The Incredible Hulk (1994 video game)

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The Incredible Hulk
Platform, beat 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player

The Incredible Hulk is a 1994 video game released for the

Leader
, while engaging in combat with other arch-rivals.

The gameplay incorporates a number of fighting moves for the Hulk to execute, and includes moments where his human alter-ego, Bruce Banner, must emerge to access areas that the Hulk is too large to reach. The scenario was created by two journalists from the magazine Mean Machines, and development took place over the course of 18 months. The game received mixed reviews upon release, with critics praising the visuals, music, and variety of moves while criticizing the controls and lack of enemy variety.

Gameplay

An example of gameplay from the SNES version of The Incredible Hulk.

The Incredible Hulk is a

platforming and beat 'em up elements.[1][2] The player controls the Hulk, who is tasked with searching for the Leader while defeating his troops. The Hulk is capable of a variety of offensive techniques, and has four states of being that influence the moves at his disposal: "Hulk", "Super-Hulk", "Hulk-Out", and his human alter-ego Bruce Banner. The Hulk's state is determined by his amount of "Gamma", which doubles as his health. The Hulk begins the game in Super-Hulk mode; sustaining enemy attacks reduces his Gamma, and he will be reduced to a regular Hulk mode if his Gamma drops below 40%. Falling below 5% Gamma will transform the Hulk into Banner,[3] whose only means of offense is a gun with two shots,[4] and who cannot sustain any enemy attacks without dying.[5]

The game is divided into five levels,

Abomination also appears as a mini-boss at key points in each level. The time limit can be increased by collecting "time coins" scattered throughout the level, which grant an additional ten seconds each. Other collectibles include extra lives, often found in rooms only accessible to Banner or via Hulk-Out mode, as well as a trio of hidden "continue coins".[6] The game's difficulty setting can be adjusted in the options menu to "Easy", "Medium", or "Arcade".[3]

Plot

The Hulk's nemesis, the

The Hulk clears the Leader's troops out of the city and defeats Rhino in a construction site. In his search for solitude in a remote forest glade, he falls into Tyrannus's underground labyrinth. After defeating Tyrannus, the Hulk infiltrates the Leader's fortress, where he encounters and defeats Absorbing Man. The Hulk confronts the Leader, who teleports him to the lair's interior, where his mutant soldiers are being produced. After destroying the lair's bio-mechanical "brain", the Hulk breaks through the lair's inner sanctum and confronts the Leader once more.

The game's ending is determined by the difficulty setting. The Easy ending has the Leader scoffing at the Hulk's power, further angering him. In the Normal ending, the Leader triggers the fortress's self-destruct sequence and leaves his hideout in an escape pod. The Hulk escapes before the fortress explodes. In the Arcade ending, the Leader attempts to escape, but the Hulk retaliates by throwing a chunk of rubble at the Leader's escape pod and sending it crashing down, and he stands triumphantly before the Leader's ruined fortress.

Development and release

In the summer of 1992,

Probe Entertainment in December 1992.[8] The levels were designed by Nick Baynes, and the graphics were created by Eric Bailey, with Anthony Rosbottom providing additional graphics for the Game Gear version.[9][10][11] Matt Furniss composed the music for the Sega versions,[9][10] which was adapted to the SNES version by Steve Collett.[11]

The game was unveiled at the Summer 1993 Consumer Electronics Show – by which time it was only five percent complete – and was originally slated for a Christmas release.[12] The release date was later moved to February 1994.[8] The game's development ultimately spanned the course of 18 months. The Sega versions were released in Europe in June 1994,[2] and in North America the following month.[13][14] The SNES version was released in October 1994.[15] The game's instruction manual includes a short introductory comic titled "Revenge of the Leader" that was written by Christian Cooper, penciled by Scott Benefiel, inked by Jason Rodriguez, and lettered by Jon Babcock.[16] The cover art was illustrated by Glenn Fabry.[17]

Reception

The Incredible Hulk received mixed reviews from critics. The variety of fighting moves was appreciated,

Mega Drive version.[15]

Steve Merrett of

Sunsoft's Superman game, concluding that "console programmers have an unerring ability to make superheroes into super dorks".[2]

The graphics were widely praised for their well-drawn and colourful

swingbeat",[2] "1970's funk",[24] and "hip hop",[4] though Yagi warned that it "does start to grind on you after a long level".[24] Computer and Video Games criticized the Mega Drive version's "fuzzy and hissy" audio as outdated,[20] and Captain Squideo dismissed the Game Gear version's audio as weak, remarking that "Hulk's hits land with little sonic force".[14]

In the United States, the game was its sixth-highest selling Mega Drive title at

Blockbuster Video.[27] It was the ninth-highest renting SNES title at Blockbuster Video in its debut month,[28] and peaked at number 6 the following month.[29]

Mega placed the game at number 39 in their Top 50 Greatest Mega Drive Games of All Time, commending its graphics, animation, and storyline.[30] In 1995, Total! ranked the game 93rd on their Top 100 SNES Games writing: "A not too shabby look at everyone’s favorite green bloke. A bit flawed but fairly smart".[31]

Notes

References

Citations

  1. ^
    Nintendo of America
    . December 1994. p. 104.
  2. ^
    EMAP
    . pp. 64–65.
  3. ^ a b c U.S. Gold 1994, pp. 9–11.
  4. ^ a b c d e Scary Larry (November 1994). "ProReview: The Incredible Hulk". GamePro. No. 64. IDG. p. 150.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Dyer, Andy (August 1994). "Mega Drive Review: The Incredible Hulk" (PDF). Mega. No. 23. Future plc. pp. 58–61.
  6. ^ a b U.S. Gold 1994, pp. 11–16.
  7. ^ U.S. Gold 1994, p. 7.
  8. ^
    EMAP
    . pp. 24–25.
  9. ^ a b Probe Software (June 1994). The Incredible Hulk (Mega Drive). U.S. Gold. Level/area: Credits.
  10. ^ a b Probe Software (June 1994). The Incredible Hulk (Game Gear). U.S. Gold. Level/area: Credits.
  11. ^ a b Probe Software (October 1994). The Incredible Hulk (SNES). U.S. Gold. Level/area: Credits.
  12. EMAP
    . August 1993. p. 13.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h Semrad, Ed; Carpenter, Danyon; Manuel, Al; Sushi-X (May 1994). "Review Crew: The Incredible Hulk". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 58. Sendai Publishing. p. 34.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h Captain Squideo (July 1994). "ProReview: The Incredible Hulk" (PDF). GamePro. No. 60. IDG. p. 132.
  15. ^
    Diehard GameFan
    . No. 22. Die Hard Publishing. p. 32.
  16. ^ U.S. Gold 1994, pp. 1–6.
  17. ^ Fabry, Glenn. "Covers". Glenn Fabry Studios. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  18. All Media Network. Archived from the original
    on November 16, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  19. on November 16, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d e f "Super Shorts: Hulk" (PDF). Computer and Video Games. No. 153. August 1994. p. 101.
  21. ^ a b c Semrad, Ed; Carpenter, Danyon; Manuel, Al; Sushi-X; Weigand, Mike (June 1994). "Review Crew: The Incredible Hulk". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 59. Sendai Publishing. p. 40.
  22. ^ a b c d e Lundrigan, Jeff (May 1994). "Genesis Review: The Incredible Hulk". Game Players. No. 40. GP Publications. p. 42.
  23. ^ a b c d Andromeda (June 1994). "ProReview: The Incredible Hulk" (PDF). GamePro. No. 59. IDG. p. 42.
  24. ^
    Diehard GameFan
    . No. 22. Die Hard Publishing. p. 101.
  25. ^ a b "EGM's Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. Sendai Publishing. October 1994. p. 48.
  26. ^ a b c "EGM's Hot Top Tens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. Sendai Publishing. November 1994. p. 52.
  27. ^ "Blockbuster Video September Hot Sheet!" (PDF). GamePro. No. 62. IDG. September 1994. p. 162.
  28. ^ "Blockbuster Video October Hot Sheet!" (PDF). GamePro. No. 63. IDG. October 1994. p. 179.
  29. ^ "Blockbuster Video November Hot Sheet!". GamePro. No. 64. IDG. November 1994. p. 275.
  30. ^ "Top 50 Greatest Mega Drive Games of All Time". Mega. No. 26. Maverick Magazines. November 1994. p. 78.
  31. ^ "Top 100 SNES Games". Total! (43): 48. July 1995. Retrieved February 24, 2022.

Bibliography

  • The Incredible Hulk (Mega Drive) instruction manual. U.S. Gold. 1994.

External links