iPad Review – Iron Man 2

Licensed games have long been known as the black sheep of the video game industry. Remember those awful Star Wars games on the 2600? How about that legendary landfill full of E.T. cartridges? Jaws for the NES anyone? Comic book hero games get lumped into this group all to often, and that’s why Iron Man 2 for the iPad is such a nice surprise… not only does it shine as a movie tie in, it’s game mechanics are spot on and it just might prove the iPad as a viable core gaming machine.

A Fun Underwater Level?!

Iron Man 2 starts out slow; the first level is a simple run and gun mission that gives you the basic run down of the virtual stick and camera. It’s not until the second level that the game earns it’s wings… literally. Once in the city of Manhattan, Iron Man 2 allows players the gift of flight – opening a whole new world to explore. Making flybys next to skyscrapers is a breeze and you as the player never feel out of control.

GameLoft also has the pacing of the game down to science throughout Iron Man 2′s nine missions. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you’re tossed into a bomb solving or missile launching mini game. One of the game’s shining moments is the underwater on-rails level, where you control a submarine suited Iron Man shooting foes and dodging enemies mines.

Visually, Iron Man 2 is a sight to behold with sharp textures and a large amount of geometry thrown around for good measure.  The game’s henchman could have used a little more variety, but the boss fights shine.  Quite a few classic Iron Man foes show up, yet all the other baddies seem to be using the same Stark inspired technology.

One thing Iron Man 2 does not do is provide a clear separation of Iron Man and War Machine as playable characters – War Machine naturally has more oomph behind his ammo, but other than that the two control exactly the same. The game is also missing a solid backstory, something that even a few production stills could have remedied.

What? No Whopper power ups?!

CLOSING COMMENTS

GameLoft’s Iron Man 2 pulled off what countless other licensed games couldn’t – a solid game that stands on it’s own with or without the Iron Man name.  Spot on controls, sharp visuals and great pacing make this a must buy for red and gold loving iPad owners.  1/4 of the Avengers assemble!

DigitalNipples iPad Iron Man 2 Score: 8.5 out of 10