The unprecedented success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has led to an increase in the number of video games associated with the comics. While some like Marvel’s Spider-Man have resounding successes, others love Marvel’s Avengers were less well received. With the recent announcement that EA Motive Studio is creating a new third-person action game based on: Iron Manit’s in a strong position to build on what makes the best of the Marvel games so successful, while avoiding some broader pitfalls.
In many ways, the 2008 release Iron Man movie was a milestone. Not only did it bring the grueling career of Robert Downey Jr. revived, it also kick-started the MCU and introduced Iron Man to a whole new audience. In a superhero landscape that Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man largely dominated at the time, Iron Man was a relief. This new project won’t be Iron Man’s first foray into the video game world, but it’s an exciting prospect nonetheless.
What Spider-Man Can Teach Iron Man
When you’re trying to find a blueprint for the perfect superhero game, Marvel’s Spider-Man probably comes to mind. The 2018 PlayStation exclusive received praise for everything from the visuals, gameplay, combat and traversal to the story and customization options. Insomniac Games seemed to know exactly what people wanted from a single player Spider Man experience, and the game can confidently switch back and forth between a story-driven experience and an open world sandbox with ease.
Traversal is a special highlight, with a lot of praise Spider Man‘s smooth, fluid mobility as you zip and dive over New York’s skyscrapers. Since traversal is also such an important part of Iron Man’s repertoire, it’s critical that EA Motive maintains the landing with this aspect. The nature of Tony Stark’s Iron Man suits requires unfettered freedom from the player to travel through whatever environment he finds himself in. Stark’s powerful jet engines allow him to propel himself in any direction at lightning speed, while also being able to hover on the spot.
Into the open world environment Marvel’s Spider-Man would suit it perfectly Iron Man, at. While having a strong story to propel the action is probably high on the developer’s agenda, it shouldn’t come at the expense of Iron Man’s freedom to explore. It would be anticlimactic to give Iron Man great flight mechanics, but not the freedom of a sandbox to use them in.
Combat is one area where the two games can differ drastically. Spider-Man’s Arkham-inspired free-flowing combat is fast and reactive, with an emphasis on getting right in the face of the enemy. While Iron Man is no slouch at hand-to-hand combat, the majority of his offensive skills come from various forms of firepower built into his suits, meaning combat is likely to provide the player with more ranged options.
How Marvel’s Avengers Missed the Target
Iron Man has appeared in a handful of games, but none have done particularly well with critics. Licensed games based on the first two Iron Man films were received lukewarm, while his standalone Iron Man VR was criticized for being too repetitive, despite the innovative flight mechanics on display. Then there was Marvel’s Avengers, which ultimately did not live up to expectations. The game has a story that felt more like an afterthought, focusing instead on the game as a live-service experience with repetitive loot grinds. The Avengers don’t feel or play different enough compared to each other, which is strange considering they all have unique fighting styles, strengths and weaknesses.
Iron Man isn’t badly done compared to other teammates in the game, but the level design doesn’t favor verticality, with most of the levels being closed arenas that don’t match Iron Man’s penchant for flying. To its credit, the game Stark offers a range of combat capabilities that are possible at both long and short range. While he’s far from the worst at the game, playing like he’s in Marvel’s Avengers just doesn’t make the player feel like becoming Iron Man.
It doesn’t help that the game doesn’t have a strong opponent that Stark can take on. Iron Man is at his best when he has a target to face, while he might break one-liners. The following Iron Man game must feature a strong villain, or a cast of villains, who are able to rival Stark both physically and intellectually, pushing him to the limit like Thanos did during Avengers: Infinite War.
It can sometimes be difficult to disconnect miracle‘s superheroes from their MCU appearances. The actors who portray them have inevitably made it difficult for fans to see other takes as final, but the best miracle games, like Marvel’s Spider-Man and the more recent Guardians of the Universe, are able to create their own versions of these heroes. EA Motive must try to create its own Iron Man, free from the shadow of Robert Downey Jr. If it can do this, while recording the best parts of the games that have come before it, the next one Iron Man project could be his best show ever.
A Iron Man game is currently in development.
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