Hellboy: The Science of Evil Critic Reviews

It's a solid and enjoyable action title with enough action and plot to keep you interested over the long haul. Even if you don't like the comics or care about the upcoming movie, there are worse ways to spend a couple of hours.

Even as the story and gameplay falter, it's hard to argue with the joy of smashing open walls and hunting down demonic threats.

Everything, aside from the main character and his fighting skills are unremarkable, and there’s definitely a last-gen feel to the overall presentation.

When all is said and done, Hellboy: The Science of Evil might have been a hit during the last generation of consoles. On the current consoles, though, it just falls short in nearly every regard.

All in all, Hellboy: Science of Evil is a pretty intolerable game.

While the game has a bit of charm, that is mostly my affection for the title character coming through and not the actual game itself. The gameplay is dull and repetitive, the graphics and audio mediocre at best and the achievements are a complete drag.

Its gameplay consists of bland beat-em-up action and imprecise gun control. The in-game visuals vary between good (up close) and bad (zoomed out) and the co-op options are limited and confusing.

The dull, repetitive gameplay is what hurts it the most, leaving some merely average visuals to pick up the pieces.

I realise that it's financially unrealistic to expect a property as offbeat and niche as Hellboy to really benefit from ambitious game design, but that doesn't stop me from wishing that someone would let Blizzard loose on the character, for instance.

As far as licensed games go, it isn't too offensive, but it could have been so much more.

Science of Evil merely borders on decent.

Not terrible, just utterly mediocre and, crushingly dull throughout.

Diehard fans might forgive, but everyone else should just forget.

The graphics are fair, but like the fighting, they grow redundant too quickly, and the story couldn't get the game noticed even if it were drunk, topless, and the only woman in a bar full of sailors.

That lackluster combat is a lot to get past in order to enjoy the tiny morsels of classic Hellboy wit, and the lingering bugs that cause Hellboy to snag and hang on bits of the environment don't help either.

By no stretch of imagination is Hellboy: The Science of Evil a good example of the third-person action genre, the bland level designs, uninspired combat and an overall dated feel contribute to yet another poor comic-book adaptation. Nevertheless, Krome have captured Hellboy's character well and perhaps the game's limited scope will find some appeal to a younger audience - it worked for Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.

Fork out 40 quid for Hellboy? Hell no!

I’d like to say there’s a good game at the core massively rushed. But there’s not. Its only ambition is to be a God of War incest baby.

It’s no surprise that a movie-licensed game has turned out rubbish, again. There is no excuse for gameplay this dated. Avoid, unless you’re feeling very nostalgic.

Despite not being a movie conversion, The Science of Evil suffers from the problems that usually affect this unlucky genre. It has a good co-op element, but the repetitive gameplay, the poor graphics, and a problematic camera are only a few examples from a journey to hell that not even the fans would like to take.