Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction Review

The Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction is an open world game that combines a strong narrative and characters from the comic book with great gameplay. This game does what many other superhero games have failed to do: make it fun.

Radical eschewed the structured levels of their previous Hulk game and went straight to the free-roaming, sandbox style of Grand Theft Auto and Spider-Man 2; a cityscape that offers plenty of ammunition for your basketball-sized fists. Cars, buses, hulking trucks, and more – all become weapons as you smash your way around. The game doesn’t fetishise violence (the classic Jekyll-and-Hyde squall of internal conflict is nowhere to be found) but it certainly aestheticises it, spotlights it, and rhapsodises it, turning anger into sensationalised pyrotechnics.

Controls are simple and easy to learn, with a jump, punch, grab, and “special” button. Each can be held down to power-up, allowing you to fling yourself around like a pissed off green jackrabbit. A nifty feature is the ability to pick up objects and throw them at enemies; one of the most satisfying things you can do in the early game is to leap from block to block, building to building, grabbing cars off the road and throwing them at the hordes of soldiers that crowd the streets, or simply flatten a bus with your giant feet.

Enemies, vehicles, and the environments all look utterly fantastic. The lighting and texture work is superb, and the special effects are well done. A few minor flubs do pop up here and there, but nothing that really distracts. The voice acting is also quite good, and the screams that Hulk emits are genuinely frightening.

A strong team of collaborators on the creative side – including Paul Jenkins, Bryan Hitch, Any Given Sunday composer Bill Brown, and Hollywood actors Neal McDonough and Ron Perlman – adds to the game’s solid production value. The music is forgettable, but the sound effects are fun and exciting. The CG work isn’t as stunning as that of the last game, but it still looks very good.

The game’s weakest link is the repetition of its missions. The first time you leap through the air and toss a fire truck down on an assaulting military unit you’ll be grinning from ear to ear, but after 50 or so of these the thrill wears off.

Despite its problems, The Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction succeeds where most other superhero games fail: it makes the character of the Hulk truly believable. If you’re a fan of Marvel’s most popular green behemoth, you’ll enjoy this game immensely. And even if you’re not, the premise of a sandbox where you can smash everything in sight is sure to be appealing. Don’t miss out!