Our favorite man of steel’s second outing has recently hit cinemas, and while the first movie gained a more than favorable reception, the game lacked in certain areas. Iron Man 2 (the game) is here to try and set things straight, but does this superhero endeavor have all the tricks up its metal sleeve or is it left feeling a little robotic?

Iron Man 2, although tied-in with the film, doesn’t follow the films plotline. You do however work with S.H.I.E.L.D. in an attempt to bring down Crimson Dynamo and other comic-book villains. The story isn’t bad as it’s penned by Marvel comic book writer Matt Fraction, but it’s presented so poorly through really dull and incoherent cut scenes. It does get you from one mission to the next, but with Marvel’s license, a lot more could have been done. The good side is that missions are much more varied than before, providing a bit of variety throughout the game.

Iron Man 2 plays out similar to its predecessor, although a few tweaks and modifications have been made to the gameplay. The flight controls have been remapped to the face buttons, although they still don’t feel as flexible and dynamic as they should. Players might just find themselves sticking to hovering and running than flying head on into enemies.

The weapon customization is a new feature to the game, whereby players can research and fabricate different weapons, ammunition and modulators which increase damage, range and cool-down times. The interface of the weapons upgrade screen is a little confusing, but thankfully there’s enough variety in the weapons to justify the effort.

Melee attacks can also be used and customized, offering the player the ability to research different fighting styles and apply them to either Iron Man or War Machine. While they are relatively effective, they end up feeling a little flat in certain areas.

While Iron Man’s armor is known for its super-sleek look, the game however is not. Iron Man 2 is not a complete eye-sore, but there are some texture pop-ins and blocky animations and models that are too unavoidable to notice. There is some great voice talent from the likes of Don Cheadle and Samual L. Jackson, but the script doesn’t allow for their work to shine.

While Iron Man fans (including us) are dedicated to playing as the red and gold fella, Iron Man 2 unfortunately falls short in too many areas to provide a compelling superhero game. It’s very short and the cool things that make Iron Man well… cool, don’t come across so well here. Maybe try the original Iron Man game if you desperate.

[starreviewmulti id=1 tpl=20]