The Incredible Hulk (DS) Review

Most readers will be aware of the recent release of the new Incredible Hulk movie starring Edward Norton. Despite an Incredible Hulk movie being made just a few years ago, starring Eric Bana, this new version of the film is supposed to be a re-imagining of the story; much like the new Batman movies that have been made. Now I haven’t seen the most recent Hulk, nor the previous one starring our very own “Poiter”, so I am in no way in a position to pass judgment on any of those films. However, if the DS version of the Incredible Hulk is anything to go by, the new movie is probably quite poor. Read on to find out why the only thing I wanted to smash after playing this game was the cartridge.

I may have been a little harsh in the opening paragraph, but as a reviewer who’s task is to mainly review licensed based games, I get incredibly frustrated at the lacklustre effort that developers put into licensed games; particulary those based on major motion pictures. Regardless, a job is a job so now I will explain why the Incredible Hulk on the DS is just another mediocre rush job.

First thing that is wrong with the game is the story, or lack thereof. Perhaps the developers assumed that those who would buy the game would be fans and thus would have seen the movie. Not the case for me. The game lacks any sense of narrative that helps proceedings along. There are a handful of cutscenes in the game, but they are all pretty short and do little to help the player stay in tune as to what is going on. I mean, I know the basic premise behind the Incredible Hulk, but a little more effort into telling something that resembles a plot would have been welcomed. I could not understand why I started the game in Alaska, before heading to Brazil and then finally the U.S. I’m not particularly concerned about story in most games, but even this is just sloppy.

The gameplay in the Incredible Hulk is best described as repetitive, dull, and tiresome. It’s basically a platformer where you guide the Hulk through 30 levels, smashing enemies and reaching the endpoint where you need to smash a satellite dish. Why do you have to smash a satellite dish? I don’t have a clue, but you do. The levels all look and feel very similar, aside from the slightly different themes you get in the three different areas (Alaska, Brazil, U.S). Further, the levels looks like they were designed and created on a level editor about as complicated as the one found in Smash Bros. Brawl. One nice feature is that the terrain is all smashable. In fact, smashing the level will build up energy in a bar which, when full, will allow you to go into a rage.

The enemies are quite pathetic in terms of posing a challenge. There are only a dozen or so different types of enemy with each type doing exactly the same thing. It doesn’t take long to master each enemy type making reaching and smashing them quite easy. There are several boss fights in the game, none of which pose any real sort of a challenge though. It’s pretty much just 30 levels of jumping, punching, and smashing until you reach that evil satellite dish. There is not even much in the way of collectibles. You can find a hidden token in each level which unlocks a new Hulk skin, but that is about it. The game does have a multiplayer mode, but I did not get to try that out. I can’t see it being too exciting, as it involves seeing who can destroy more of a given level in a time limit.

Graphically, the Hulk looks quite average too. I will acknowledge that the cut-scenes look really impressive, especially on the DS. However, the in game graphics are dull and as I mentioned before, the levels look bland and very alike. The sound is in much the same category – bland, repetitive and uninspired. Add to the fact the game is over in a few short hours, and you have another licensed title that is hard to recommend. Your money is certainly best spent elsewhere.

Graphics 4.0

Gameplay 3.0

Sound 4.0

Tilt 2.0

Value 5.0