Preview: Iron Man
His name is synonymous with "Heavy Metal." This steel-enforced renegade is blasting his way onto home consoles in this sound-barrier-breaking action title.
Marvel metal meets chaotic aerial combat in Sega's Iron Man the videogame based on the new movie starring Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard. The game begins following the same story as the movie, but later splinters off and allows players to experience more of the Iron Man universe created by Stan Lee.
Heroic Origins
Because Iron Man is a comic book character with a rich background and history, let's first get you up to speed on the origins of this superhero. Edward "Tony" Stark is Iron Man, a boy genius who inherits Stark Industries at the age of 21 after his father and mother are killed in a tragic car accident. The young and arrogant Tony Stark becomes filthy rich manufacturing weapon technology for the U.S. military. When Stark visits Vietnam (updated to Afghanistan for the new movie and game) to check up on his latest tech assisting the American war effort, he is captured by the Vietnamese and forced to build weapons against his home soil with award-winning physicist Ho Yinsen.
The Mark I suit can't fly, but it's equipped with a high-powered flame thrower.
Stark and Yinsen, however, secretly build a powerful armored suit, the Mark I, that helps Stark kill his captors and escape. Yinsen sadly dies in the process, but not before guiding you through the first tutorial level of the game. While you play as Tony Stark in the Mark I suit, Yinsen issues commands via radio to assist in the escape. In later levels, Stark's butler Jarvis fulfills this duty. The Mark I suit is slow and lacks the ability to fly. Equipped with a flame thrower on Stark's right arm, you will burn your way out of Afghanistan and back to the U.S. where the familiar red and yellow Mark III suit is created.
Vengeance from the Grave
After Stark's unfortunate kidnapping, he vows to rid the world of terrorist groups who are using his advanced weapon technology for evil instead of good. With the power of the Mark III suit, Stark can wipe out entire naval fleets with the wave of his hand, fly at mach speeds, and lift large objects with super strength.
Iron Man's flight controls look tight and responsive.
The gameplay primarily consists of flying around large, outdoor environments tasked with the destruction of a specific number of anti-air gun emplacements. Flying looked the most fun, switching between high-speed flight and hover mode to dodge incoming cannon fire, grapple with Apache helicopters, and even catch rockets in mid-flight. Of course, there's heavy focus on Iron Man's suit weaponry as well. Fans of the hero will immediately recognize Iron Man's primary gauntlet-fired repulsor rays and the chest bursting uni-beam, which can be upgraded to more powerful states throughout the game.
Although we only saw the Xbox 360 version in action, Iron Man will also be available on the PS3, PS2, PSP, PC, Wii, and DS.
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