Hulk

 PC
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    We would love to see an open-world game with less linearity and an even richer story. But for now, this action brawler delivers loads of mindless mayhem. [13 June 2003, p.104]
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  2. PC Gameworld
    82
    Produces some seriously destructible and fun gameplay which is capable, more often than not, of countering most shortcomings the game has.
  3. GameZone
    80
    A fun, mindless and short romp that will entertain action fans. However, the redundancy of the gameplay will keep the game from being a long-term investment of time.
  5. PC Arena
    80
    Though the gameplay is a tad repetitive, going thru a challenging progression of adversaries ranging from troops to mutated dogs to tanks would help break the monotony.
  6. IGN
    80
    An incredible source of enjoyment. Using the proper "destroy everything" approach that a game of this nature needs in conjunction with an easy to learn combo system, Hulk doesn't steer action fans wrong too often.
  7. Computer Gaming World
    80
    Easily the best implementation of a major comic-book character in a game yet... Finally, a game that lets you club your enemies with other enemies. [Sept 2003, p.98]
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  8. FiringSquad
    80
    It’s a great recreation of the old Marvel comic book to which geeks like myself will quickly warm, and the best use of a movie license in at least a couple of years.
  9. PC Gamer
    78
    Me like game. Me like unlocked mini-challenges, movie trailers, and other extras. It only $29.99. The Hulk is strongest one there is. [Aug 2003, p.63]
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  10. Gamezilla!
    77
    The Hulk just isn’t all that long, and can easily be beaten in a few sittings. To compensate, a ton of extras were thrown in, chronicling the conception and filming of the movie, making it a must buy for Hulk aficionados.
  11. Game Chronicles
    77
    Despite the shallow gameplay, playing the Hulk is a guilty pleasure and with all of his trademark moves intact there are dozens of ways to dispatch your enemy and destroy your surroundings.
  12. ActionTrip
    76
    The game is ultimately very linear and shallow, and it doesn't do the comic book characters justice, but it's still enjoyable and addictive if viewed as a pure arcade action / beat-em-up experience.
  13. Cincinnati Enquirer
    75
    The Hulkster follows commands easily, the camera gives you an excellent view of the action and you don't need to mash 20 buttons for every combat move you make.

Awards & Rankings

95
#95 Best PC Game of 2003

User Reviews

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User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 23
  3. Negative: 2 out of 23
  1. LT_Gruber
    Jan 19, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Amazing game with a lot of childhood memories.

    Hulk is a game that I played as a kid before I knew the lore, universe and context behind Marvel and his superheroes. For me, it was a completely original game in which a guy gets mixed with some sort of serum, turns into a big great tank and starts to smash stuff. It was an epic game back then and I still think it is an epic game today.

    The game follows the original story of the Hulk, although set a few years after the original movie. You play as Bruce Banner, the original scientist and Hulk we know and love. In a freak accident in the lab, your DNA is altered in a way that you transform in a great green beast of a man whenever you are agitated. You are contacted by some guy called Doctor Crawford, who offers a cure to your condition by channeling your Hulk genes into a device called the Gamma Orb. You are guided towards Crawfords location, while avoiding the forces of John Ryker, a military commander who also seeks the orb. When arriving to Crawford’s lab, he betrays you and steals some of your green guy DNA and transforms himself into another Hulk like creature called Ravage.

    You learn that your Arch Nemesis, “The Leader” is building an army of gamma-powered soldiers on the prison island of Alcatraz, aided by Ravage and the Orb he just filled up with your DNA. You need to infiltrate the island and locate the Orb. You also need to disable the gamma infiltration system, a device in place to detect spikes in gamma energy, something that will happen if you transform into the Hulk. If you trigger the system, a hostage will be killed. For this reason, you need to play as your fragile alter ego Bruce Banner. You successfully disable the gamma detection system, go full Hulk Smash again, whoop Leader’s brother, Madman and rescue the princ….. I mean hostage. You are captured, rescued by your buddy Ross and escape Alcatraz. You drop off Ross and the hostage, return to Alcatraz, confront Ravage, beat his ass, he becomes the good guy, helps you reach the Leader, you fight Madman once more and then confront Leader. Your powers are taken away, but you refuse to let the Leader abuse the Orb and its power, take it back, go full smash smash again, beat Leader and escape the facility.

    The game is a mix between stealth sections, in which your goal is to silently reach your goal, while avoiding combat, and Hulk smash sections in which you progress to your goal by pure force and strength. The principle is much the same for every level, making it somewhat repetitive.

    You got a variety of combos and attacks, that where impressive and fun to look at back then and are still today. You collect red orbs to increase your rage meter and when full, you enter Hulk apesh!t mode, in which you deal a lot more damage, are much faster and simply destroy everything around you. So epic. Meanwhile, while playing as Bruce, you can really feel the helplessness, and caution is the only way to go. The controls for the combo’s are easy to understand and work fluently.
    I actually discovered all the stuff Hulk could do by accident and was surprised when I saw him made an O with his arms and released a massive ground pound when pressing some buttons.

    The game looks beautiful. The art style, the details on the characters, the environment, the animations and shiny effects, it is all very good. Back then, I thought this was one of the best-looking games that I played.

    In terms of sound, the sound effect of the punches, gunshots from enemies, explosions and grunts are perfect. Hulk is a game with excellent sound design overall that really impressed me to this day.

    Hulk is also a very hard game. It got no mercy and especially in your human form, you feel fragile and vulnerable. Combine this with the shooting and smashing super soldiers later in the game, and you are going to have a bad time. In the last stages, hordes of enemies come at you and although you are very good at smashing stuff, the combined forces of the normal soldiers and the mutants can be a real pain in the butt sometimes. The bosses are also very hard (and well designed) and as a kid, beating them felt like the greatest achievement of my life. Especially Ravage. His stage was hard because of the constant aid from super soldiers that stabbed me in the back while fighting.

    In the end, Hulk is an excellent game with great combat mechanics, fluent controls, gorgeous graphics, perfect sound design and a solid story. It is one of the classics from my youth and I can pop this bad boy into my Retro Windows XP computer anytime.

    Definitely recommend this underrated classic.    … Full Review »
  2. kndr
    May 23, 2021
    5
    Checkpoint system is bad. It starts you at some weird place and still plays the cutscene.

    Graphics are comic book style and it is really    Checkpoint system is bad. It starts you at some weird place and still plays the cutscene.

    Graphics are comic book style and it is really good.

    These stealth parts. Like seriously? Who gives a crap about stealth in a hulk game? I just want to smash and destroy everything and everyone.    … Full Review »
  3. teenageSpirit
    Apr 30, 2021
    6
    Nostalgia or out of stock. Part 3.

    "I'm not a friendly man anymore..." (с) Professor Crawford (Ravege), "Desperate Measures" I decided    Nostalgia or out of stock. Part 3.

    "I'm not a friendly man anymore..."
    (с) Professor Crawford (Ravege), "Desperate Measures"

    I decided to once again plunge into childhood and download the game Hulk (2003) on the Internet. Of course, it has long been out of stock like other games like "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009) or "The Incredible Hulk" (2008), but now it's not about that, but about the game. Plot: I liked it (yes, it is elementary, but still, as I remember, the story continuing the film of the same name is well thought out). At the expense of the graphics, everything is fine here, as for me it still looks good (especially for the game at the beginning of the 2000s).
    Gameplay: There are two types of "game": stealth and corridor crash of enemies.
    In general, I liked the game, it has stealth and a good fighting style of the Hulk, and quite interesting bosses, even the final, as for me, finished the game well.    … Full Review »
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