Home

 › 

Articles

 › 

Iron Man Review for PlayStation 3

Iron Man Review for PlayStation 3

Full of Action, Light on Substance!

Trying to ride on the coattails of the movie’s success, Iron Man, the video game, released for every gaming system that’s still alive and kicking. I was tasked with reviewing the 360 and PS3 versions, and I had a lot more fun than I thought I would. Granted, this game suffers from loads of problems, but I did find it to be a chaotic destruction-fest that appealed to the power gamer in me. However, as much as I enjoyed blowing things up for the first few levels, the game got extremely repetitive as the title wore on! Thankfully, the controls are so good that anyone wishing to wield the power of Iron Man in their hands will probably enjoy this title.

Iron Man screenshot

The game only pays lip service to the movie by throwing in actor likenesses, voiceover work, and some basic plot devices like the Army of Ten Rings. So, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, picking up the game won’t be a problem. Furthermore, there are a handful of villains from the Marvel universe, including Whiplash, Titanium Man, and the Melter, mixed in with other villainous organizations such as A.I.M. and Maggia that are not in film and help make for a brand new story. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for anything other than a simple blast-around with your Repulsor rays, you’ll be sorely disappointed; the game’s plot is really pathetic.

The dreadful storytelling is further exacerbated by the janky cutscenes that plague the mission interludes. These movies (which are unlockable by the way) make the actors look like wax figures that needed to be melted down for a second attempt at Madame Tussaud’s in Shanghai. The lips never sync up with the voices, and the movements are so rough that if you were eating bad pizza, you’d think you were at Chuck E. Cheese’s. Finally, despite the fact that Shaun Toub, Robert Downey Jr., and Terrence Howard reprise their roles, the voice acting is so bad you’ll swear you’re listening to AM radio. But enough of the analogies, just know that this is a frenzied shoot-’em-up that has no other redeeming qualities.

Iron Man screenshot

As far as the frantic gameplay is concerned, it is not without its problems either. The environments look nice, but they are all strikingly similar from mission to mission. Speaking of strikingly similar, the mission structure simply has players zoom into a conflict zone, fly toward the little orange objective dots, destroy some Stark weaponry, cripple the enemy outpost, take out the reinforcements, blow through the next set of objectives, rinse, and repeat! Needless to say, this gets annoyingly monotonous. To make matters worse, while grappling with mobile SAM batteries, tanks, AA turrets, jet fighters, helos, etc. you will see the same vehicle specific animation used over and over again followed by a prompt to rapidly press the same button each and every time. Eventually, I just gave up using the grapple function except when truly necessary because the animations got so tiresome.

Iron Man screenshot

So what did I like about this title? I loved the controls! I’m serious. Flying around from place to place, hovering, unleashing my secondary weapons, firing the Unibeam, waylaying troops, and tearing through tanks was like second nature. It’s awesome to be so free in the open world design. Because Iron Man can fly, hover, and land, obstacles such as buildings, mountains, and walls become valuable cover rather than substantial impediments. I loved flying to an objective-filled chokepoint, hovering in place while I took out four helicopters, then landing to take out three tanks, and then launching back up again and slamming onto a roof in order to take out four AA turrets simultaneously! I really felt like Iron Man! That experience is something that many licensed titles can’t come close to capturing, but it’s something Iron Man does quite well indeed.

Iron Man screenshot

The game’s structure is very straightforward. Starting a new game has you plow through mission after mission trying to not only pass the main mission objectives, but also to pass the Time Challenge, Enemies Destroyed target, and side missions. At the end of each level you will be given a final score and be awarded with funds to upgrade your suit, which I will talk about a bit later. If the score you received was on the wimpy side, you can go back to any completed level and improve your score via the Mission Archive. Lastly, after a few levels you will open up the One Man Army mode. This has you go back to re-challenge a mission without being fettered by various objectives. Your only goal is to kill as many baddies as you can in the time allotted. If you reach the target number, then you will be rewarded with more powerful suits. This is a novel idea for extending gameplay, but after all it’s too shallow for any real enjoyment.

An interesting game feature is the ability to reconfigure your suit via tech upgrades. As you blow through the levels you will be awarded with unlockable techs that can be purchased and installed between levels. These technological improvements cover your suit’s Core Systems, Repulsors, Power System, Auxiliary Weapons, and Mobility Enhancements. These upgrades are pretty pricey, and that only allows you to purchase one or two at a time. As you advance in the game, these improvements become vital as the sheer amount of enemies (and by enemies I mean missiles) that are thrown at you gets to be obnoxious! Additionally, a couple of options are available with every tech upgrade, so there is a bit of user-driven customization. Furthermore, unlocking new pieces of equipment always goes a long way toward establishing a sense of accomplishment.

All in all, know that this is not a good game, but it’s not that bad either. Die hard fans of Iron Man will really appreciate the smooth controls and frantic gameplay. After all, the game feels like you’ve stepped into the toughest part of a comic. However, if you’re just a regular gamer, you’re going to want to pass on this title. The repetitive missions, terrible story, and ugly cutscenes are not worth your hard earned cash! Additionally, there is no local multiplayer action nor is there an online component. Consequently, replayability of the title is almost nil! In other words, give the game a wide berth unless you really love action for action’s sake.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.7 Graphics
The environments look nice, but the interlude cutscenes are awful! 4.8 Control
The controls are nearly perfect and prove to be the game’s saving grace. 2.2 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Can you hear me now? The voiceover work sounds like Tony Stark was phoning in the lines from his convertible. 3.5 Play Value
The chaotic levels are challenging, but they become far too repetitive far too quickly. 3.0 Overall Rating – Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Power Control: Players will direct power to different parts of Iron Man’s suit, creating a variety of unique attacks.
  • Chaotic Battlefields: Open-ended battlefields create adrenaline-packed combat filled with unpredictable challenges.
  • Beyond the Movie: The game includes additional plot lines and characters from the Iron Man Comic Universe that are not featured in the movie.
  • Open World: Players have complete freedom to move anywhere in the environment and make seamless transitions between ground combat and open air flight.
  • A Devastating Weapon: Iron Man alone battles armies of fighter jets, military tanks, armored Super Villains, and more.
  • Screen Resolution: Up to 1080i (Standard HDTV, Widescreen).

  • To top