Game: Hellboy
Jul. 22, 2008
Published by:
Konami
Developed by: Krome Studios
Available only on:
PS3,
PSP, Xbox 360
INTRO:
I recently caught Del Toro's Hellboy II in
theatres. Soon before I did, I learned that a new Hellboy video game would
be coming out too, in conjunction with the film's release. I had played
Hellboy's last outing on the original Playstation and it wasn't so hot, but
these days developers have a better idea of what's going on right? I mean,
Hellboy is a franchise ripe for the picking, with a great cast of characters
that would surely equal a great videogame incarnation. This one has nothing
to do with the movie though, instead dealing with Hellboy discovering a Nazi
plot and facing the evil Hermann Von Klempt. Read on to read about Red's
latest videogame adventure.
GAMEPLAY:
All you need to do is keep hammering the attack button, using weapons is slow and clunky. It's hard to aim properly, and the locking system is horrible and inaccurate. You don't level up ever, so you're stuck with the abilities for good. Game design is clunky and simplistic, killing dudes and pressing switches is about all there is to it. The game also doesn't tell you much about what to do, there are certain times where you will finally figure out why bad guys won't stop coming until you throw them into a pit.
The only good way to play this game is with a buddy because it's always better to play mindless games with pals. There are problems here though too because you can really only play online via Xbox Live. Split screen action is terrible, with awful camera angles abound.
Gameplay: 5/10
GRAPHICS:
The cut scenes in the game look great, torn straight from the pages of your favorite graphic novel. Lots of detail and little touches. This is all well and good until you actually play the game, where the frame-rate plummets and pulls far away and you can't see what's going on. The hordes don't look too great, although the animations are smooth. Overall, the graphics are pretty shoddy, feeling unfinished.
Graphics: 5.5/10
AUDIO:
Sound is decent too, but still isn't enough.
The voice actors from the film are here, which is a huge bonus, but the
music is awful, and the sound effects are dull. The Samaritan sounds great,
but ultimately the game does not make like Butch and give you aural pleasure
(bonus points if you've read this far and get my little reference).
Audio: 6/10
FINAL VERDICT:
Ultimately this game is another
disappointing movie tie-in. I know it's technically not a movie related
title, but still. The fact that you can play as Abe or Liz when
chronologically that makes no sense in the game's story really shows that
this one was rushed out when it shouldn't have been. Hellboy: The Science of
Evil may have a bit of sizzle but it becomes a third-rate God of War
rip-off. Too bad, perhaps the big guy will have some video game justice done
to him soon.
Final Score: 5/10
