My hands on with Hellboy: Science of Evil was a surprising experience. I wasn't expecting to like it much but it ended up being a pretty fun little action game experience. You play Hellboy, the demon with the sawed off horns and stone fist of fury. After discovering a Nazi plot to take over the world, Hellboy must hit the streets to keep them from fulfilling their evil plans. Co-op play is available through two additional characters, Liz and Abe who you might remember from the movie and comic books. It should be noted that the game is mainly based on the comics but there are elements room the movie such as character voices from stars Ron Perlman,David Hyde Pierce and Selma Blair. As an added bonus, the script for the game was penned by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and movie director Guillermo del Toro.

My time with the game was short, so I tried to cram as much in as possible before I was ejected from the controls. I was dropped in the middle of a graveyard with the dead coming to life all around me. A combination of the stone fist, a special flaming fist move and various weapons helped me make my way through the walking corpses. The controls were simple enough to pick up and I found myself getting around with ease. Combos can be used as well to really give yourself some extra power. There are also contextual grappling moves that can be used to pull your enemies close for those final crushing blows. Puzzles also play a role in the gameplay although the one I played was rather simple.

The graphics look pretty good and are definitely in the realm of what we have come to expect from our now-gen titles. All in all it was a fun gameplay experience that borrows liberally from several other games of this style. While that might not appeal to some gamers, fans of Hellboy will find it a fun romp with one of their favorite characters. Hellboy: Science of Evil releases June 12 for the PSP, Xbox 360 and PSP.