The Big Game Idea: Level 2 Cinema - A 1UP classic Sep 25, 2006

Below is a series that I originally ran on 1UP in 2006. In it I proposed an original video game based on the Incredible Hulk. I called it "The Big Game Idea." Over a few weeks I described the graphics, game play, visuals, and plot from beginning to end, including bonus features. I made a few minor edits, but it is more or less exactly the same as it was almost 20 years ago. I hope you enjoy it.

Heya peeps, I hope you had a great weekend. I did, I saw Jackass 2... fans of the first will not be left down. It's best enjoyed with a friend or family member that can literally appreciate good toilet humor.

In other news... when we last left off Bruce Banner had been captured by the military. He has been taken to the super prison known as the Vault. Let's get back to the game...

We see Banner strapped down in a metal bed. There are tubes in his mouth and various wires in his arms. Each of these tubes and wires is connected to a machine regulating all of his vital functions. The walls of the room are a dark metal and bare. A skinny figure slowly fades into the room out of thin air. He is barefoot standing on the opposite side of Banner's room. We can see that he is an aborigine. He slowly approaches the bed.

The dark cell changes and becomes bright. Banner is now kneeling on the ground in a grassy field. Pine trees are scattered on the horizon. He is nailing some boards together on what looks to be the frame of a house.

"Dr. Banner? Dr. Bruce Banner?" The aborigine speaks.

"Yeah." Banner says without looking back.

"I am Yagan. My people are in need of your help." He approaches. Behind the trees in the distance more aborigines walk out. Women, children, elderly people show themselves and join Yagan.

"Sorry I can't help you. I'm building a house." Banner says.

"Dr. Banner this is a dream. You are in a prison right now." As Yagan speaks the blue outdoors begins to fade away and the darkness of the cell comes into focus. "We need your help."

"No. I am safe here. I am making a home so that I will never have to leave." The darkness turns to light once more and Banner continues nailing boards together. "I can't help anybody. Not with what I've become."

"A demon is taking over the souls of this Earth and no one will fight him. None of your champions." Yagan says.

"Not interested." Banner pulls a nail from his mouth and hammers it into the frame.

"This demon has taken many of my people. He has taken many of yours." Yagan pleads. Banner does not reply. "I seek your help because the demon has captured the one you know as Betty."

"Betty?" Banner stops hammering and the world becomes a dark green. The aborigines back away. "No, there is a mistake. Betty died a while back." The cell becomes visible and we can see the heart monitor hanging over the bed. A sedative is injected into Banner's arm. The pulse begins to slow down. The world slowly becomes blue again. "That's right. Betty is dead. So just walk away and look for somebody else to help you."

"There is no mistake. The demon has Betty and she calls for you." Yagan walks toward Banner.

"You are messing with the wrong person." Banner drops his hammer and turns to Yagan. "Betty died of radiation poisoning more than a year ago... I held her as she died." As Banner says that the world changes to show Banner holding a lifeless Betty in a corner of the room. Banner and Yagan look over. The scene changes to a coffin. With Banner, his friends Rick Jones, Marlo Chandler and father-in-law General Ross standing in front of it.

"She did not die that day. Her father lied. Like you she sleeps in suspended animation." The coffin turns into a glass chamber that mirrors the opposite side of the cell where Banner sleeps. "He did this in the hope of finding a cure." Yagan says.

"Betty, no." Banner walks over to the glass chamber and places his hand on it.

"Her soul lives on as long as her body remains in the chamber." Yagan speaks once more. "However her soul is no longer with her. The demon has taken it from her." A black cloud goes over the glass chamber and pulls a glowing orb from it. The room goes dark. "Betty is neither alive or dead now."

"If what you say is true how will I find her? How do I bring her back?" Banner asks.

"I can lead you to the demon but I am not strong enough to fight him. Only you can. She believes that you can." Yagan says. "I can help you carry her soul back to her body once she is free."

"But I cannot wake up." The blue skies and green meadows disappear. The spirit of Banner is standing at the foot of his bed. "They won't let me wake up from this nightmare."

"I will wake you. But you must escape quickly before the security systems in this prison activate." Yagan says and Banner nods. "Will the Hulk listen to reason?"

"If Betty is in danger he will. If Betty is alive then no force on heaven or Earth will stand in his way." Banner says before his spirit returns to the bed.

"I hope you are right Dr. Banner." Yagan stands next to the comatose Banner and places his hand on his forehead. He waves his free hand in the air. "I ask the spirits to guide you, the spirit that is your totem Doctor Banner, the serpent... awaken." The shape of a snake skeleton floats in the air above Banner. It sinks down and infuses itself like a tattoo to Banners arms and forehead. Banner wakes up screaming. The Hulk kicks the bed over and stumbles forward. He runs his hand over his bald head and snarls. His eyes are red as he focuses them on Yagan.

"Hulk listen to me!" Yagan steps back as the Hulk begins knocking the medical equipment over. "Betty is in danger!" The Hulk turns to Yagan and takes a swing at him. Yagan turns to smoke and then regenerates. "HULK LISTEN TO ME! BETTY IS IN DANGER!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The Hulk yells and blows the doors off of his cell. A siren goes off and red lights flash in the corridor. "BETTY IS DEAD!!!" The Hulk begins running through the corridors. Yagan flies behind him.

END OF CINEMA

Betty Ross Banner died of radiation poisoning in the Hulk comics. She was secretly put in suspended animation. Bruce didn't find out about it until much later. So is Betty alive or dead? Nobody at Marvel has bothered to tie up this loose end. In the comics they've put the screws to Bruce and stripped him of his humanity. The comics have given us various versions of the Hulk and not once gone back to explain what happened to Betty. So I have to trim down the incarnations of the Hulk and just give the audience the most familiar one, the "Savage Hulk" that speaks in third person. I will run the gamut of looks he has had but still only use that one, familiar, personality.

The bald Hulk and Banner were first written by Bruce Jones. Banner changed his apperance while he was on the run in a previous story. The aborigine character and Hulk and Banner with tribal paint were written by Peter David during the more recent "House of M" event in Marvel Comics. Peter David called the aborigine the "Old Man" but never gave him a name. Peter's version of the Hulk and his various plots come back in the game just so you know.

The hook for the game is giving the character of Banner a second chance, a chance that Marvel seems to think he doesn't deserve. In order to do that I have to take the character on a journey, send him through hell and back (much like Kratos) and prove that this is Marvel's best shot at an epic game. I hope you are willing to come along for that ride as Level 2 takes shape...

Do you think the Hulk will be able to break out of the most secure prison in the Marvel Universe? Tell me your guess in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

The Big Game Idea: Level 1 (end) - A 1UP classic Sep 21, 2006

Below is a series that I originally ran on 1UP in 2006. In it I proposed an original video game based on the Incredible Hulk. I called it "The Big Game Idea." Over a few weeks I described the graphics, game play, visuals, and plot from beginning to end, including bonus features. I made a few minor edits, but it is more or less exactly the same as it was almost 20 years ago. I hope you enjoy it.

When we last saw the Hulk he was battling the Navy in the Atlantic Ocean. If a player does enough damage to a ship it begins sinking. You hear sirens go off and actually see the sailors jumping into the water. The Hulk can swim around and push the sailors in the water but he cannot harm them. Eventually all the sailors swim to small life rafts. The player has to successfully sink all of the ships in the ocean, including the submarine in order to progress. Once they do so this is what happens next.

CINEMA: The Hulk is sinking into the ocean and crushing the front end of a submarine when a dozen depth charges go off nearby. He is knocked out and keeps sinking. In the background we can see an army of Atlanteans swimming toward the Hulk.

Banner wakes up inside of a cave. Water is dripping from the ceiling and there is a bank of computers and radioactive material lining the walls. He looks down and sees that many tubes are coming out of his arm. There is a small pool of water nearby and Prince Namor rises out of it with an Atlantean scientist under his arm.

"Banner, as I suspected." Namor says and drops the Atlantean. Namor goes to Banner and begins removing the tubing from his arm. "We have precious little time Dr. Banner. Attuma, the vile barbarian, has breached the gates of Atlantis and I fear that it is in part due to your alter-ego.

"What?" Says Banner.

"Price Namor is correct. Attuma has learned of the Hulk's radioactive blood and is infusing it with his own to give him tremendous strength." The Atlantean scientist explains to Banner as he helps him to his feet.

"How long?" Asks Banner.

"We detected a human fleet two days ago. The depth charges they used on the Hulk caused a break in Atlantis' defenses. Attuma and his barbarians seized the opportunity and have been laying siege to my kingdom." Namor explains.

"How long!" Banner points at his arm.

"We estimate that they captured the Hulk and drained you of your blood 10 hours ago... Yet still you live?" The Atlantean scientist explains. "Attuma must be using the plutonium rods from the ships the Hulk sank in order to keep your blood strong."

"I will destroy this lair. And you, Banner, will come with me and repay the damage caused by your human strife." Namor grabs Banner and walks back into the pool.

"But I can't breathe underwater." Banner says.

"This will help." The Atlantean scientist gives Banner an injection that turns his skin blue. "Try to breathe normally." The three dive into the water as Namor pulls them both through an underwater tunnel out into the ocean floor. He turns and presses a button on his belt. Explosives go off in the tunnel and the cave collapses in the background. The shockwave sends Banner spinning. He becomes angry and transforms into the Hulk.

"RARGH!!!" The Hulk looks at Namor and the scientist. "Why is Hulk blue? Who made Hulk blue?! Hulk is supposed to be GREEN!!!"

"Attuma did this to you." Namor smiles. "Attuma says he is the strongest one there is."

"Where is Attuma?!!!" The Hulk demands.

"This way. Follow me." Namor swims toward Atlantis.

Level 1 End
Location: Underwater.
Objective: Defeat Attuma.
Learn: Basic controls. Direction and camera movement. Punch / Kick / Small Combos. Grab and climb. Destroy the environment.
Unlock: Mega Directional Thunderclap.
Level Design: There is a small open area between the caves and Atlantis. Small groups of soldiers are fought here. Despite being called barbarians, both the good and evil Atlanteans have access to advanced weaponry, including pulse rifles and laser beams. The heavy artillery both sides use are shaped like sea-life. Think of the fish robots from Darius to get a better sense to the design and technology.

The closer the Hulk gets to Atlantis, the more soldiers and artillery show up. Eventually he catches up to Attuma who is rampaging near the heart of the city. Attuma becomes the first boss battle in the game.

The reason for setting the first mob battles underwater is to give players a chance to learn combos and tactics. The Hulk moves about 15% slower underwater, as does everyone else, so players can learn to range their opponents for different attacks. Barbarians will swim and dogpile on the Hulk and drag him to the ocean floor. The Hulk can walk on the ocean floor or swim. A player can spin the analog sticks to shake the barbarians off or using combinations of buttons along with the analog pads, they can grab and throw opponents off or even roll on the ground and crush the barbarians. The Atlantean buildings can be destroyed, especially after the Hulk learns his strongest directional Thunderclap.

This thunderclap is presented differently than the shotgun-like thunderclap in the original Hulk game or the dome-shaped thunderclap used in Ultimate Destruction. Thunderclaps are still directional but invisible now, they have no magical green glowing ring around them. We can still make them out because they distort the visuals like a transparent ripple. This shockwave travels away from the Hulk and blows things away with hurricane-force.

Attuma has a sword that sends bolts of electricity to keep the Hulk at bay. He is slightly larger than the Hulk but doesn't posess the same strength. This battle is based on an actual crossover between the Hulk and Namor. The game teachers players to charge up thunderclaps for ranged attacks and halfway through the battle with Attuma you unlock the mega thunderclap which allows you to completely level most of Atlantis with one strike.

CINEMA: The Hulk tears the box off of Attuma's stomach, green blood pours out from the box. Attuma passes out and begins shrinking. The Atlantean soldiers clear the remaining barbarians out of Atlantis. Namor grabs the Hulk and places him on the back of a whale. The whale begins swimming away. A soldier swims up to Namor and hands him a bag.

"Hulk, I will take you away from Atlantis. Away from the water men." Namor assures the Hulk.

When they reach the surface the Hulk turns from blue to green. He jumps off of the whale, walks under a tree and sits down. Namor flies over and opens the bag. He gives the Hulk a bunch of energy bars.

"These are for you." Namor says as the Hulk begins eating the bars.

The Hulk yawns and slowly turns into Banner. "Huh?" Banner looks around.

"Easy friend. The Hulk was able to subdue Attuma. Although his rampage still destroyed a good portion of Atlantis." Namor explains.

"I see." Banner says and continues eating. "So what now?"

"This is for you." Namor gives Banner the bag. "There is a change of clothes for you and some of your currency."

"Thanks." Banner says as he puts on a shirt. He digs through the bag, pulls out some money and stuffs it into his pocket. He puts the shoes on. "Little loose, they'll do." He nods to Namor.

"Where will you go now friend?" Namor asks.

"I have to keep on moving Prince. Just try to remain calm and keep on moving." Banner stuffs the rest of the energy bars back into the bag. "I'm probably headed west." He begins walking away.

"Take care then Dr. Banner. May the Hulk remain at peace." Namor jumps back into the water.

Banner enters a restroom at a train station. A wanted logo with his face is plastered on television monitors around the station. Banner searches in the bag and finds a razor. He shaves off his hair and continues digging in the bag. He finds some sunglasses and then quickly walks to a train as it departs.

Banner settles into a seat near the exit. He clutches the bag and rests his head as the train pulls away from the station. Banner becomes drowsy and notices that everyone else on the train is unconscious, some travelers are passed out in the aisles.

"What?" Banner tries to stand but instead falls onto the floor.

"We have located Dr. Banner." A couple of soldiers in gas masks and carrying machine guns walk into the train compartment. They grab Banner and drag him out.
END OF LEVEL 1
I decided to work the Atlantis level into the shape of the main story because I found it fascinating. Not many games begin with as many back-to-back battles, nor in such unique environments. This was the next best thing to taking the Hulk into space and having him fight on some weird alien planet (which may happen...). The level introduces players to other unique characters in the Marvel Universe, like Namor the Sub-Mariner. The color trade between the Hulk and Attuma was exactly as it was in the comic book. Plus it shows what a pallet swap looks like on the Hulk.

The long shots of Attuma in the background, while the Hulk fights barbarians, are pulled from the angles used of Ares when Kratos first enters Athens in God of War. Although you can move the camera in the game, many of the shots are semi-fixed to create an epic, almost cinematic feel.

Level 1 ends with a twist and a nod to the Bruce Jones version of Banner. Jones had written a few arcs with Banner as a fugitive, who kept changing his apperance and cutting his hair short. The game will pull from multiple stories and I'll try to clue you in to which plots I take my cues from.

So what happens next? You'll have to wait and see!

Now you can see why the Hulk makes for a great superhero game. There aren't many Marvel heroes that could survive at the bottom of the ocean. Does the game seem to be holding your attention? Tell me in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

The Big Game Idea: Level 1 (middle) - A 1UP classic from Sep 20, 2006

Below is a series that I originally ran on 1UP in 2006. In it I proposed an original video game based on the Incredible Hulk. I called it "The Big Game Idea." Over a few weeks I described the graphics, game play, visuals, and plot from beginning to end, including bonus features. I made a few minor edits, but it is more or less exactly the same as it was almost 20 years ago. I hope you enjoy it.

Heya peeps, I guess my early title sounded a little too religious for some. Not to worry, some things get changed in pre-production and that's only my first title idea, it can still change. Today we'll look at the second part of level 1. Each level consits of three stages in case you were wondering, like all good stories each chapter of the game has a beginning, middle and end. All of these small stories are threads in the overall plot.

Now let's pick up at the end of the first portion of level 1. If the player successfully destroys the Orion missile before it can enter orbit then here's what happens next.

CINEMA: The Hulk falls from the sky as the Orion Missile breaks apart and explodes in the upper atmosphere. The Hulk lands in the North Atlantic with a big splash. He treads water and looks around as pieces of the Orion Missile crash in the distance.

The water explodes nearby and the Hulk turns to see a battleship bearing down on him.

Level 1 Middle
Location: In the Atlantic Ocean.
Objective: Destroy the naval ships.
Learn: How to swim, dive and dash underwater. Jump and power jump. Lock on a target at a great distance and jump to it. How to regain strength and stamina.
Unlock: Thunderclap.
Level Design: The Hulk can swim or jump between the ships in the ocean. He can also climb up their side if he falls into the water.

Most of the details on the ship can be destroyed or turned into weapons. These include the turrets on the battleships and the aircraft on the aircraft carriers. If the Hulk grabs onto a submarine it will begin diving. The Hulk enters a mini game that allows him to disable the submarine's torpedoes. The Hulk cannot run out of air if swimming underwater.

Remember that I said this game is not a sandbox environment. The ocean is really only about two virtual square miles. The water is choppy, with big waves and great physics, inspired by the water physics in Hydro Thunder of course. The Hulk can swim very fast, motorboat fast but if the Hulk swims too far from the ships then their shells will blow him out of the water and severely injure him. Players learn to stay close to the ships until they are destroyed. On one side of the map there is an aircraft carrier and on the opposite are two battleships. A submarine patrols the area between the ships.

The player learns to target lock and jump between the ships in a single bound. If the Hulk lands in the water, or is hit by a missile mid-air then he has to face the submarine challenge. This challenge was inspired by the Hydrus, electric eel, level in Shadow of the Colossus. The Hulk can crawl along the surface of the submarine when underwater and will not drown when the submarine dives. If the players slides off the face of the attack sub he remains underwater for the minigame portion where the submarine fires torpedoes and the player has to deflect them or tear them apart. If the player is successful then the submarine and Hulk surface. Now the Hulk can swim to the other ships and continue the fight until they are disabled.

What do you think so far? Just wait until the end of Level 1!

The Hulk has so far only faced machines in combat. You'll never guess where the next battle takes us! Would you play this game if it were real? Tell me in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

The Big Game Idea: Level 1 - A 1UP classic from Sep 19, 2006

Below is a series that I originally ran on 1UP in 2006. In it I proposed an original video game based on the Incredible Hulk. I called it "The Big Game Idea." Over a few weeks I described the graphics, game play, visuals, and plot from beginning to end, including bonus features. I made a few minor edits, but it is more or less exactly the same as it was almost 20 years ago. I hope you enjoy it.

Here it is, the first part of level 1, each level is a story told in three chapters. Three is a magic number you know. So without further ado lets get into it.

Note: All Cinemas are done with the game engine. There are no pre-rendered CGI scenes.

Plot / Game Progression / Summary

CINEMA: "My name is Bruce Banner. This is a nightmare I am not supposed to wake up from."

We see the face of scientist Bruce Banner, he is unconscious. Banner opens his eyes. He's strapped down in a dark metal box, coffin-sized. He hears the roar of a jet engine but can't move. We can hear his heart beat faster as he struggles. He turns into the Hulk and breaks out. He's riding on top of the Orion Missile. The missile is an airship with a ring around the center. The weapon was designed by Banner to vaporize the Hulk.

Level 1 Beginning
Location: Above the Atlantic Ocean.
Objective: Destroy the missile.
Learn: Basic controls. Direction and camera movement. Punch / Kick / Small Combos. Grab and climb. Weaponize basic objects.
Unlock: Ground Shockwave.

Level Design: This level serves as a primer for learning the basic controls of the game. The missile is mostly flat on top. The Hulk can walk normally on it and not be pushed by the rushing wind. The Hulk can grab and pull the panels off of the airship, he can also grab and climb around the ring circling the ship. Small arrows guide the player to the parts of the missile that need to be destroyed.

If the player jumps off of the airship they do not die. Instead a quick animation shows the Hulk jumping to catch up to it again. The player loses 1 minute off the clock every time they fall. Since the missile is a timed level, a player will learn not to jump off of the missile until the objective is complete.

What I wanted to give players with the level was a sense of awe right from the get-go. Seeing the face of Banner at the beginning and jumping right into the action is an homage to the beginning of God of War, where Kratos' face is clearly shown before the adventure begins. The level itself is filled with some unique visuals and particle effects.

We can hear the roar of the rockets and the rush of the wind the entire time. From time to time "cloud" effects rush past the screen and limit our visibility. Creating the illusion that we are breaking through the atmosphere. Near the end of the level the horizon line drops down and we can see the edge of space. Small ice crystals begin growing on the surface of the missile and on the skin of the Hulk by this point. This is done to reinforce the idea that once the Orion missile enters orbit it will explode and vaporize the Hulk.

Creative use of the horizon line was inspired by the vertigo-inducing angles used in Top Skater. The only previous game, that I know, featuring a similar level was used in X-Men Legends II. Characters fought on top of a fast-moving dirigible, with clouds passing underneath and sometimes overhead. However the camera angle was fixed and we never saw the horizon line.

Oh yeah, I finally got an idea for the name of this game. It's tentative but how does this look to you?

Have you ever imagined your dream game project from beginning to end? If so tell me in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

The Big Game Idea: All About Healthy Rage - A 1UP classic from Oct 09, 2006

Below is a series that I originally ran on 1UP in 2006. In it I proposed an original video game based on the Incredible Hulk. I called it "The Big Game Idea." Over a few weeks I described the graphics, game play, visuals, and plot from beginning to end, including bonus features. I made a few minor edits, but it is more or less exactly the same as it was almost 20 years ago. I hope you enjoy it.

Heya everybody, sorry for the lateness of my random game idea musings. I hope you all had a great weekend. Nothing much to report over here. Did some shopping, the cousin gets married in the upcoming weekend so I have to get a nice suit... me in a suit? I'll take a picture.

Marc brought up an important point last week. Are we to assume that the Hulk is indestructible? After all I've been going on and on about levels and graphics without one peep on how we actually keep track of the health status.

Well here is the thinking behind the health bar and a separate "Rage" bar. The top one in red is the Hulk's health, if it drops to 0 he dies or turns to Banner and Banner dies. If it drops to under 10% then an adrenaline surge kicks in and allows him to do al least one "mega" attack. The mega attacks can only be done based on the Rage meter. The rage meter drops every time the Hulk does a mega attack. It only recharges when the character is engaged in combat or destroying property. The rage meter is independent of the health bar. The Hulk could have a full rage bar and a near-empty health bar or vice versa.

These bars were inspired by the two types of bars used in the first two Hulk games by Radical Ent. I would modify their effects so that the rage bar could influence the health bar and attack strength. The strength grows in proportion to the number of minutes the character has been fighting. Random destruction of property raises the bar slowly, combat and destruction of police, military and Division forces raises the bar faster. It takes approximately 20 seconds of direct, non-stop, combat with an opponent to gain 10% in strength. It takes approximately 40 seconds to gain the same 10% in strength if destroying only property. It would take 3 minutes of non-stop combat to raise the character to 100% strength. The strength (Rage meter) falls three times as slow it builds. Or it drops every time the Hulk does a "mega" attack. If the Hulk is at 0% Rage then he cannot do any mega attacks.

Of course the bars get progressively longer as the game goes on. If the players beats each level then both bars will be at 75% of their potential. The last 25% is given to players that maximize the destruction in all of the levels and keep large strings of fighting combinations going. There is an actual correlation between the strength, toughness and the abilities of the Hulk. At 100% Rage the Hulk is harder to injure and heals faster than normal. In addition his attacks do more damage than normal and there are noticeable differences in the damage to objects.

At 0%-20% strength on the Rage meter the Savage Hulk has to use two hands to grab a tank by the barrel, spin and throw it a few blocks. He can kick cars and buses a few blocks as well. At this strength the Hulk could still be knocked back by punches from a Hulkbuster Destroyer. Injuries heal at a slow pace.

At 20-40% strength the Savage Hulk can tackle tanks over or press them up overhead with two hands and throw them a few blocks. He can now kick vehicles several blocks and trade punches with Hulkbuster Destroyers without being knocked back. Injuries heal slightly faster than normal.

At 40-60% strength the Savage Hulk can kick tanks over, pick them up with two hands and throw them many blocks. He can rip the arms and legs off of Hulkbuster Destroyers with some effort. Injuries heal faster than normal.

At 60-80% strength the Savage Hulk can throw tanks a mile. He can rip the arms and legs off of Hulkbuster Destroyers with less effort and survive MOAB bombs dropped on him from bomber jets. Injuries heal fast at this status.

At 80-100% strength the Savage Hulk can pick up and carry a tank in each hand and throw them several miles. He can rip the arms, legs and cockpits out of Hulkbuster Destroyers with no effort. The health bar recharges very quickly at this level.

The "Rampage" status is not unlocked until the end of Level 4. Think of the Rampage as getting 110% out of the Hulk. Injuries are healed almost instantaneously at this level. However the Hulk can still lose energy from the Rage meter if he does mega attacks, is in a room with gamma-supressing gas or is hit by stasis beams. It is up to the player to decide when or if they should use their Rage energy during the combat. In some cases a "boss" character can only be injured if the Hulk uses a mega attack, thus forcing the Rage bar to drop.

So does this make sense to you? I like the concept of being able to hold onto the rage energy for as long as possible so that the Hulk becomes stronger and heals faster. In the original Hulk game the rage meter acted much in the same way, except once the Hulk had maxed it out it fell quickly. That was a kick in the pants when trying to save some rage energy for a boss battle and instead started at zero.

Do you know other examples of presented overpowered characters in a video game? Tell me in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

The Big Game Idea: Skyscrapers - A 1UP classic from Sep 18, 2006

Below is a series that I originally ran on 1UP in 2006. In it I proposed an original video game based on the Incredible Hulk. I called it "The Big Game Idea." Over a few weeks I described the graphics, game play, visuals, and plot from beginning to end, including bonus features. I made a few minor edits, but it is more or less exactly the same as it was almost 20 years ago. I hope you enjoy it.

Heya peeps, I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was a little busy but mostly relaxing near the end. So now I'm recharged for another week of work. Before I get to that let's go back to the game idea.

The next Hulk game isn't going to feature a sandbox environment. Instead we're going to see smaller, linear levels with some sandbox features. Possibly the most interesting will be the ones based on New York. We don't want to spend time developing the 80 square miles of landscape featured in the Superman Returns videogame, when there are many other levels to fill. The burroughs in the Hulk game are going to be smaller and capture a flavor of New York at fraction the size of the levels featured in Superman Returns or Ultimate Spider-Man.

What makes the downtown area in the next Hulk game unique would be the added interactivity with the skyscrapers. In the Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, there would be textures of footprints and explosions that would follow the Hulk around when he ran on buildings. This was nice, but of course these details would soon disappear as neither the Xbox or PS2 had enough memory to remember his path of destruction. One type of building (the Division Headquarters) would collapse if it had acquired enough damage.

The skyscrapers in the next game have to be more interactive. It's not believable to have super-powered characters running and jumping on buildings that are indestructible. You can throw cars and missiles into buildings in other comic-based games and the building doesn't suffer any visible damage. The downside is that realistic damage, physics and textures on skyscrapers would tax the resources of any system, including the PS3 and Xbox 360. So I suggest building simple polygon models of skyscrapers and "cheating" the effects of damage by creating texture maps that mimic the effects of damage.

In the next Hulk game, as with any super-powered character, I envision epic battles. If the Hulk goes into a fight with the Iron-Man then chances are both characters will be knocking each other into buildings, if not completely through them. If a character is knocked into a building they would create a small crater on the face of the building. The crater is just a small modification to the polygon model with a texture of crumbling cement and broken glass placed over the polygon model. A stronger attack would actually create a tunnel about halfway into the skyscraper. The tunnel is another simple modification to the polygon model. The texture inside of the tunnel would be of office furniture, broken plumbing, steel beams and electrical sparks.

The characters can actually run and fight inside of these tunnels of or throw opponents into them. If a character is thrown into a perpendicular side of a tunnel then both tunnels will meet in the middle and create an elbow. Characters can cut the corners of off buildings. These simple polygon models would deform to create the missing corners. These clippings would have a texture that shows us the damaged inside of the building. All of these textures would spare the developers from going to the trouble of creating actual models of furniture for each and every floor of the skyscraper.

The best thing that these skyscrapers support is the ability to have characters go completely through them and create a tunnel of destruction from one side, out the other. The building would remain standing if the tunnel was made above the midpoint of the tower. If, however, the tunnel was made at the base level then the building would topple over. It wouldn't simply disappear after collapsing. The players could still throw each other into the fallen tower until it completely was destroyed.

Epic battles in comic book and animated adventures have featured knock down, drag out fights, where super-powered beings have been thrown through buildings. Unlike the preset animations of destructible level design in the Dragon Ball Z Budokai games, the levels in the Hulk game are completely open during a fight. That's not to say that the DBZ games were bad, they showed Western audiences how amazing a fight between super-powered beings really would be. DBZ influenced the final battle between Agent Smith and Neo in the Matrix. The next Hulk game would allow us to easily top that battle. After 25 years of comic book games we are at the point where we can actually give audiences a fight they will remember.

I don't want to hear about how difficult it would be to create such levels either. What I ask for is in theory, less complicated than the building models used by Jaffe in War of the Monsters. The buildings in WotM could be destroyed, their faces would crumble and we could actually count the floors on the models themselves. The parts of the building that collapsed could be picked up and thrown at other monsters. I'm not asking for that much detail in the next Hulk game. The characters are always center stage and the level would be their arena, at no point would their arena take more importance than the characters themselves.

That's how I see it anyhow. I hope you have a great Monday.

Do you have a favorite environment that you could destroy in a game? Tell me in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!