Iron Man 2 Review

With Iron Man 2's promotional material reaching almost fever pitch in the lead up to the International release of the film, Gameloft have taken the opportunity to release their game early for those outside the US, providing a unique opportunity to check out this movie tie-in.

The game is a fairly standard 3D action-brawler, mixing ranged and melee attacks for combo effects as you unlock them. An analogue stick is used for movement, with different combinations of tapping buttons and the screen used to fire your various weaponry. One of the most enjoyable features of the gameplay is your ability to fly around most levels, smoothly arcing your way around obstacles or hovering to nimbly avoid incoming attacks.

While a lot of attention to detail has gone in to designing Iron Man's armored suit and his various foes, the environment suffers with poor lighting and an over-simplified design that looks good while flying, but extremely disappointing up close. The game's dialogue is curt and polarizes Tony Stark's character as a spoiled smart-arse, but there are still few amusing moments to listen to. Bejeweled Twist-inspired puzzles occasionally break up the gameplay, but they feel wedged in compared to the game's brawling action.

Iron Man 2 is definitely an amusing title to blitz through before watching the movie at the cinema, but you're probably better off saving your money for popcorn and a drink than spending a few hours to finish this tie-in.