Iron Man 2

Making good on their word, Iron Man 2 started appearing in various AppStore’s this week, with several big exceptions. Namely the US! Yes, I’m afraid if you want to get your hands on this in the USA you’ll have to be patient as it’s not due a release there until 3 May 2010. Thankfully, I’m based in the UK and so have had a few days to play this app and give you my thoughts on it.

In case you’ve been living in a cave, Iron Man 2 has been released by Gameloft, supposedly to tie-in with the movie release in specific countries (hence no love in the USA yet). Unlike their over movie tie-in game, Avatar, Iron Man 2 is supposed to reflect the movie itself, rather than the prequel story that we got in Avatar.

The game is split over 9 levels which span 9 separate locations across the world, including New York and a Somalian jungle. However, a surprising number of people have stated that they have completed the game after just two to three hours of gameplay. So, not exactly a big title then. But given that it is supposed to loosely follow the plot of the film it may not be all that surprising. Perhaps the most fun to be had in this game is the levels which allow you to fly around freely in a sandbox environment. This is especially fun and something I enjoyed greatly.

Despite the shortness of the actual game, there’s plenty to keep you occupied. The fights can be quite intense and there is a slight RPG element included with the ability to choose what you upgrade as you play through. This offers a potential replay value that would have been otherwise missing. There’s even the option to play as either Iron Man or, you can suit up and play as War Machine. Each suit offers different abilities, so if you like close combat melee attacks or prefer to keep your distance, there’s something here for you.

Having covered all the basics, I find myself struggling with this review as the game poses a bit of a problem for me. You see, whilst there is nothing majorly wrong with the game, something isn’t quite right with it either. Let me try and explain.

Graphically the game is everything you would expect from a Gameloft game, looking just as good as Nova, Avatar and other Gameloft games that have gone before. The controls are also exactly as you would expect. With a virtual D-pad on the left hand side and action buttons on the left, again, almost identical to the other recent Gameloft games. Whilst this is good in some way if you’ve played previous titles then the controls are easy to pick up and the graphics are exactly what you’d expect. Sounds and dialogue in the game are, again, nothing new, the sounds fine and the dialogue a little on the cheesy side, just as before.

I think that may be the problem. Iron Man 2 is a fun game, and if you’re a fan of the comics or the movie you’re bound to really enjoy the game. Also, if you’re a fan of Gameloft then I imagine you’ll be able to find plenty to love with this title. But, if like me, you want something new in your games, then this will disappoint. It doesn’t feel new or fresh to play. In fact, it feels as if Gameloft have stopped trying to a degree. Again, that may be quite a sweeping statement, so let me try and clarify.

When Gameloft released Modern Combat, the whole game felt new and innovative, then Nova came out and felt far more polished and well rounded than Modern Combat did. But then something seems to have happened. Personally, It doesn’t feel as if Gameloft are trying anymore. Sure Avatar was well received and trust me, Iron Man 2 will go the same way, and I fully appreciate the reasons behind that. But The AppStore is all about innovation and at the moment, it feels like Gameloft have started to Flounder.

Now, I don’t want you to go away from this thinking that I’m not giving the game a fair try, or worse, that I’m simply using it as an excuse to somehow have a go at Gameloft. Far from it, I have a great deal of respect for them as a developer and publisher. But the AppStore continues to move forward and I must review as I find. Iron Man 2 does a lot right, and I stand by my statement that it will be very well received on a whole. But, the shine is wearing off and you’ll have to decide for yourself if you’re happy spending the cash on a game that plays exactly like every other game by Gameloft.