DVDfever.co.uk - Charts, News and Reviews of DVDs, Games, Hardware, Laserdiscs, Cinema Films & more
DVDfever.co.uk - Charts, News and Reviews of DVDs, Games, Hardware, Laserdiscs, Cinema Films & more

This Week's Highlights
Fracture
Moby:
Last Night Remixed
Prison Break:
Season 4 Episode 10
Quantum of Solace
New music charts
w/e 22.11.08
New DVD comps
David Morrissey is
the next Doctor?
@ DVDfever Youtube

Last updated
Nov 20 2008

Xbox Gamertag:
DVDfever co uk

Kung Fu Panda
Just £14.98!

DVD / Blu-ray

Doctor Who
Series 4
Just £52.49!

Benidrom
Series 2
Just £12.98!
Series 2 /
Series 1 & 2

V:
Complete Collection
Just £28.98!


Why Donate?

News & Views
Discussion Forum
News Archive
Announcements
All About Us
Email Dom
Write 4 DVDfever
Competitions
Music Charts
Chart Archive
Cinema: Whats on
Cinema Reviews
Press Releases
TV Issues

DVD List
R1 DVD Reviews
R2 DVD Reviews
R3-6 DVD Reviews
CD Reviews
PS2 Reviews
PSP Reviews
Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 Reviews
Gamecube Revs
GBA Reviews
PC Reviews
Hardware Revs
Concert Reviews
Video Reviews
Comedy Reviews
Book Reviews
Screenplay Reviews
Movie Downloads
Interviews
TV Shows
PSX Reviews
N64 Reviews
Dreamcast Revs
Laserdisc Revs
Short Stories
DVDs In Brief

Right To Reply
Why Widescreen?
DVD Links
Music Links
WS Video List
WS PAL LD List

Me and my
Aortic Valve!

Dom Robinson reviews

The Hulk

for Sony Playstation 2

Distributed by
Universal Interactive Studios

game pic

  • Price: £39.99
  • Players: 1
  • Widescreen: No
  • Dolby Digital 5.1: Yes
  • 60 Hz: No
The Hulk, like Matrix Reloaded is one of the most eagerly-awaited films of the year. Sadly, both have also supplied the worst games of the year.

You can read the Enter The Matrix review here but this one falls down by having a meandering plotless existence that's just a simple case of running about a lab trying to - eventually - track down the potion that'll stop you turning into your alter ego, but will he ever find it? Did Bill Bixby in the TV series? No.

Over the levels you'll play as either the Hulk running around and smacking people's heads in, or as Bruce Banner running around, keeping out of trouble and trying not to turn into the hulk - and if you screw that level up you'll be back to the start of the level!

From time to time you'll encounter computer consoles to hack into and gain access to the next section, but this is just boiled down to cracking a code by rearranging letters - child's play! Just transpose the pairs of symbols in turn starting from the left-hand side and it's easily done within the 20 second time limit.


game pic Graphics are little more than standard. They look nice at first, but are too samey and the strange camera angles, often changing your direction as seen, does not help. On the plus side, when the camera changes, you can still keep your joypad stick in the same direction for a short time while you adjust to the change but we've been here far too many times before.

There's an option for Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, but it's nothing to write home about and any backing music is soon drowned out by the Hulk smashing stuff up.

All your game options along the way are signposted with a massive directional circle like a game of Virtua Cop, which poses no real challenge. You can also punch holes in walls but it's hardly in the class of, say, Red Faction 2.

The Hulk is the game equivalent of 28 Days Later - you know it must have a purpose but you're damned if you know what that is, as it feels so pointless. For example, if you get tired of smacking the baddies from here to kingdom come, then pick them up and throw them at their colleagues - yes, we've been here far too many times before, most recently with the surprisingly good War of the Monsters.

Overall, this is definitely a case of 'rental only' if you must play it. You start with a Story Mode, and progress to Challenge Mode, but only if you can stand the repetitiveness. There's also some 'making of' extras on the disc but one can only predict how predictable these are.


GRAPHICS
SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC
PLAYABILITY
ENJOYMENT



OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2003.

[Up to the top of this page]

DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.

PC games reviewed by the editor are on:

  • Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
  • Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
  • Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
  • Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
  • Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP