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!