Review: Iron Man 2 Game for iPad

May

2010

Robert Workman, iPadNewsDaily Contributor
09:33 AM ET

"Iron Man 2" madness (or, as we like to call it, Iron Man-ia) kicks off this week with the arrival of Jon Favreau’s highly anticipated sequel, once again returning Robert Downey Jr. to the role of Tony Stark.

To coincide with its release, Gameloft has just released a game for the iPad, enabling you to control both Stark’s metal-bound hero and his fellow cohort War Machine as they battle some devastatingly powerful villains, including Whiplash.

This is a familiar practice in the game industry, and most of the time, these movie-licensed products fail to live up to the big-screen efforts. Gameloft, however, does a fairly good job with "Iron Man 2". It won’t wow you by any means, but it plays well and features enough action to satisfy comic book fans and gamers of all ages. (Graphic: The technology behind Iron Man 2)

The game features nine stages in all, starting off at the Stark Expo in New York and moving to new locations around the world. Along with the electrified Whiplash, you’ll face plenty of enemy robot drones, along with Ultimo and Firepower from the comic books. Along with Stark’s super-powered suit upgrades (giving him the ability to shoot like crazy and fly about), you’ll also have access to War Machine’s arsenal of guns.

No matter who you’re controlling, "Iron Man 2" has great controls. Utilizing an on-screen joystick and buttons (which are large and easy to use), maneuvering through each 3-D stage is a breeze, whether you’re on the ground punching someone’s lights out or breezing through the air on your thrusters. There are times when the camera system isn’t that helpful (due to the lack of an inverted view option), but overall this game fares much better than most comic book fare. It’s also nice to see a power-up system in play, so you can accelerate both heroes’ abilities, preparing yourself for even bigger battles to come.

Although the game doesn’t feature a co-op option (a shame considering how well Stark and War Machine work together in the movie), there is the ability of unlocking achievements (up to 25) and logging in to Gameloft Live to see how you compare with others. There’s a pretty good community on there, so there’s no shortage of Iron Man fans.

CREDIT: Gameloft

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As for the presentation, it’s pretty slick. Aside from the odd camera options, the 3-D stages in "Iron Man 2" are boldly designed. Whether you’re trashing your way through jungles or jetting past skyscrapers, you’ll definitely admire the view. The characters animate wonderfully as well, especially when Iron Man performs his traditional “ground pound”.

Gameloft also did a bang-up job with the game’s sound, including a fun music score (including Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” – sweet!) and decent sound effects. The dialogue does get repetitive, however (someone shut Jarvis up), and there are times the loading will cut off your tunes.

Don’t let that throw you off, though. "Iron Man 2" fares much better than expected, thanks to some great programming savvy by Gameloft. We’re convinced that it should handle all future superhero conversions from hereon in. Just imagine what these guys can do for the Avengers.

Price: $9.99
File Size: 212 MB
Developer: Gameloft USA
Platform: iPad (iPhone version also available)
iPadNewsDaily Rating (out of 4 stars): ★★★