"I wish that this was as good as the movie"

This game had the potential to be good. The movie was great, why not the game? The reason it's not good is that generally movie game suck. There are exceptions, but this isn't one of them. Almost everything about this game screams mediocrity. Here's the rundown:

Concept 10/10

This is the only part where this game is perfect. Make an Iron Man game based off the box office hit movie. A GREAT IDEA!!! Unfortunately the game isn't that good. They put you in control of Iron Man. Good. They give you customization options for his suit. Good. The controls are somewhat good. Good. Is the game good? No. A good idea can still produce a crappy product. This is that product.

Story 6.5/10

This is the only somewhat good part about this game. It follows the movie story pretty well, and adds more. Just like any other superhero movie I've played that is based off of a movie, they add more story content form the comics. One example in particular is a green robot dude by the name of Bolski, I believe. There are also some groups called AIM and Maggia which must be from the comic, but I wouldn't know because I haven't read them. Unfortunately, the parts from the comic aren't told well and the parts from the movie follow that pattern. The story is there but the presentation of it is horrible.

Graphics 6.5/10

The graphics are really good as some points and horrible at others. Luckily when the graphics are good they are amazing. The details of the Iron Man suits are amazing. As you take damage the suits reflects that damage. Unfortunately the enemies are boring looking and the backgrounds are bland. I also had one huge problem with the graphics. When the people talk in cut scenes they're mouths barely move AND the movement doesn't match what they're saying. This is just unacceptable in all games released in this day and age of gaming technology. Plus, Obidias doesn't have a beard in the game. Just some fuzz! Why would they take away the funny part about Obidias; the bald guy with a full beard!

Gameplay 6.5/10

The gameplay is actually enjoyable, for a while at least. You really feel like you are in control of Iron Man and its pretty cool. There are plenty of moves, and they look cool and that's good. I would have liked a bit more to the melee combat though. All there was to do was hit the B button to punch or hold it to grab which took you into a cut scene where you repeatedly press the B button to instantly kill you enemy. This didn't work on bosses though. You couldn't even melee attack most bosses. That leaves you to using your hand repulsors and that gets really boring after a while. I guess you could use the Uni-Beam, his chest attack. It kills most normal enemies in the game in one or two shots but it uses a lot of energy and need to be charged, which takes a few seconds. It's really cool watching it the first few times but after a while it gets old.

Controls 8/10

The controls are tight. Everything is responsive and works well. The flight takes a while to get used to but other than that it's pretty good. My only gripe is that to ascend you hold L. To hover in place you hold L halfway. It doesn't make much sense and it's hard to get used to. Otherwise the controls are mapped well and work enough for you to play the game. There is also a flight inverter if you play like that.

Sound 5/10

I can't seem to remember anything about his games music. That means it must not be great, but also can't be horrible.

Achievements and Unlockables 7.5/10

The achievements are all relatively easy to get. You can also unlock multiple Iron Man suits which are each fun but they are all basically the same thing. Sure you can customize your original suit but the changes aren't that noticeable. This only gets an 8 because of the unlockable suits and the relative ease of getting the achievements.

Difficulty and Replayability 2/10

You will not want to replay this game. Sure you will unlock more suits but by time you get them you won't be able to stand any more of this game. The difficulty is either pathetically easy or painstakingly difficult on the normal difficulty level. Chances are you will die on almost every level before you can figure out a plan and then the game seems to switch to being easy again. This inconsistency in difficulty and it having no replay value what so ever really lowers the score of this game.

Total 5.5/10

Some aspects of this game might be good but when everything is put together this is a pathetic game. If you're a die hard Iron Man fan nothing I say will stop you from getting this game, and for the love of god I hope you like it. For everyone else this game is only worth a rental if you liked the movie, and that should be most people's case since the movie was awesome. Too bad the game wasn't.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 05/21/08

Game Release: Iron Man (US, 05/02/08)