Have you played Hulk Ultimate Destruction? What did you think of it? What did you think of the missiles? Is your brain still intact?
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It has been a whopping 18 years since Hulk Ultimate Destruction released, and despite how old that makes me feel, it warrants a look back at the game. Developed by Radical entertainment, and acting as a radical departure from previous hulk games, notably HULK released just two years prior and developed by the same team. The largest difference between the two is that Hulk Ultimate destruction is open world, featuring two maps for the player to travel between, and there are no Bruce Banner missions, which seemed like a strange inclusion in the previous game. If you want, I can make a video all about Hulk, but for now, let’s focus on Ultimate Destruction because, as the title will have you believe, it’s the best hulk game we have. Everything from its gameplay to its art style has aged remarkably well, and it continues to age well when each Hulk game past this point has been worse and worse. Because of that, Ultimate Destruction has garnered a cult following from fans who played it when they were younger, myself included, so it warrants a look back at the game to see if it really was that great, or if nostalgia has been clouding our vision. This is Hulk Ultimate Destruction, 18 Years Later.
A general caveat I need to get out of the way is that while this game on consoles had its share of performance issues, I won’t comment on any of them here because I had to emulate the game, using Dolphin. I did play the game on xbox when I was younger but I didn’t take notice of the framerate or resolution because I was 7 and didn’t know any better. When looking at the rest of the presentation, I’d be confident in saying the game has aged rather gracefully. It’s art style is distinct in that while it is grounded, it’s not realistic per say. It takes liberties regarding its realism, such as making the hulk a brighter green compared to the diarrhoea colour of the very next game, and with some of the moves Hulk can pull off being reminiscent of the WWE. It’s rare that a game can feature surfing on a bus, pile driving robots, and throwing tanks without any clashes. The animation work here for nearly every move is slick and well made. Punches have impact, and the many superpowered suplexes interact well with one another. There are some issues with hitboxes, or animations seeming to lack their usual telegraphs, but for most of the ride you will be consistently impressed by the different ways Hulk can move and interact with his environment. Looking at any of the behind the scenes footage for this game you can see that there was endless passion going into this, as everything from fundamental mechanics to the subtle sounds of the city were given the utmost care. Just take a look at some of these insightful interviews.
Hulk moves with a perfect blend of speed and weight, leaving craters with each step, and radiating with gamma energy when exerting force. Radical did an excellent job of making the Hulk feel like a powerhouse, and his many roars, and the trail of bodies and destroyed buildings left in his path made me grateful that the game never presents the Hulk as a bonafide hero. The most unique thing about the Hulk, to me, is that he has all the physical qualities of a super-villain. He has overwhelming strength, unbridled anger, and can’t even speak, and yet, the Hulk knows right from wrong, most times. Ultimate Destruction poses the Hulk, like many stories do, as a naive creature, which can shift some of the responsibility when his destruction has unintended casualties. Furthering this is Banner's desire to cure himself of the Hulk. It allows the player to enjoy the destruction without constantly feeling a sense of dissonance.
The Incredible Hulk is a character with many games and Hulk Ultimate Destruction has stood the test of time. Hulk Ultimate Destruction 18 years later is still the best Hulk game, and this video attempts to analyse why the best Hulk bame 18 years later is still worth the time. This Hulk Ultimate Destruction review and Hulk Ultimate Destruction retrospective may spawn a larger Hulk retrospective if this The Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction video does well. The Hulk Ultimate Destruction gameplay takes center stage in this The Incredible Hulk review and if you want another Hulk review feel free to let me know. I'd love to cover either The Incredible Hulk 2008 or Hulk 2003. This is the best Hulk game, reviewed by That Boy Aqua.