Chalk up another super hero-licensed video game that fails to entertain. Sega's take on Iron Man movie franchise, developed by Secret Level, puts players into the Tony Stark-built suit, fending off hundreds of enemies while firing lasers and engaging in high-speed flight. The only problem is that the game gets old real quickly, putting a heavy amount of rust on this shiny suit of armor.

You're first introduced to Stark through a crudely average CG sequence. He's kidnapped by terrorists in Afghanistan and given an ultimatum – build a super weapon or die. Instead, he builds a makeshift suit of armor, beating down the terrorists and returning home. Once he arrives, he creates a more sophisticated suit and fights against his own company, destroying stockpiles of weapons and enemies. Never mind dropping stock values and a loss of money – he must save the world!

Gotta love air brakes.

The first stage introduces you to Iron Man's faulty gameplay. You're unable to control which targets you aim at, instead forced to shoot at whatever's automatically closest to your on-screen reticule. This is fine at first, as you run along the ground and shoot at enemies with a flamethrower and missiles. In the later stages, however, it's a complete mess. You're spending your time shooting at a cannon on the ground while suffering attacks by enemies from behind, unable to shift to different targets on-the-fly. As a result, your suit loses immense amounts of power. You can shift your suit's resources to where they're needed most, such as weapons or life support, but it has little effect on the actual gameplay. The same goes for the game's limp upgrade system. Get used to dying often, and in a very frustrating manner – even at your fullest strength.

Up-close battles are even worse. One stage pitted us against a fully armed helicopter that spit out robotic drones. Not only did we have to hunt down each drones, but we had to contend with a nearly invincible aircraft and its onslaught of missiles. Grabbing a missile out of mid-air and lobbing it back at an enemy may sound like fun the first time around, but it's just plain tedious when you have to do it more than 10 times in order to complete the stage. The same goes for ripping a vehicle to shreds. You try grabbing a jet out of mid-air when it's coming straight at you. It can only be done out of sheer luck. We won't even go into the boss encounter with Whiplash. When an unshielded man can withstand laser blast and missiles, you know there's something wrong.

Pacing is another one of Iron Man's problems. There are some points where Stark must face a morality issue, such as pilots he accidentally killed or civilians wiped out by tank blasts, but seconds later he's back to his free-wheeling "gee whiz, I'm in a flying suit" behavior. The story fails to motivate either, thanks to bad CG sequences and bland voice acting. Even Robert Downey Jr., who does a great job as Stark in the film, sounds bored and out-of-place here. Terrence Howard and Shaun Toub, filling their roles from the film as Rhodes and the scientist who helps Stark out of a jam in Afghanistan vocalized the same level of low enthusiasm as Downey. (Fortunately, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges escaped unscathed, replaced by secondary voice-over actors.)

Visually, Iron Man has its moments, but not nearly enough of them. The several Iron Man armor pieces look great, and the game has a steadily moving frame rate. The city looks good with shimmering waves of water and skyscrapers to run into. (Clunk.) Unfortunately, the rest of the game looks uneven with bland levels (especially the Afghanistan desert).

As stated previously, the CG sequences are hideous. Secret Level probably would've been better off using actual footage from the movie. As for the camera system, forget it. Trying to circle around and keep an enemy in view is about as easy as trying to peel off the Iron Man suit on your way to the bathroom.

"Missiles? Where?"

If you manage to build up enough patience to complete the game and its stress-inducing challenges (such as killing the required number of enemies and beating the stage in a certain time limit), you can unlock new pieces of Iron Man armor straight from the comic books. Past that, though, there's no reason for a return visit. The game doesn't support Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, not even for leaderboards or new suit downloads. It's a blown opportunity, especially considering that co-op missions with Iron Man and War Machine would've given this game some much-needed pep. Save yourself the torture of dealing with this mechanical mess and go see the film instead.

Related Links

Iron Man PlayStation 3 Game Guide

Iron Man Xbox 360 Game Guide

Our Final ScoreBad

What did you think of this game? Post Your Own Review