Iron Man 2
Review
Bargain bucket game at best
by Ryan Cope
reviewed on X360
Time To Suit Up And Get Back Into Action
Movie tie-in games haven't always had the best reception, generally gaining themselves a negative image by reviewers. From Superman Returns to Transformers, these playable versions of a film's story have never quite been able to keep themselves above the water long enough not to drown. There is one company in particular that has had countless films and games released at the same time: Marvel. They have usually been hit or miss, with detested games such as Hulk and Fantastic Four or popular ones like Spiderman 2 and 3.
So was it any surprise that when the Iron Man movie game was released it would miss its target by a few thousand miles. Of course not, so the expectations definitely weren't high for the Iron Man 2 game… or were they? With the success of X-Men Origins: Wolverine it seemed that Marvel games might be getting back on track. The new movie-to-game formula seems to distance itself from the film's storyline as much as possible, taking only the main aspects and transferring them to the game. The public were assured that this Iron Man game would blast the previous one out of the sky. By applying this strategy to Iron Man 2, Sega were in with a chance to make a game that could be added to the category of a good movie tie-in… oh how wrong they were.
This Is Not The Real Iron Man 2
The Iron Man 2 game does not follow the story of the film it is apparently "based" on. This should really be a good thing, as there's not enough action in the film to base an entire game around (which is usually what makes movie based games so terrible). Unfortunately because of this there is no Whiplash or Justin Hammer to antagonise our red and gold metal hero. The story is in fact set after the events of the film, however it is very unlikely that in the Iron Man 3 movie there will ever be any mention of this particular mission/adventure.
Tony Stark (a.k.a Iron Man) and his good old friend Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes (a.k.a War Machine), team up to stop a dastardly Russian separatist General and a disgruntled ex-Stark employee from wreaking havoc on the world. Aiding our heroes in their "dangerous" escapade are Pepper Pots, Black Widow and the lean mean leading machine, Nick Fury. Fans of the Marvel universe, Iron Man especially, will get a kick out of the inclusion of characters Crimson Dynamo and Ultimo, as well as organisations like A.I.M and S.H.I.E.L.D (even the heli-carrier makes a few appearances).
One of the best features of the game is that you have the option to play as either Iron Man or War Machine. There isn't too much variation between the two except appearance, primary weapon and melee style, although it is fun to suit up as the grey and silver gatling gun wielder. There are eight levels overall and while the majority allow you to play as either character, there are a few that are fixed for storyline purposes, forcing you to play as either Iron Man or War Machine.
5.0
fun score
Pros
You get to play as Iron Man or War Machine… that's pretty much it.
Cons
Almost everything, length, graphics, sound, gameplay, you name it.
