Publisher: Sega
Developer: Secret Level
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
Release date: Available now
Review by: Ed Humphries

Comic book games, like the movies these graphic novels have birthed, are in the midst of a continued renaissance. Where comic games once suffered on weaker consoles (the less said about Spider-Man vs. Carnage the better), the technology has advanced to the levels required to bring gamers the true flights of fancy their superhero fantasies require. The key to delivering a quality title is to put players in the role of their favorite heroes and zero in on the mythos that has enchanted readers for so long. This is the mission that Iron Man now finds before him.

Iron Man is based on the Marvel comic and the hit film of the same name. The John Favreau-directed vehicle hit the stratosphere earlier this summer movie season, largely buoyed by its faithful take on the subject and absolutely spot-on casting of Robert Downey Jr. as the flamboyant weapons dealer, Tony Stark. It helps that the film played fast and loose, with some genuine comedic elements layered throughout the propulsive action scenes, which worked to give the film cross-demographic appeal.

Where the film largely plays as an extended origin tale, the game eschews most of this detail and wisely places you in control of Iron Man right from the beginning. Following a brief prologue level during which you learn the kinks of Iron Man’s original design (echoing the Afghanistan-based escape sequence from the film), you’re then granted control of most of Iron Man’s tools, including his coveted flight ability. What follows is a loose interpretation of the film that, in the tradition of other movie-based comic properties, adds in a number of subplots not seen in the film, including some villains ripped from Marvel’s extended universe.

The game itself plays as a combination of a third-person action shooter when on land and an action flight simulator whenever Iron Man takes to the sky. At any point during a mission, you’re free to drop to ground level or engage the boosters and rocket through the air to take on the varied arsenals employed by the enemy. The action takes place over a number of diverse environments, from the Middle East to Los Angeles to Siberia and beyond.