Muscly super-hero shrunk to fit on DS screen
“My name is Bruce Banner…I'm trying to stop a monster," declares the voiceover at the start of The Incredible Hulk adventure. But who is this monster he talks of? Could it be his alter-ego? And who are the military-types relentlessly pursuing him throughout the game? What exactly has The Hulk done to rattle their cages?
These questions and more are left unanswered in this lack-lustre DS version of one of this summer’s super-hero movies. If you haven’t watched the film already, you’ll have no idea that Bruce Banner’s alter-ego is seeking a cure for his anger issues or that the warmongers who dream of abusing his powers won’t leave him alone, or even that he is being pursued by the Abomination, a rage-fuelled creature whose powers match that of his own.
The lack of storyline and the poor introduction are the first of many indications that Sega’s The Incredible Hulk is nothing more than a quick cash-in on the film, a leap-frog onto the back of the bulky green super-hero’s famous name. In fact, the story is the least of your worries as you smash your way through 30 repetitive levels hanging on to the hope that something fun or interesting may happen before you eventually reach its disappointing climax.
Considering that the game is based on one of Marvel’s best loved super-hero’s, the lack of creativity is shocking and the might and power of the Incredible Hulk just doesn’t translate well to the small DS screen. Weighing in at about ½ inch, the tiny green avatar is merely a shadow of the giant beef-cake of a monster that you see on the big screen and the limited audio capabilities of the DS make the pounding sounds of the Hulk’s fists, as he smashes through the destructible environments, sound more like someone has just dropped a few plates in the kitchen rather than the crashing and booming sounds of smashing through a wall or tossing a car to the ground.
Of course, the developer can only work with those tools that it has in its box, but like Sega’s other dismal recent movie-tie in, The Iron Man, this effort is well below par and will only appeal to young Hulk fans, who either don’t care about level design, combat mechanics and presentation or simply have no other games to keep them amused over the summer. Tip for you people: Go outside, play football, do anything but buy this rotten game.
Continued Overleaf
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