from a session of Ultimate Destruction. Its pandemonium-riddled gameplay will likely make it an insanely fun experience for any type of gamer who decides to give it a chance. So fun, that I would be doing the game injustice by not stating this fact- The bar for superhero games has just been raised.

 

 

Game Score

 

8.8

 

 

Reviewed By: Contributed