The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, is scheduled to hit stores
on August 23rd, but we got our hands on a preview copy and have some
impressions to share. Ultimate Destruction is a free roaming game
where you get to control The Hulk, and pretty much do whatever you
want. You can run anywhere, smash anything in your path, and climb
anything you think needs climbing. Yes, you can smash buildings too.
The game is broken into eight chapters, and features over 30 story
missions, 40+ story side challenges, and six boss battles against foes
like Abomination, Devil Hulk, and Mercy.
You start off simply smashing things with your fists, but you quickly
realize that cars and buses can be used to maximize the carnage. Not
only can you use objects to smash other objects, but you can throw
them to hit enemies that are far away or even overhead. If you're
under heavy fire, you can even use objects as shields. You'll be able
to purchase new moves as well as powerful special moves that can
inflict large amounts of damage on anything within a certain radius of
The Hulk. Allegedly Hulk has 150 different moves and combos, but at
this point many of the moves don't feel a whole lot different from one
another.
The game has a similar feel to the recent PS2 Spider-Man 2 game from
Activision, but the chaos onscreen is reminiscent of War of the
Monsters. As you wreak havoc on the city, you become more of a threat
and of course, more and more resources, including tanks and
helicopters are brought in to stop you. Helicopters are a bit of a
challenge at first, but once you learn to lock on to them, run up
buildings (like in the movie) and launch yourself at them, they are
less of a nuisance. The controls are very simple, and there are only a
few buttons to learn. There's a button to attack, one to grab, and
another to jump. In addition, L1 handles targeting, and R1 makes Hulk
run. The camera can be rotated with the right analog stick, but from
the small bit of the game I was able to play, it wasn't able to keep
up with the action very well.
At first glance, the visuals aren't impressive, but when things start
exploding and buildings begin to crumble, it becomes apparent that
from a technical standpoint the graphics are very good. Most people
would argue that a bland looking building that can be destroyed is
better than a pretty one that can't be touched – and it seems the
developers feel that way as well.
Ultimate Destruction has an impressive voice-over cast. Actors
include: Ron Perlman (Hellboy) Emil Blonsky and the Abomination; Neal
McDonough, the voice of Bruce Banner in the late-90's cartoon series
as Hulk's human alter ego; and Richard Moll as Devil Hulk, the
embodiment of all that is evil within Banner's own mind.
Until the game is released it's too early to say if the concept of
smashing whatever you please can hold up over the course of a whole
game (see State of Emergency). The game does have potential, and
certainly looks to be at least worth a rental, so check back in a few
weeks for our full review.