The Incredible Hulk – GBA – Review – GBA – Review

Marvel comic book heroes
have been getting a lot of attention lately, especially on the Hollywood front
that has been adapting everything from the amazing Spider-Man to the mutant
super hero team of the X-Men.  Games have also been made to coincide with the
release of these films and, for the most part, some have actually been very
decent (think Spider-Man: The Movie) while others have been really
disappointing (think Blade II).  Now joining these mighty heroes in the
film and gaming world is The Incredible Hulk.  Is the Game Boy Advance powerful
enough to contain this fierce creature?  Let’s find out, shall we?

It should be noted that
Hulk games have been done before since the early Super Nintendo days and many of
them were definitely not fitting of the not-so jolly green giant.  That is until
the new Ang Lee film sparked new interest in this character followed by games
released across multiple consoles by Universal Interactive.  The GBA version,
though, doesn’t follow the movie in the same way X2: Wolverine’s Revenge
on the same platform doesn’t follow the X2 movie.  Instead, The Incredible Hulk
follows the original Marvel comic books and uses many of the characters
long-time readers will recognize–like Rick Jones who is witness of the good
Doctor’s transformation.

You play Doctor Bruce
Banner, a technological genius working for the United States military creating
weapons of mass destruction.  Among these weapons is his Gamma Bomb that on the
fateful day that college boy Rick Jones decided to take a little drive into the
test facilities during a countdown sent Banner out to save the dummy.  Yet
unable to make it to safety, Banner took most of the brunt of the explosion.
Knowing that taking in all that gamma radiation can do strange things to a body,
all his pent up anger and stress transform him into the Hulk.  After this neat
little introduction, you take control of the beast as he attempts to escape the
confines of the military base.

The controls are fairly
easy since the Hulk relies on his brute strength and his massive strength.  He
was always a brawler so expect to use your fists to pound on troops sent out to
capture you.  You can also jump, which comes in handy when you want to avoid
certain pitfalls or electrified floors, and also perform a jump attack.  At the
start of each level, the Hulk has a barge attack that has him slamming into
enemies but as he punches away at foes, his Rage abilities kick in.  When the
Rage Meter goes up, the words SUPER SMASH or RAMPAGE comes up and he can do more
damage (with the clap of his hands, he can knock down soldiers like bowling
pins).  He can also pick things up in the environment and use them as
projectiles . . . although unlike the console version, you can’t pick up and
toss soldiers.

The levels are amazingly
lengthy and the environments are massive.  You’re able to wander off anywhere
you’d like but since you’re expected to move things along it is easy to get
lost.  The Hulk mainly moves from military installations to outdoor settings as
Banner’s thought clouds the Hulk’s mind enough to tell him where he should go.
Along the way there are boss fights with villains comic book fans of old will
probably remember (like The Leader or The Executioner).  The game’s only huge
problems are that the fist pounding can get a bit repetitive and, although you
have three save game slots, you’re not able to save at any point in the game.

There is, however, a
multiplayer option that lets up to four players (using a GBA cable link and,
naturally, up to four GBA systems).  The object of the game is to throw objects
at your opponents until you knock them out–the last Hulk standing is the winner
of the game.  While this mode isn’t incredibly deep, it is fun to play anyway.

Striking graphics and
plenty of eye-catching details make up the game’s wonderful visual treatment.
Gamers will find the massive environments filled with plenty of things the Hulk
can smash or use as projectile missiles.  Areas such as military installations
or the desert outside the testing base could have been boring to look at but
this game throws little distinctive environmental features to add spice to
locations.  Cut scenes are made up of comic book-styled panels that tell the
story through neatly rendered scenes.  Still the best visual feature is that the
game puts as many as six or seven soldiers on the screen at once as the Hulk
flexes his overgrown muscles ready to tear into them.  This is some nice stuff.

Sound-wise, The Incredible
Hulk features a score that is both fitting of the action and the comic book
panels that serve as cut scenes.  The only problem is, while as good as the
soundtrack is, that it’s also repetitive and hardly ever changes the farther
into the game you go.  Aside from this disappointment, the sound effects you’ll
encounter throughout are far more plentiful.  The Hulk roars furiously when you
jump and listening him to smashing his powerful fists into a wall and cracking
it or the fiery explosions you caused by sending a jeep into flammable barrels
is just plain sweet.  Had there been a diverse mix of tunes in this game, we
would have been looking at a visual and auditory treat.

Repetitive action keeps
the game from being a genuinely satisfying Hulk game on the GBA, but there are
also many good things in the game’s favor that shouldn’t go overlooked.  For
starters, the massive environments and the smash-everything-in-sight goodness
make for some really entertaining destructive action.  The fact that there’s a
multiplayer option available and that classic Hulk story will only give fans a
little something extra aside from the great console game already out.

#Reviewer’s Scoring Details

Gameplay: 7.0
The Hulk’s controls are simplistic
in nature and why not?  He is, after all, a giant, angry brute whose fury just
makes him want to smash things and those puny humans that get in his way.  The
big green brawler was always about fists and he uses them often . . . although
he can perform some combos that even involve his jumping swiftly rush through
soldiers like a runaway freight train and use his thunderclap to knock soldiers
off their feet.  He can also lift things up and send them crashing into people
and things.  This does get kind of repetitive after awhile, but there’s just
something too damn fun about breaking things . . . and people.

Graphics: 8.2
The game’s graphics are at the top
of its game here and gamers will be pleasantly surprised how much detail the
game showcases in each level.  Even the most plain-looking military compounds
have a decent amount of objects such as flashing monitors or colorfully parked
forklifts.  To top things off, the game can throw a large group of mobile troops
so the screen is just filled with plenty of things.  The hulk himself looks
pretty good out there even though he’s a little thing running around huge
environments.  Overheard by my girlfriend: “Aw, he looks so cute and tiny.”

Sound: 6.5
Unfortunately the soundtrack doesn’t
change from situation to situation or level to level so you’re pretty much stuck
with a tune that does set the mood but becomes too repetitive to ignore.  Yet
before you decide to put the volume on low, the game’s sound effects are what
really shine through the score.  Aside from the Hulk’s mighty roar or the sounds
of his fist breaking down concrete walls, you’ll find several bits of sound
coming from the environments themselves.   Electrified floors sizzle while power
generators hum.  When the Hulk sends a jeep flying into a collection of
explosive barrels, the explosions sound intense.  This is not bad at all.

Difficulty: Medium
The game doesn’t really up the
challenge when it comes to taking on the slew of military troopers, but the fact
that they sometimes come heavily armed with rocket launchers and tanks do give
the Hulk enough grief to keep you fully concentrated on the action at hand.
There are also boss fights that add an extra challenge but it’s nothing gamers
will find too difficult.  Just about the only frustrating part is that while
each level environment is wonderfully massive, it would have been a lot easier
to offer a map or allow you to save the game at mid-point.

Concept: 7.0
The Incredible Hulk might coincide
with the upcoming Ang Lee film, but the game certainly draws its inspiration
from the classic Marvel comics (note that Bruce Banner looks nothing like the
film’s actor in the various comic book panels throughout the game).  You’ll even
go up against enemies you won’t even see in the film, but die-hard comic books
fans will definitely recognize classic Hulk foes like The Leader or The
Abomination. You’ll follow Banner/the Hulk through his origins while pretty much
going anywhere in the environments.

Multiplayer: 7.0
One of the features that would have
given console version of Hulk some extra replay value is a multiplayer feature.
In a game where you can pretty much destroy anything you happen to run into or
slam your mighty fists into a group of soldiers, it would be fun to share that
kind of destructive fun with a friend or two.  Luckily, the GBA version gives us
some multiplayer action fit for up to four players (you have to love that GBA
link cable).  It’s basically a Last-Hulk-Standing type of multiplayer game where
you and your opponents take control of Hulks of different colors.  The object is
to knock out the other Hulks by throwing heavy objects at them.  If this sounds
like mindless fun, it is!  But you’ll certainly have plenty of fun.

Overall: 6.5
The Incredible Hulk sure knows how
to have a smashing good time and the game does try hard to bring something
different the farther into the game you go, but it’s not hardly enough that
gamers to completely satisfy.  Yet if it’s smashing foes or through bricked
walls, the Hulk is still fun enough to appeal to those gamers that love
destructive behavior, brawling action and a neat multiplayer option.  If you’re
a Hulk fan, this just sweetens the deal.