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Itﾒs really no wonder why kids love the Hulk. Anyone who has felt powerless, frustrated, or angry, sees the attraction in transforming from 98 lb weakling into a two-ton terror capable of leaping for miles or reducing a brick building into dust. The fact that heﾒs shirtless, angry, and green are only icing on that particular cake. So it isnﾒt any wonder why Stan Lee and Jack Kirbyﾒs take on Jekyll/Hyde and Frankenstein is easily one of Marvelﾒs most powerful and enduring action heroes and youﾒd be hard pressed to find a playgroup where at least one boy (or maybe girl) canﾒt do a convincing Hulk impression. Tensing up, twisting their face into a mask of comical rage, and going: ﾓRaargh!ﾔ They could do this even before the movie came out. Because of the film, Vivendi Universal has given us a video game. A very appealing video game. What could be better than tapping into those feelings of frustration and ﾓHulking outﾔ yourself? The Hulk game isnﾒt based on the film. Itﾒs sort of a sequel to the movie, but doesnﾒt pay much attention to the filmﾒs finale. There are no spoilers here and, if anything, the film and game stand side-by-side. The game is split into two parts. You play as Banner on a few levels and Hulk on the rest. The developers drew heavily from the comic book and seized upon the Leader, as the obvious villain. Hulk has to stop the puny but super-mental Leader from using a Gamma device to create a legion of Hulk-wannabes. On the way greenie has to smash soldiers, vehicles, massive Hulk-Dogs (no poodles), and other super-villains like the hulking Ravage, and a creepy health-vampire named Half-Life. The Hulk levels, thankfully the majority of the game, are excellent. Featuring lots of combat, lots of smashing, destructible environments, and you-as-Hulk whirling, grabbing, punching, smashing, and roaring in the center of the melee. Youﾒll be fighting up to 10 enemies at once and you hoist boulders, cars, girders, and more, and toss them at your foes. You can unleash special attacks that deafen foes with a handclap, or grab the bad guy and fling them, or smack them around. You can smash pipes, pick them up, and swing ﾑem like a Louisville Slugger if you like. The controls are so fluid, and the action so intense and destructive, itﾒs like a release and a childhood fantasy come true. You feel like the Hulk, and as Banner says in the film: You like it. Less compellingﾗmuch less compellingﾗare the Banner missions. Youﾒre weak, scrawny, and have to hide, move around stealthily, and solve frustrating puzzles. They tend to be contrived (you canﾒt turn into the Hulk because of a drug, or because it will result in the death of Betty) and youﾒre always glad when theyﾒre over. To be honest, they do form an interesting counterpoint to all the smashing. And they take advantage of the Hulk storyline extremely well; the problem isﾅ they arenﾒt fun. Especially for kids. Suffice it to say, expect to find cheat codes or take over the controller as Banner if the kids are playing. For the Hulk, the designers have drawn heavily from the filmﾒs look. Gamma base looks exactly as Ang Lee imagined it and youﾒll see lots of familiar props and sets. Youﾒll see them, and then youﾒll destroy them. But they also paid homage to the comic by giving everything a light and surprisingly effective cel-shaded look. Everything in the game is just beautiful to look at and all the animation is both convincing and stylish. There are 30 missions total, and each one features a slightly different look and new things to smash.Ages: 8 and Up ESRB: Teen ﾖ Violence Developer: Radical Entertainment Producer: Vivendi Universal Platforms: The Hulk is pretty much the same on the GC, PS2, PC, and Xbox. 
The Hulk is violent. He picks up, dangles, throws, punches, smashes, and pounds human soldiers, dogs, and bad guys, throughout the game. He's even worse on private property. Heck, even Banner can choke and duke it out with a soldier or two...) The Hulk is more violent and destructive than in the movie, where he gingerly dumps soldiers out of tanks before tossing them a couple miles, but the violence is stylish and cartoony. Not the sort of thing that would scare or mentally scar a well-adjusted child. The smashing and action are exactly what a small child, particularly a shy child, probably fantasizes about. What better way to tap into and release those feelings than with a gamepad and a monstrous roaring hero out to do good against the forces of evil? Go ahead, tear up some sweatpants and let your kid be the Hulk. Maybe join them if you want. Just hide the breakablesﾅ Raargh!
Kid Factor by Andrew Bub
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