The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction

Did You Know?

• The game's gameplay influenced Radical Entertainment's later title Prototype (2009).
• Marvel executive Justin Lambros regarded Ultimate Destruction as the superior game compared to its predecessor, despite lower sales due to its lack of a film tie-in.
• The game's open world setting influenced DC Universe Online (2011).

Gameplay

The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is a third-person action-adventure game where the player controls the Hulk, who is guided by hypnotic suggestions from Bruce Banner's psychotherapist Leonard Samson to gather resources for a machine. Between story missions, the Hulk can freely explore the open world and engage in side missions such as playing golf with giant balls and clubs or carrying an ambulance to a hospital. A radar on the bottom-left corner tracks the Hulk's location, with icons indicating mission objectives: a red fist for destruction, a blue shield for protection, and a green house for Samson's base. The Hulk can jump great distances, run up and down walls, climb, and perform basic attacks and grapples. He can grab objects like lampposts as weapons or pick up cars and tanks to throw at enemies. Health is shown on the upper-left, with a second bar that fills when the Hulk takes damage or destroys property, triggering a critical mass state for powerful moves that deplete the bar. When health drops low, an adrenaline surge state allows similar moves without depleting the critical mass bar.

Plot

Bruce Banner has spent years researching a cure for his transformation into the Hulk, creating a device to modify his subconscious and repair psychological damage from childhood trauma. Working with psychotherapist Leonard Samson, Banner nearly completes the device, but military forces led by Emil Blonsky destroy his hideout. As Banner escapes as the Hulk, Blonsky takes the device and is exposed to gamma rays. Banner regroups with Samson, who equips him with a device that implants post-hypnotic suggestions to control the Hulk. Samson sends the Hulk on errands to construct the machine or hinder Blonsky's growing presence. Blonsky transforms into the reptilian Abomination and rampages until the Hulk defeats him. While retrieving fuel rods at a nuclear power plant, the Hulk encounters Blonsky's bodyguard Mercy, who is killed by an air strike. The stress causes Banner's evil alter ego, the Devil Hulk, to emerge.

Development and release

Vivendi Universal Games and Radical Entertainment announced a partnership in February 2004 for six license-based games, including a sequel to Hulk tentatively titled The Hulk 2, influenced by the commercial success of Hulk and The Simpsons: Hit & Run. The sequel was confirmed not to be based on any theatrical production, with a mid-2005 release target. The final title was revealed by Marvel Studios on March 7, 2005, and producer Vlad Ceraldi clarified it was not a sequel but an original story based on the comics. The development team peaked at around 45-50 people. The game's direction was based on reactions to the previous Hulk game, building on its combat and environmental interaction while omitting stealth levels and corridor-based design. Radical collaborated with Marvel Comics veterans Paul Jenkins and Bryan Hitch: Jenkins wrote the story, script, and dialogue, while Hitch provided visual design and box art.

Reception

The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction received generally favorable reviews on all platforms according to Metacritic. Reviewers praised the free-roaming format, comparing it to Spider-Man 2, and enjoyed the visceral combat and rampaging. The boss fights were considered a highlight, with some reviewers calling them consistently excellent and a true battle of titans. The fight against General Ross's Hulkbuster was particularly praised for its scale. The game was described as capturing the essence of the Hulk comic books and as one of the most satisfying mayhem simulators. The challenge level, controls, move set, character and effect animations, and audio were commended, while the missions and story received mixed responses and the environments were criticized.