As much as I love Marvel comics, which I've been reading since... well, before I could read, every new adaptation seems to further dilute Stan The Man's pedigree stock. Movies, games and game adaptations of movies never quite seem to be able to capture the essence of what makes Marvel superheroes great, and unfortunately The Incredible Hulk doesn't really change this sad fact.
Adopting a typical bird's-eye-view of the action, you briefly take control of Bruce Banner as he attempts to escape the perpetual nuisance of the US army. Naturally, this quickly leads to a big green tantrum, and it's time for Hulk to smash. The gameplay is unerringly simple – punch the little soldiers who are shooting at you, or grab stuff and hurl it at them. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Fist fighting with the enemies quickly becomes laborious, as they continually attempt to distance themselves in order to open fire, and the Hulk's responses are slow enough that by the time you've hit the punch button, your target's run away.
The only real recourse is to use the left soft-key and grab them. This aspect of the action works rather well, and the Hulk can pick up almost anything (including enemy soldiers) on the map and lob it at his aggressors. There's certainly no shortage of forklift trucks, cars, furniture, barrels, propane tanks and other ephemera to make good, destructive use of.
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While there's little else anyone might expect from a Hulk game, adopting such a massively superficial approach to what's actually quite a deep character doesn't serve the game particularly well. What the developer (like many other interpreters of the Hulk) has overlooked is the importance of Bruce Banner. Any good Hulk story, be it game, comic or film, must make proper use of the man inside the monster. One of the Gamma Giant's greatest assets is his ability to become the analytical scientist, and a game like this could broaden its scope significantly if this mildly cerebral aspect were properly employed.
For one wonderful moment at the beginning of each level, it appears that Bruce might actually come into play, but he regrettably transforms as soon as the action begins.
As this is an adaptation of the forthcoming movie, it does at least feature one of the Hulk's old comic book nemeses, the Abomination. Dealing with this evil counterpart is one of the better moments of play, since the human side to his character is actually fleshed out and put to good use – even if Bruce Banner isn't. If anything, this game might have worked better as an Abomination licence, rather than a Hulk one.
As it is, the Hulk constitutes little more than running around dodging bombs and throwing things, and never really gets off the ground. Every aspect of the gameplay could easily and transparently be applied to any other fighting/running around game, so there's little sensation that we're stepping into the ripped-up shoes of one of Marvel's most beloved heroes. And that makes me (a little) angry.
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