The Incredible Hulk

 Review

Common Sense Media says

One of the most violent T-rated games around.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is the video game spinoff of the 2008 Incredible Hulk movie. It's a surprisingly violent game, given the Teen rating applied by the ESRB, and certainly not meant for kids -- though many will be keen to get their hands on it. As the Hulk, players can destroy anything they see, including freeways and massive skyscrapers. Players can also pick up people, beat them silly with the Hulk's massive fists, and hurl them at other objects. It's worth noting that, somehow, civilians never die; no matter the kind or extent of abuse they suffer, they always seem to get up and scramble away. Also, while the Hulk does bad things, the narrative makes a point of explaining that he isn't actually evil, but rather just the dark side of a regular man.

  • The theme of the game, similar to that of the Hulk movies and comic books, is that people have a dual nature; a light side and a dark side. The Hulk isn't evil, but his uncontrollable rage does lead him to do things with terrible consequences. Unfortunately, the game's inelegant narrative does a sloppy job of conveying this interesting idea.
  • Despite a virtual absence of blood, this is one of the most violent Teen-rated games around. Players can destroy pretty much anything they see, including cars, freeways, and even skyscrapers. The Hulk picks up people, pummels them with his massive fists, and throws them several city blocks. Players have the ability to viciously attack innocent civilians, though somehow they always manage to survive.
  • Not applicable.
  • Not applicable.
  • Based on the movie of the same name, which in turn is based on the long-running Hulk comic books. There are also several famous Manhattan landmarks featured in the game, including the Chrysler Building and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

What's it about?

The requisite video game spinoff of the new film featuring Marvel Comics' cranky, green, muscle-bound goliath, THE INCREDIBLE HULK is a sandbox-style game set primarily in Manhattan. Players can freely run around the Big Apple and leap about her skyscrapers as they search for icons that initiate story missions and mini-game activities.

All of the action revolves around the Hulk smashing stuff. He can bring down 100-storey buildings, throw buses, bash his way through trees, and pick up and hurl just about anything in the game -- including people. As you demolish the city you'll run across a variety of collectibles and perform various feats, such as traveling a certain distance in the air, or destroying a set number of vehicles. New abilities are unlocked as the game progresses.


Is it any good?

 

i>The Incredible Hulk's creators took great care in their rendering of Dr. Bruce Banner's iconic alter ego. The Hulk looks just like his big-screen counterpart, with enormously powerful muscles rippling under his lime skin and a satisfyingly emotive face. He's also been beautifully animated. The Hulk has an immense, lumbering gait, and his movements for throwing and punching objects radiate power. Indeed, even his most outlandish exploits -- such as leveling the Chrysler building simply by pounding its stanchions -- seem almost believable thanks to the game's talented artists.

However, the ol' Hulk Smash gets a bit tired after a while. The act of razing a skyscraper carries with it a visceral pleasure, but it's so easy and common in this game that it eventually loses its sensational appeal. What's more, most of the story missions are quite similar to one another -- run to a particular location and destroy this group of bad guys or that structure. Mini-games aren't much better, entailing the repetitive destruction of, say, as many cars or enemy troops as possible in a set time. Plenty of unlockable Hulk skins, classic comic book covers, and concept art help add value for die-hard Hulk fans, but players not invested in the green guy's mythos probably won't derive all that much fun from reviewing his various appearances over the decades. Simply put, The Incredible Hulk is a ton of fun to start, but there's just not enough substance to sustain the average player's interest until the closing credits.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the dual nature of humans, as presented in the game's story. Do you think that all people have a dark, raging side that they keep bottled up? Do you believe that there are times when it can take control of your actions? Families can also discuss the violence in the game. There is virtually no blood, but does that make it any less violent? What do you think of the game makers' decision to allow players to pick up, punch, and throw innocent pedestrians? Does the fact that they (unrealistically) survive make the brutality easier to digest?


This review was written by Chad Sapieha
Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
I love it.
Great game better but also more violent then Ultimate Destruction. 12+

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Teen, 17 years old
October 22, 2010
 
Don't get for the DS
I got the game for the DS, and I regretedit. If you get the game, get it for Wii or PS3!

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 13 years old
April 9, 2008
 
best movie eva!!!!!
the movie rockd!! but the game is so so so so much better!!!! and plus in the moviee there wure only three PARTS!

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Kid, 12 years old
December 22, 2009
 
TOO VIOLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Incredible Hulk is not a fun game.You can destroy pretty much every thing around you like freeways, skyscrapers,and cars on the road.The really odd thing about the game is when you pick up a civilian and hurt them in some like hitting them they just stand up and run away.No matter how much you hurt them they never die.There's a little blood and constant shooting.

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Adult
November 9, 2009
 
Bad game, its a bad game and it's too violent!
The game seems thrown together, not one i would recommend, and it's violent so just don't get it!

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Kid, 13 years old
November 2, 2011
 
with my game reviews i do pros and cons :D
the violance in this game is fun :D HERE ARE THE TOP TEN PROS AND CONS!!!!!! PROS 10. very nice graphics 9.finnaly a game on wii with good controls 8.YOU CAN DYSTROY STUFF 7.fun missions 6.u can play as red hulk 5. bosses are easier than ultimate destrction 4.the peoples reactions to u dystroying stuff :D 3. car throwing 2.begining lvl 1.DYSTROYING STUFF!!!!!!! CONS: 10. horrible graphics for ps2 9.good controls on wii but can get out of control on boss battles 8.hulk has a SUPER WEAK jump 7.the gloryious protect rick missions makes it all worth while -_- 6.the x-men are in this....POINTLESS 5.other than red hulk the other characters are pointless 4. worst army tracking system ever i mean they find u randomly 3. like all movie games this is a tie-in so they rushed this a little bit 2.5.everytime u dystroy a building they use the same animation 2.the weak jump i mentioned earlyer can kill u in boss battles cuz its that weak THE NUMBER 1 PROBLEM IS.......................... 1!!!! IT HAS NO COMBOS FOR THE HULK LIKE IN ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION

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This review was written by Chad Sapieha
Topics:superheroes
Platforms:Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Windows
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Adventure
Developer:Sega of America
Release date:June 5, 2008
Price:$30-60
ESRB rating:T for Mild Blood, Mild Language, Violence

This review was written by Chad Sapieha

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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