Hulk (video game)

2003 video game
the console and Windows game based on the 2003 film

Hulk is a 2003 action video game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Universal Interactive for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Microsoft Windows. The game primarily features beat 'em up gameplay showcasing the Marvel Comics superhero Hulk, and also includes stealth based levels featuring the Hulk's human alter ego Bruce Banner. While the game is a tie in to the film of the same name (featuring the voice of Eric Bana reprising his role as Banner from the film), its narrative serves as a sequel, taking place years after the events of the film. The plot follows the Hulk and Banner, who must battle their arch nemesis the Leader and stop him from unleashing an army of mutants upon the world. Hulk received mixed reviews from critics; while reviewers praised the initial visceral satisfaction of using the Hulk's powers, intuitive controls, cel shaded visuals, interactive environments, sound design, and voice acting (particularly Bana's), they had mixed assessments of the range of fighting moves, music, and storyline, and criticized the repetitive gameplay, lack of enemy variety, simplistic stealth levels, and static camera. The game was commercially successful, selling over two million copies across all platforms. One of the Xbox version's levels was included as a playable demo on the film's DVD release, marking the first integration of a game demo onto a DVD. A sequel was in development, but was reworked into the standalone game The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, which was released in 2005.

Hulk is a third person action game in which the player alternatively controls the Hulk and his human alter ego Bruce Banner; the majority of the game's levels are beat 'em up stages featuring the Hulk, while Banner's levels are based primarily on stealth. The game's narrative follows Banner and the Hulk as they pursue Banner's mentor Professor Crawford, who has betrayed him to assist the Hulk's arch nemesis the Leader in a plot to unleash an army of gamma powered mutants upon the world. Both characters have a health meter displayed on the top left corner of the screen, which is decreased by enemy attacks; the meter's depletion results in the Hulk's defeat or Banner transforming into the Hulk, thus failing the current objective. Health can be restored by collecting green orbs, while collecting blue orbs allows the player to resume progress from a checkpoint rather than the beginning of the level if health is depleted. In the Hulk's stages, the Hulk must combat numerous enemies as well as engage in environmental destruction to progress. He is capable of an array of punches, grapples, and throws, as well as special moves such as claps, stomps, and deflecting incoming missiles. A red "rage" meter is displayed below his health meter, and can be filled by collecting red orbs. The Hulk enters a "Rage Mode" when the rage meter is full, during which his attacks become more powerful and destructive. At the cost of the full rage meter, he can also execute two attacks that cover an exceptionally wide range. Numerous objects can be picked up by the Hulk and wielded as a weapon, while particularly large objects such as crates, cars, and tanks can be thrown to clear out groups of enemies from a distance. Banner's stages revolve around sneaking through guarded facilities while evading cameras, searchlights, soldiers, and other forms of surveillance. He can crouch, dive, and clamber across ledges, as well as push and pull objects to reveal secret passages. Some doors within Banner's levels are attached to a security terminal, requiring him to engage in a hacking minigame in order to open the door and proceed. While Banner has a limited amount of combat techniques for engaging enemies, he can also fake surrender by freezing in place if he is detected by a guard, and can catch the guard by surprise after allowing him to approach. Apart from the story mode, the game features five Challenge Modes, in which the Hulk must fulfill objectives such as surviving as long as possible against endless waves of enemies, defeating as many enemies as possible within an allotted time, or destroying as much as the environment as possible before the time runs out.

Bruce Banner is a genetic scientist who specializes in studying the effects of gamma radiation on damaged tissue. After continually struggling with fits of anxiety, embarrassment, and rage, a freak lab accident results in Banner transforming into a powerful beast known as the Hulk whenever he is agitated. Years later in San Francisco, Radical Entertainment obtained the contract to develop a Hulk based game by presenting a playable prototype within 2–3 weeks. On June 10, Universal Interactive revealed the development of a video game based on the upcoming Hulk film, with a release coinciding with that of the film in June 2003. While the Hulk's appearance would be modeled after the film version, the game would feature its own narrative, in a manner similar to Universal Interactive's previous adaptation of The Scorpion King. Mark James served as the game's director, while Radical's Tim Bennison and Universal's Jeff Barnhart served as producers. The development team received an advance look at the film's script, visited the film's set multiple times, and were granted access to Industrial Light & Magic's digital models and concept art of the special effects. Graig Robertson directed the game's audio, composed and edited the music, and provided the Hulk's vocalizations. A cheat code that turns the Hulk into the Grey Hulk if it is entered into a door's security terminal is hidden within the film during the scene preceding Banner's first transformation into the Hulk. At peak production time, as many as 65 people at Radical worked on the game. After 18 months in development, The game was released in Europe on June 13, a few weeks before the film's United Kingdom premiere on July 18, and in Australia on June 26. In its debut month, the PlayStation 2 version was the fourth best selling console game in North America and the second highest rental in Blockbuster Video, as well as the fourth highest rental in the following month. Across all platforms, the game sold 400,000 copies in its first month, and during its first five weeks, it was the second highest selling and renting title behind Enter the Matrix. A playable demo of the Xbox version, consisting of a single level, was included in the film's DVD release on October 28, marking the first integration of a game demo onto a DVD. The Xbox version is backward compatible with the Xbox 360.

Hulk received "mixed or average" reviews according to aggregator Metacritic. Radical Entertainment was influenced by feedback for the previous Hulk game to create an open world title more heavily focused on the Hulk, and collaborated with writer Paul Jenkins and artist Bryan Hitch to create a more authentic comic book experience. The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, which had been reworked into a standalone story, was released in 2005 to positive reviews. According to Marvel executive Justin Lambros, the game's lack of connection to a major film resulted in smaller sales figures than its predecessor.