By Erin Kelly
Marvel's high-flying, armor-clad superhero has made his way to the iPhone—the hottest video game platform around—and we suited up with doublesix, the developers of the game to get some insight into Ol' Shellhead's latest digital adventure. Check out what Jim Mummery, Creative Director at "doublesix has to say about their innovative new game!
Download "Iron Man: Aerial Assault" now. [Note: You must have iTunes installed on your computer to download the game.]
Marvel.com: What makes "Iron Man: Aerial Assault" different than the other Iron Man games out there?
Jim Mummery: "Iron Man: Aerial Assault" is far more focused than previous Iron Man games and features the classic gameplay from frantic on-rails shooters merged with a unique accelerometer-based control scheme. More than any other, the game allows you to feel the power of Iron Man as he single-handedly takes on squads of fighters, scores of missiles and huge airborne battle platforms.
Marvel.com: What's the difference between designing games for the iPhone and designing games for other platforms, such as PSN/PS3?
Jim Mummery: The iPhone has a far more intimate control scheme than the PS3 in that the player must interact with the console itself through movement or touch. The main factor that you need to take into account when working in the iPhone is the nature of these interactions—the touch screen for example is heat sensitive and so is not as responsive as a game-pad button would be. We saw this as a challenge, having recently made an insanely frantic PSN game; we wanted to bring the same pace of game-play to the iPhone. Most of the games we've seen out there are relatively sedate.
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"Iron Man:
Aerial Assault"
screenshot |
To do this however, to make "Iron Man" so frantic, we decided to use the accelerometer as the main control scheme (supported by onscreen buttons) because it allows very quick input without obscuring the play field. Because of this, we are able to throw lots more at the player and so recreate the intensity of the action sequences seen in the Iron Man comics.
Marvel.com: What's the structure of "Iron Man: Aerial Assault" like?
Jim Mummery: There are a total of 10 distinct levels in the game (as well as two opening tutorial levels)—beating each level unlocks the next one. In addition, each level has four achievements to unlock. As you play through the game, you improve Iron Man's abilities which in turn allow you to return to the earlier levels and improve your score and unlock new achievements. Every level has several stages always ending in a boss battle—to defeat these you will have to master all of Iron Man's weapon systems.
Marvel.com: What about Iron Man makes for a good iPhone game?
Jim Mummery: For pace and frenetic play there is nothing like this on the iPhone plus it is a very good-looking game—most of all though, it is the style of play and the focused nature of the control scheme that make it perfect for gaming on the go.
Marvel.com: What parts of the Iron Man mythos inspired the "Aerial Assault"? Are there any specific comics or movie moments that you used for inspiration?
Jim Mummery: The game is mostly inspired by the excellent film, although the virtual nature of the training level was inspired by earlier Iron Man stories and was useful in order to set the game outside the ongoing Iron Man narrative. Also, the basic use of Jericho missile technology—missiles launching missiles—is a recurring theme throughout the game. Lastly, a device similar to the Arc Reactor from the film powers the final boss. Exploring more of the Iron Man mythology is something we'd like to do in later games if we're lucky enough.
Download "Iron Man: Aerial Assault" now [Note: You must have iTunes installed on your computer to download the game.] and experience the most action-packed iPhone game around! Also be sure to check out the movie again on the movie download section of iTunes.
Keep your eyes glued to Marvel.com for more news, images and videos from "Iron Man: Aerial Assault."
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