Hot off the back of the Dead Space remake being warmly accepted by fans, EA Motive's next project is no less ambitious in size and scale. A standalone Iron Man game is next on its agenda, and given the popularity of the character and the wider Marvel universe, fans will be expecting a certain level of care and attention to detail to ensure the project is successful. The experience EA Motive has gained from the Dead Space remake should be invaluable, particularly when certain parts of that game incorporated brand-new flight mechanics that would feel right at home in the upcoming Iron Man game.
As one of the MCU's breakout characters, Iron Man's popularity has increased exponentially since the 2008 movie of the same name. This upcoming project will not be the billionaire genius' first venture into the world of video games, with Iron Man already appearing in various titles from Marvel's Avengers to LEGO tie-ins, and even the stand-alone VR title Iron Man. Most of these have been met with a lukewarm reception from fans and critics though, with everyone in agreement that Tony Stark has yet to fully come into his own in a video game. Many will hope that EA Motive's effort proves to be the Iron Man title that Marvel fans have been waiting for, and thankfully its latest game gives fans a reason to be optimistic.
Iron Man's Flight Mechanics Could Make or Break the Game
Iron Man's flight is probably the most fundamental aspect of his powers. Like Spider-Man's web-swinging, such is its importance, that incorrect implementation of this could completely derail the game. Marvel's Avengers and the VR Iron Man game had different takes on these flight mechanics, but ultimately, both failed to deliver for different reasons. The VR title was ambitious and certainly displayed innovation in its unique approach to flight, but the repetitive nature of the missions didn't give gamers any reason to really use them to full effect. Marvel's Avengers wasn't a bad effort, however its level design was built more for grounded superheroes like Captain America and the Hulk, and its lack of verticality makes it feel like Iron Man is almost being kept on a leash throughout.
On the flip side, the Dead Space remake was faithful to the original in many ways but did deviate in some aspects, and pretty much all of these were for the better. One great example of this is how sections in the original 2008 game that saw protagonist Isaac Clarke having to navigate zero gravity areas by jumping from point to point were replaced by giving the player full control over Isaac's movement through the air, using flight mechanics for these specific sections.
These new controls have been implemented well, and for the most part, feel smooth and responsive - which bodes extremely well for the future Iron Man game. EA Motive can now take what it learned in these zero gravity segments and translate that to its Iron Man game, which may or may not feature an open-world environment. Whether it is an open-world game or not, either way, the areas in which Iron Man will be operating will likely be extremely large, giving him room to really flex his flying muscles.
This makes it even more imperative that the game's flight mechanics are really able to replicate the feel of Iron Man soaring through the sky, in the same way that Marvel's Spider-Man managed to perfectly bring to life Spidey's web-swinging ability. If EA Motive can nail this aspect of the game, it will go a long way to ensuring the experience is a memorable one.
An Iron Man game from EA Motive is currently in development.