Hellboy: The Science of Evil

I really couldn't get into this game, I loved the film and the comic books are great, but this game failed to grab me. The tutorial plot was weak and the camera angles were annoying. I soon got bored by the controls and what little I played left me in no doubt that this game wasn't in-depth enough for me, I prefer to have more control over a character as it makes the gaming experience more personal.

This is probably a good enough game, but the designers failed to capture my imagination and I'm glad I rented it from here than actually buying it and regretting the purchase.

Dissappointing game, gets boring very fast. Bad graphics poor control and repetitive scenarios sap any enjoyment from playing the much loved characters from the comics and films.

The Helloboy universe deserves a better game than this.

Chances are, you're looking at renting this for at least one of the following two reasons. First, you're a fine, upstanding comic book fan who's hoping that your love of the source material will paper over any cracks of an otherwise satisfactory beat 'em up. Second, you're after some easy achievement points.

On both counts 'Hellboy: The Science Of Evil' manages to squander any potential redeeming features with its muddy, lacklustre graphics, dismal linearly-designed levels and shoddy overall game mechanics.

From enemy design, to character animations, to scripting and presentation, it just fails to impress. Wait the extra time and rent 'Spider-Man: Web of Shadows' instead - on both expectations listed at the beginning of this review it excels spectacularly.

I'm a fan of the Hellboy films and comics. So the chance to play as the big red ape was one I jumpoed at, despite hearing average reviews of the game. I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't thrilled either.

Predictably, Hellboy is a roaming beat-em-up. Like God of War or Devil May Cry. Except that's it. The combat consists of hitting things with your big fist (using X and Y), grabbing the odd enemy and peice of scenery, and firing your horrifically slow Samaritan gun when you need to. There are puzzles, if you can call them that. Most of the time they consist of 'bring A to B and do C' or 'Shoot this thing with this type of ammo' although they do add variety to the constant fighting. And it's here that Hellboy falls into the trap of many movie games. In either of the Hellboy films, the only combat is against large, singular enemies, save for one point in the second film. While this game is not based on any of the films, it's obviously riding on their success, the plot being something about some beastie terrorizing the world. The story isn't pushed enough, leaving you feeling like you're fighting for the sake of it. And the enemies are just crammed in there, the game unable to cope with the fact that Hellboy doesn't usually fight that much. What made the films work was that Guillermo del Toro focused on the character and his relationships and troubles more than the combat and terror, although that had it's fair share of screentime. With no storyline or real supporting characters to it's name, the Hellboy game has only the fighting left, and it suffers for it. Endless enemies, while occasionally original in design, mostly fall into the basic category of demon-monster-thing.

While not an awful game, and worth a rent if you like this sort of thing, there are better game of this type out there. And no, before you think it, being a Hellboy fan does not make the game any better.

this was a game where the booklet would have come in handy as there are a number of moves to remember. the camera angles for the game were not very good at all.