Even the developers themselves have said during various video diaries that the real problem with creating an Iron Man game is the limitations (or lack of them, to be precise) of the main character. Although he might just be an ordinary ex-alcoholic with a bad ticker, wrapped up in invincible clothing, Iron Man can do everything. He can fly, run, jump, shoot lasers from his hands, fire rockets from his arms, see all around himself, he’s super strong, super agile… which potentially makes him super androgynous.

So the real challenge here is not in a faithful movie conversion, as with so many similar games, but in creating a consistent arena in which this mega-Jack of all super-trades can exist without becoming digitally schizophrenic. Therefore, it has to be said that Iron Man – the game – has definitely succeeded in its primary goal. Tony Stark lives in a gaming world in which only someone like Iron Man can flourish, and desperately needs the manufactured talents of this particular war machine.

Another grateful feature is the game cuts to the chase at all points; refusing to be constrained by the expository movie events. Sure, it follows the same basic gist, but without any tedious soul searching cut scenes (of any particular length, at least). It prefers to hold expositional chats with itself as the action gets underway, so gamers learn the majority of the story and game mechanics during play.

Beginning in the severely reduced Mark I armour (the big, grey behemoth the imprisoned weapons designer makes to escape his captors), the tutorial level acclimatises players gracefully to the weapons systems, while the first venture into the Mark II suit once Tony gets back home introduces us to flying and manoeuvring. Before particularly realising it, players have grasped an intuitive and actively comprehensive knowledge of Shell Head’s many many many different functions.

Performing them does become a little muddled, especially in the heat of three dimensional battle, however. At first, the incredibly sensitive manoeuvrability of Iron Man, particularly in flight, feels way over the top and you spend a great deal of time watching the sky and floor (respectively and alternately) spinning out of control in front you. While you’d expect hovering to be a thing of minute control, it’s actually keeping Tony steady during high speed flight that’s the trick.

But once players have finally battled some semblance of aptitude from the four-limbed yoke, the necessity of such overly responsive controls does become apparent. Indeed, before long it becomes something of a dynamic and exciting thrill; marvelling at just how close you can fly to the ground at high speeds, and how you’re able to turn on a hair pin to wind dangerously in and among buildings. We’re so used to operating some kind of vessel in similar games that once you realise this is a man-shaped jet fighter under your control, it becomes very much akin to high speed, jet powered parkour than aerial dog fighting.

Because of his incredible manoeuvrability, however, the system is required to take up a fair amount of slack when it comes to weapons targeting. Holding the central crosshair on a fast moving chopper would be hard enough, but with Iron Man zipping around in tight, complex aerobatics it’d be nigh on impossible. Instead, the targeting system allows for a great deal of inherent inaccuracy, and still ensures your bullets, repulsor rays and missiles unerringly find their quarry. This might rob some of the enjoyment for hardcore FPS fans, who like to test their dexterity on games such as this, but for the casual Marvel comic fan it’ll most likely be quite welcome.

Graphically, the angular, metallic skin of Tony Stark’s alter ego was simply made for next gen consoles and, of course, he looks exactly the same as we could expect in the movie. Even without the armour on we see an impressive rendering of Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow (who, while remarkably recognisable, also holds a distinct similarity to a Gelfling!). The environments are wildly varied, however, from sprawling deserts with complex, crumbling, military strongholds to populated, detailed cityscapes – each providing a different flying experience for the red and yellow war machine. That said, there are a lot of visual quirks cropping up quite regularly, from dropped frames to slow-downs and occasional jagged edges and very confused cameras.

There’s a hell of a lot going on at any one time in Iron Man, though. Enemies literally swarm around him, and there’s a host of primary and secondary targets, along with a vast array of incoming fire, to ensure the gamer never looks at one single detail for longer than a nanosecond. The suit itself also provides enough of a distraction that the rough programming edges (such as one point when a Stark Enterprises (supposedly elite) gunship spent five minutes bouncing its nose against a wall like a doped up mental patient while we piled missiles into its blades from above). There’s just enough weaponry to fit the controller’s buttons without becoming a Rubik’s puzzle, while still providing a decent selection of melee, short and long range attacks.

The power system is also intriguingly matched to the inspirational material – allowing the pilot to route the power systems to whichever aspect the situation demands. During attack runs, power can be diverted to the weapons, while life support often needs bolstering under heavy fire. It takes a good few valuable second to adjust the suit’s systems, so using the energy management function requires a degree of careful forethought.

This actually emphasises the real crux of the game’s mostly triumphant design, and that’s the inherent adaptability of the Iron Man armour. This is, after all, what makes Tony Stark’s weaponry superior to everyone else’s, and what with a monetary based upgrade system – coupled with the diverse movement and weaponry features – it’s an aspect that ‘s been beautifully captured by the game’s developers. Just as it does in the comic and the movie, the super-powered suit is fundamental to the Iron Man game – exactly as it should be.

Perhaps the incessantly hectic nature and epilepsy-inducing visuals will make Iron Man something of a short lived thrill ride, but in the meantime there’s a hell of a lot of action setting the screen and controller ablaze, so if you’re already so inclined toward this kind of license heavy title, strap yourself in for a damn exciting time.