Common Sense Media Review
By Erin Bell
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
A lukewarm side-story -- not movie-based.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
What's It About?
Although timed to coincide with the release of the second Hellboy film (Hellboy II: The Golden Army), this Hellboy videogame for the PlayStation Portable entitled HELLBOY: THE SCIENCE OF EVIL doesn't actually follow the plot of the film. Rather, it's billed as a side-story, with cutscenes that feature a graphical style that more closely resembles the original Hellboy graphic novels than anything cinematic.
Superhuman demon hunter Hellboy is on the trail of a witch when he uncovers an even more sinister adversary in the form of Hermann Von Klempt, who has hatched a half-baked plot to take over the world. Hellboy must put a stop to it, which, for the gamer, translates into defeating endless waves of adversaries using combinations of punches, grabs, magic, and various weapons including Hellboy's trusty oversized pistol and grenades. Levels center mostly on combat with a few light puzzle-solving challenges and fetch-quests.
Is It Any Good?
There's nothing horribly wrong with the game, but Hellboy isn't the most agile character to control, and the design of the levels and enemies doesn't seem particularly inspired. Translation: the game is playable, but can get dull over long sessions and it doesn't demonstrate any particular creativity. Hellboy fans might find enough to sink their teeth into, but if it's a good brawler or dungeon crawl that you're after, there are better games out there.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the character of Hellboy addresses certain preconceptions about how people look versus how they act – he's the stereotypical red-skinned, horned "devil," but he's also the good guy who works to hunt down evil.
Game Details
- Platform : PSP
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Konami
- Release date : June 24, 2008
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : June 19, 2019
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