Iron Man is the band-aid of movie tie-ins
posted by MagnumApex (CARLSBAD, CA) Sep 30, 2008
Member since Sep 2008
1
out of
2
gamers (50%) found this review helpful
Iron Man is not a bad videogame.
It is also not a great videogame, and maybe not even a good videogame, but it surely clawed its way, kicking and screaming, out of the powerful clutches of licensed boredom. This in itself is a notable achievement, as developers of licensed videogames usually run inside shelters, with canned foods and children in hand, as they prepare to face the storm of a short development schedule and meager budget, followed by the aftermath of critical decimation mixed in with the continually disappointing financial success.
Thankfully, the minds responsible for this videogame (directly or indirectly) chose player movement and control as the sole beacon of light in an otherwise bland-tasting playground. I don't much mind that I can't shoot while happily flying like a rocket using my suit's afterburners after rerouting power to boost its propulsion. I don't feel too bad when shooting at frozen 2D Sprites half-disguised as real humans and tanks when it's so easy to release my repulsor blasts and dodge what appear to be actual bullets.
If you want the proverbial experience of "I want to feel like Iron Man," then Sega and A2M succeeded in motion, but only in motion. It isn't so much that shooting still targets is bad as much as it is an excuse to fly and look around as the videogame's only good-looking 3D model. There are flashes of gameplay where I'm actually excited in completing a mission, and these moments usually happen in full, open spaces with a ridiculous number of enemies coming from all sides. I can hover behind a pillar to avoid missiles coming my way, then crop out from the other side and shoot down a helicopter. I'll then fly down to a tank, rip its cannon and use it to smash the vehicle in pieces, recharging my power to all three sections. I'll then hover back up as I release seeking Stan Lee rockets on the unsuspecting ground terrorists.
There is no strategy or depth, but at times, it can be mindless fun.
Was this review helpful?
Report
Abuse
