REGULAR readers of this column will know that as a games player I am pretty much prepared to try any game at least once.

Long winded God games, epilepsy inducing Japanese fantasy games or mediocre RPGs. If it’s dross you want reviewed then I’m your man.

That said even I had little to no confidence in Iron Man 2. The first game had been absolutely dire and I’m afraid the sequel is not any better.

OK, perhaps that is harsh. The sequel is a tad better in terms of gameplay but even a 100 per cent improvement would still render this game just better than garbage.
I enjoyed the original film. It was far fetched ridiculous dumb fun.

The second film goes down the same road of sheer stupidity so at least there is a degree of consistency with the franchise.

However seasoned gameplayers now readily accept that ‘cash in’ games released to co-incide with a film’s release are rarely any good and quite often are far from finished.

Picture the scene. The film was probably finished months ago and its release timed for optimum sales regardless of how the game’s development has progressed.

This means that it is more often than not such games are released incomplete to ensure maximum exposure for the game to an already established audience.

It is hard to knock the tactic because it is now the norm but as a consumer of video games for the past 20 years I must say it does become a little frustrating.

Anyway back to the actual game in question. Iron Man 2 which has been developed by High Voltage on PS3 and Sega on the Xbox.

Players can play as Iron Man or War Machine who both possess their own unique play style. While Iron Man is more sleek War Machine is outfitted with heavier weaponry and tougher armour.

Iron Man can choose from multiple suits of armor, including Marks 3 through Mark 6 while players can customise upgrades and weaponry on the armour.
Artificial Intelligence has also been updated from the previous title which has made it more playable.

Perhaps I went into this game expecting it to be awful. I have played far too many cash in games in the past and been disappointed.

However as a colleague put it “would I be playing this game had a movie of the same name not been released?” and the answer is an overwhelming ‘no’ I’m afraid.

2/5