The game, based on the film of the same name, follows scientist Bruce Banner as he defends himself from the military and the Enclave organization while searching for a cure to a condition that transforms him into a monstrous being known as the Hulk.

The game takes place in an open world recreation of Manhattan, and the Hulk has a variety of attacks and abilities for destroying enemies and causing environmental destruction.

[1][2] The Hulk has various attacks and abilities that unlock and improve as the player progresses through the game and completes certain tasks (for example, jumping a certain distance or defeating a certain amount of enemies).

The main missions essential to completing the game involve searching for a cure for Bruce Banner, confronting the military, and fighting the Enclave organization.

In addition to the story-based missions, there are minigames that involve such objectives as running through checkpoints in a limited time or playing darts; for their successful completion, a gold, silver or bronze medal is given depending on the result.

[1][2] Dr. Bruce Banner is a scientist who became a fugitive after gamma radiation exposure afflicted him with a condition that causes him to transform into a savage beast known as the Hulk whenever he is angry or stressed.

[6] Development on The Incredible Hulk was led by Edge of Reality CEO Rob Cohen and Mark Nau, who respectively served as technical and creative directors.

Using a 3D model of Manhattan provided by EarthData International,[7] approximately 85 percent of the city was recreated for the game, with real-life landmarks such as Times Square and Central Park being implemented.

[9] The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions respectively feature exclusive unlockable skins based on the Hulk's "Joe Fixit" and "Green Scar" personas.

When Edge of Reality voiced their approval of the trailer score's direction, Griskey incorporated some of its elements, such as a prominent half-time drum groove, and added an electric guitar performed by Joe Mina.

The U-Foes – consisting of Vector/Simon Utrecht, X-Ray, Ironclad, and Vapor – were respectively voiced by Bullock, Keith Ferguson, Mitch Lewis, and Rachael MacFarlane.

Critics derided the missions as repetitive and monotonous,[b] but enjoyed the initial feeling of engaging in environmental destruction,[1][31][32][51] and the implementation of the ability enhancement system was regarded as a success.

[44] Dan Stapleton of GamesRadar+, reviewing the PC version, recommended against playing the game on a keyboard and mouse due to "clumsy, non-customizable, and often mislabeled" key inputs.

[39] Critics often made comparisons to The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, noting similar gameplay aspects and deeming the prior game's superiority.

[3] McShea lambasted the graphics as "startlingly incomplete", citing the short draw distance (which he described as "more reminiscent of a post-eruption Pompeii than modern-day New York City"), uneven frame rate, and the game's tendency to crash during particularly hectic action.

[1] Sterling McGarvey of GameSpy, as well as Dan Whitehead of Eurogamer and Orry, regarded the Hulk's model as the game's sole visual advantage.

[1][38] Whitehead remarked that "everything else looks no better than Ultimate Destruction, and sometimes looks a whole lot worse", and he additionally cited dramatic drops in the frame rate and numerous glitches.

[32] Nick Suttner of 1Up.com considered the detail and textural variety to be superior to that of The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, but said that the draw distance was worse and the realistic aesthetic was less fitting.

[29] Reiner, however, admired the graphics as "a showcase of destruction and mayhem" complemented by "a stunning fireworks-like display of smoke, debris, and bodies flying through the air".

[48] The PlayStation 2, Wii and PC versions were heavily criticized for their poor graphical quality and stripped-down details, particularly the shortened draw distance, reduced city population, and weaker destruction effects.

[49] Goldstein was left with the impression that "little attention was paid to the audio as you can clearly hear when some of the music loops", and remarked that the sound effects "seem like they were dusted off from the vault".

[2][31][32][41] McGarvey and Frank Provo of GamesRadar+, however, appreciated the presence of the film actors' voices,[38][40] and Sandoval felt that "everyone does a good job with the original dialogue", regarding Roth in particular as "brilliant".

[32] Reiner remarked that the plot "could crack the Top 100 list for mankind's greatest narrative failures, gets more confusing by the second, and somehow manages to be far-fetched even for a comic story".