Not Ultimate Destruction
While a licensed game based off the movie, The Incredible Hulk, the eponymous titled game plays as a spiritual successor to the last generation's The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. Unfortunately because of this mix, various facets of the latter's gameplay are left out, perhaps to fit the movie's universe better, and suffers for it.
You begin well enough, able to destroy any and all objects and/or creatures in your reach. The upgrade system, while convoluted, works for a Hulk game as opposed to say a point distribution system. But gone are many of the things that made Ultimate Destruction amusing. Aside from Bi-Beast and the "Enclave", an obscure antagonist even by Hulk standards takes the main role of enemy in the game next to Ross, Talbot, and the military. Even the first Hulk movie game had the Leader.
Also, the set moves is greatly diminished from the previous game. Granted, the Hulk typically does not spin like a tornado, but moves such as running on building walls is greatly missed. In addition, the overall sense of being infinitely strong is gone. Never in the game is there a point where the Hulk picks up anything inhumanly large. Nor do you have the colossal Hulkbuster as in the previous game, the only rather large Kyklops robot that you fight, you have to throw objects at. Short of being able to demolish buildings, the sense of being an unstoppable giant is lackluster in this edition.
Missions do become tedious at times. Protect quests, fetch quests, and destroy destroy destroy quests sum up the lion's share of the game, many without any great challenge. The mini-games creatively change things up a bit, but perhaps not enough for everyone (and they took out my favorite where you played baseball with soldiers off a building).
While perhaps a step down in terms of skill sets and that sense of power, the game remains an enjoyable open world game; sprinting down the middle of a street nets with a novelty taco over your head being chased by tanks comes with a sense of joy.
