It`s common knowledge that film tie-in video games have never quite been a bell ringer, as one of the reviewers before me very correctly pointed out. Either because they are rather expensive for game producers to develop or because these are pressurised by film studios to complete the games in time for the films` release, we gamers have never really succeed in getting our hands on film-based video games that could fully do justice to their big screen counterparts. And, as far as `Iron Man 2` is concerned, Tony Stark`s perked up propulsors , and repulsors alike, didn`t turn out to be as effective as we may have hoped. However, that is not to say that there aren`t a few good ideas here and there, which, if better developed upon, may have just salvaged the whole game. . .
In terms of storyline, the good news is that the game isn`t just a rehash of the homonymous film. Picking up exactly where the events of the movie left off, the tale revolves around some corporate villains trying to steal Tony Stark`s A.I. butler, Jarvis, and using it to create Ultimo, a gargantuan robot capable of melding with human beings. To foil the villains` unholy plans, you will have to don one of Iron Man`s several suits of armour, or alternatively play as War Machine and wade your way through high security military facilities in Russia and Malaysia, fighting down platoons of airborne and terrestrial robot machines till the final confrontation with the brobdingnagian Ultimo.
With all that said, a decent story just isn`t enough to render a game appealing. In my specific case, it took me exactly five hours to complete all eight chapters of the game, and after playing the first two chapters, I just couldn`t help becoming frustrated with the game mechanics and the gameplay in general. As I wailed through the first two missions, it dawned on me that the game did not present any serious challenge whatsoever, realising that all I had to do was finish off the same batch of enemies and proceed to the next spot indicated by the yellow marker on the map. As you blow up helicopters, aerial robots and minions alike, you will also notice that the allegedly innovative armour upgrades aren`t really worth their weight in exchange points. As you destroy tanks and kill off enemies, you will earn a number of points that you can then redeem in Tony Stark`s laboratory in order to update existing weapons and unlock new perks. In this respect, the remarkable part is that you can equip up to four different missiles/repulsors on Tony Stark`s armour suit or on War Machine`s, and yet the catch is that all four weapons, however different they are, will roughly cause the same amount of damage to your enemies. Because of that, it is rather pointless for you to tweak anything, unless you want to find your favourite combination of missiles and repulsors. Thus, the downside is that game mechanics are rather primordial and the game doesn`t present any serious challenge. You could simply float around and blast enemies throughout the game using the same combinations of weapons - or occasionally switch to combat mode - and dodge incoming bullets without bothering to update any of the existing weapons.
Finally, the game does not have any multiplayer function ( as expected from many single player adventure video games) and the hit-and-go system of the game pretty much sums it all. The game might then appeal to trophies aficionados, such as myself, but, for the very reason mentioned above, even more dedicated gamers might find it hard to wail through the eight chapters of the game all over again. My only recommendation is to shun this game like pest, or, alternatively, hire it out to add a few more trophies to your collection.