PGC: What is your name and role with The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction?

EH: Eric Holmes, Lead Game Designer

PGC: What are the main lessons learned from the last Hulk game that you applied to the development of Ultimate Destruction? Were Bruce Banner missions removed as a direct result of feedback on the last game?

EH: We wanted to make the best possible Hulk game that we could; for that we read all the HULK reviews, the newsgroups, the forums, the FAQs…everything we could get our beady little eyes on. We cut what we thought was weakest in the last game, and focused ourselves on what people wanted; so yes! - that’s 100% more big green angry guy, and 100% less scientist.

PGC: Was there a back-and-forth process between comic writer Paul Jenkins and the level/mission designers as development progressed?

EH: Definitely. Paul wrote or rewrote every line of dialogue in the game, so mission designers would take a crack at what they wanted for that particular moment - and then Paul would take his pass. It was a great way to make sure we got the most out of each and every line. Our voiceover is really top-notch – we got to work with the same creative team and voice talent as “Chronicles of Riddick”, so if you played or even heard of that game you’ll have an idea of what to expect.

PGC: Is Ultimate Destruction's free-roaming design based on or inspired by Radical's work on The Simpsons: Hit & Run?

EH: The teams are separate, but Radical shares a lot of technology across its teams. We certainly took lessons learned from Simpsons H & R’s world size, comedy; then aimed way higher in terms of ‘go anywhere, see the whole world from anywhere’, scared ourselves, and somehow made it work. Rustle Hill (our technical art director) has a lot to answer for.

PGC: Are there any moves for the Hulk that you wanted to add but Marvel shot down as being too crazy? (Even crazier than surfing on a crushed bus?)

EH: Marvel has been extremely supportive of our “reinvention” of the Hulk. Working with official talent such as Paul Jenkins and Bryan Hitch certainly helped keep us on target, but since we’ve been working with the character for so long I think we understand the character and the “Hulk fantasy” well. It’s all in the spirit of the overpowered anti-hero. The Hulk you see in our game is in no way dumb, he’s savage and primal - a cunning and inventive fighter.

PGC: What was the thinking behind making B jump and A punch on the GameCube version, whereas most games would reverse those assignments?

EH: I could answer “the big green button= SMASH!”, but I won’t.

In truth, it’s all about the combinations.

Go on, try pressing B+Y using just your thumb…I challenge you! In Hulk: UD, the player needs to use attack+special, attack+grab and special+grab combos for his DEVASTATOR techniques; the over-the-top super attacks used to clear out entire city blocks. While this is fine on other controllers, if we mapped jump to “A”, on the GameCube, you wouldn’t be able to combine those inputs unless you had a very oddly shaped hand. And you don’t have oddly shaped hands…do you?

PGC: How did Joe Fix-It come to be in the game, complete with fully voiced one-liners?

EH: We’re fans of the character here. He’s a funny character to be, and having him offer wisecracks throughout the game changes the experience into something way more lighthearted. This is something that makes replay of the story mode actually worthwhile, yes? He actually has a lot of extra lines following cutscenes, poking fun at bosses and story events as they unfold.

Michael Donavan, the actor that brought Joe to life, is just a laugh riot. He hit each and every line out of the park with pretty much the first read. I would love to tell you what he told us about Sinatra, but I can’t.

If you get the chance to play as Grey Hulk, do it! He was initially supposed to be unlocked at the end of the game, but we moved him up earlier just because he’s so fun to play as.

PGC: Is there anything else you'd like to say to our readers about Ultimate Destruction?

EH: Thanks for reading this far! With Ultimate Destruction we’ve set out to make the best superhero game ever made. Play it, get a feel for the character – you’ll feel it within the first 30 seconds of holding the gamepad and going for a sprint as the Hulk. Try it – you’ll be hooked!

PGC: Thanks very much for your time!

EH: Thanks for the opportunity!

Interview by Jonathan Metts