Game Reviews

Iron Man 2: The Video Game

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PSP
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Iron Man 2: The Video Game
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PSP
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Hollywood’s insatiable appetite for comic book adaptations shows no signs of slowing down and for Sega, that’s positive news.

The former hardware manufacturer is now an established publisher with a raft of superhero-focused titles under its belt. Iron Man 2 marks the most recent addition to this stable.

Danger, Danger

Coding duties are handled by High Voltage Software, who – if you'll allow us the brief sidestep into console territory – previously found fame creating the graphically impressive Wii FPS, The Conduit.

It's worth mentioning because similar feats of technological engineering are present here. Iron Man 2 may not be the most visually attractive PSP title out there but it flows along at a steady pace and packs in plenty of on-screen action.

Controlling Iron Man – and later his ally War Machine – is accomplished using almost every available button on Sony's handheld. The analogue stick influences movement while the four face buttons act as a secondary controller, enabling you to target your weapons. Discharging said weaponry is handled via the trigger buttons.

It’s a set-up which has been utilised before and succeeds in granting the player a satisfying degree of control over their on-screen avatar but it won't stop you (again) wishing that the PSP had a dual analogue interface during the more intense fire fights.

Portable pugilism

Iron Man 2’s gameplay is enjoyable enough, enabling the player to mix up melee attacks with long-range combat, but the mission objectives are typically uninspiring and the enemies show only a small amount of intelligence.

That said, a moderately interesting storyline helps alleviate the stifling lack of originality and the ability to upgrade your various combat suits gives a nice feeling of progression.

As licensed superhero titles go them, Iron Man 2 is jolly good fun. Fans of the aforementioned movie will lap it up but anyone expecting it to push the boundaries of video game design will come away disappointed.

Iron Man 2: The Video Game

A workmanlike small screen accompaniment to its big screen inspiration, Iron Man 2 keeps the PSP ticking along nicely
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Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.