Sega tries to take on Iron Man's flight problem in video games

Credit: Sega Photo

Plot is not integral to Sega’s new Iron Man.

By: -- Derrik J. Lang | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: June 12, 2008

Iron Man

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360.

Publisher: Sega.

Rating: T for teens.

Price: $59.99.

(out of four)

Iron Man has always had a flight problem in video games.

Over the decades, the high-tech, high-flying Marvel superhero has peripherally appeared in several games, but he's never been able to truly soar. That's not the case in Sega's Iron Man . The game, based on the summer blockbuster starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, allows players to don the boozy billionaire's suit of armor and reach mach speed, as well as blast foes with missiles, repulser shots and that uni-beam.

While the Iron Man film devotes a bulk of screentime to Stark building the armor, the Iron Man game spends only two levels on such development. The rest of the interactive experience is focused on flying around and blowing stuff up. Interesting? Nope. Fun? For a little while.

Iron Man heavily relies on Stan Lee's original source material to expand upon director Jon Favreau's big-screen take on Stark, taking gamers beyond the film's Middle East and Los Angeles locales. However, because of some playground-like gameplay, plot never becomes an integral cog in this machine.

Every level of Iron Man is open, which allows wannabe superheroes to seek and destroy robust battalions of enemy tanks, turrets and helicopters. However, such action quickly becomes repetitive.

The game's ability to alternate among flying, hovering and battling on the ground is overly ambitious. The awkward control scheme ends up diminishing any joy of becoming an Iron Man who can rise more than 30 feet off the ground.

Upgradable enhancements and unique objectives give the game a hefty amount of replay value, unless the arcade-like gameplay is completely off-putting from the start. Hardcore fans can try unlocking suits like the Extremis and Hulkbuster, as well as an exclusive "Ultimate" and silver centurion suit, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, respectively.

Downey, Terence Howard and Shaun Toub from the film provide their voices in the game. Much like the movie, Downey delivers his lines with bite. That's more good news for the scene-stealer -- but not for gamers hoping for a completely fleshed-out interactive Iron Man experience.