E3 2003: HULK
- May 15, 2003 00:00 AM PST
Marvel�s big green machine is warming up for his big-screen debut, and Universal will be ready with video game versions of Hulk on the GameCube, PS2, and Xbox (from which these screens were taken�sorry, GameCube visuals were not available).
Hulk Goes HollywoodMarvel�s big green machine is warming up for his big-screen debut, and Universal will be ready with video game versions of Hulk on the GameCube, PS2, and Xbox (from which these screens were taken�sorry, GameCube visuals were not available). While the game features the voice of film star Eric Bana, its plot takes place a year later, and features comic villains including Leader, Half-Life, Madman, and Flux. However, some of the game�s environments and the Hulk�s look do come from the film. In fact, high-tech wizards Industrial Light & Magic gave developer Radical some of their CGI data so the game�s lead character would match the one from the movie.
Gamma Gamma Hey
Based on the early GameCube playable, most of the game is just what comic fans want�lots of smashing and wonton destruction from the gamma-irradiated superhero. About 20 percent of the gameplay features the Hulk�s alter-ego, Bruce Banner, in stealth and cerebral segments intended to offer a break from the tedium of throwing tanks and punching rockets back to their launchers of origin. One unexpected physics perk: When things explode, objects in the blast radius will shift position or break. Very cool.
A Healthy Green Glow
Players can move through most levels at their own pace; if you�ve got a groove on while battling bad guys, you can hang around and take them out, collecting health power-ups as you go. When you�re ready to, say, punch through the next iron door or leap to a different rooftop, you�re free to go. Controls feel intuitive�and it�s just plain fun to grab a soldier and toss him off a building. The game�s semi-cel-shaded look definitely stands out, and animation looks smooth so far. Hulk smashes into retail in late May, a few weeks before the movie opens.
THE HULK Movie: 2003 Universal. THE HULK: TM & 2003 Marvel Characters, Inc. THE HULK interactive game � 2003 Universal Interactive, Inc.
