Surviving Iron Man

Published May 23, 2008

Adopting the mantle of Iron Man™ is no easy task, not for Tony Stark himself nor the brave gamer that hopes to master Iron Man's vast suite of powers while battling evil and coming to terms with the hero's own past transgressions.

So many missiles, so little time.

Whether you're facing off against Stark Industries' own advanced weaponry or fan-favorite supervillains like Titanium Man and Iron Monger, the following tips should put you at ease in Iron Man's iconic suit and prepare you to take on any enemy that dares oppose you.

Missile Attack

Homing missiles will quickly prove a serious and consistent threat in Iron Man, especially in the early stages. Be sure to train your eye first on any enemy that fires these swift and deadly attacks. Pick these enemies off first and save the rest for mop-up duty.

Solo Missile Throw

Proper timing and twitch recognition can serve to grasp a homing missile out of the air and fling it forth at an unfortunate target of your choosing. You can do this by tapping B just before a missile strikes you while locking onto a target with the Right Trigger. It's useful for avoiding damage, and for doling out a heaping helping of same upon your enemies.

However, while this tactic can prove oh-so-useful, you must be careful. Grab hold of a missile while the sky is littered with them, and you'll get a face full of rapid-fire explosives for your trouble as missile after missile plows into you, while you're busy tossing the one missile you caught. Go for these missile-tosses only when there's just one or two to be seen on your radar.

Approximate Unibeam

The devastating but power-draining Unibeam attack of Iron Man can routinely destroy even the toughest enemies in a single strike. Better yet, these attacks don't require precision accuracy. As long as your aiming reticle is within the generous lock-on circle, your Unibeam attack will land to great effect. Use this attack quickly without worrying about lining up the shot precisely.

Gotcha!

Constant Distribution

Shifting your suit's power focus between Weapons, Thrusters, Life Support, and Melee attacks is handled by simple directional presses on the D-pad. There's no excuse for ignoring this mechanic and every reason to make constant use of it as prioritizing one element of your arsenal adds significantly to its power.

Need to catch up to a fleeing jet? Power up your thrusters. Trying to survive a boss battle? Give your Life Support a boost. Whatever you do, make sure your suit's current power priority is appropriate to the task at hand.

Run Clear

Iron Man is in the business of heroism, not wholesale annihilation. There's little need or reason to hunt down and eliminate every last enemy in a mission. Once you've completed an objective in an area, you can leave many a ground unit in the dust without fear of your heroic mercy coming back to haunt you. The exceptions to this are any missile-bearing units that can still fire at you even from great distances. These must be destroyed.

Checking Achievements

The majority of the game's achievements are not only specific to a certain level, but they're also focused on secondary objectives rather than simply completing the level. You could complete the entire game and unlock only a fraction of the available Gamerscore.

Take the time then before every mission to examine the game's achievement list, and track down that level's given achievements. There's often more than one achievement per level, and they're not necessarily listed next to one another.

Bust Through

Old Helmet Head earned his nickname for a reason as his nearly impenetrable armor can withstand enormous trauma without coming to grief. That includes barreling headfirst through attack helicopters and even jets, consequently demolishing the enemy while remaining entirely unscathed.

Coming through!

Execute this ramming attack by slamming squarely into an airborne enemy while using Iron Man's boost (hold A). This is particularly useful when you don't have time to hover and aim at enemies while you're being pursued by incoming missiles.

Jet Patterns

Having trouble tackling enemy fighter jets? Try taking a moment to examine their flight paths. Luckily, most enemy jets follow a set pattern, allowing you to place yourself directly in their path confident that they'll race right in line with your fire within a few moments. What's more, if you don't demolish them with your suit's arsenal, tap B as they fly by to grab hold of the jet and forcibly eject the pilot.

Grapple Immunity

Press and hold down B when next to any enemy—grounded or airborne—and you'll usually net a near instant kill, requiring only that you tap B repeatedly after grappling the enemy to eliminate them. This includes even tanks, SAM units, helicopters, and of course, the aforementioned jets. Just as importantly though, you'll find yourself immune to attack for the duration of the grapple assault.

Claiming victory in Iron Man is a tricky business, one that requires excellent reflexes, instant decision making and a complete understanding of the game's mechanics. With your own skill combined with the preceding tips, you should find yourself prepared for the challenge. Good luck!

Article by Ryan Treit