Marvel’s Iron Man VR game is finally here. The highly anticipated virtual reality game has been one of my most anticipated games since I got to test it out early last year. Because I had such glowing praise from my impressions, there was a lot of hype building up. I can confidently say the game definitely lived up to my expectations and made me really feel like I was actually a superhero in real life.

You can catch my review above and check out some of my thoughts below as well:

Can My Old PS4 Handle This? 

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Image via Marvel, Sony, Camouflaj

When I first heard that the game would be on the PSVR, I was a little nervous simply because I had one of the original PS4s from 2013 and the PSVR headset itself was created in 2016 and even though you can continuously upgrade the software there's only so much the hardware itself can handle.

I have to hand it to the developers. The game held up pretty well and those concerns were quickly erased as soon as I got to be immersed in the world. I didn't really see any bugs or any issues. I do think we’ve reached the PSVR full capabilities though and I'm excited to see what the next chapter in the VR headset world is, whether that be with the next console or the console after that but I think it definitely utilizes as much of the hardware as they could and it worked out fine.

The only other thing I was worried about was having to turn because this game requires you to move a lot and since the headset is attached to wires, I didn’t want to get wrapped up and accidentally knock something over. The devs do a good job of making sure you stay safe at all times and give you different alternative options to make sure you’re comfortable.

How’s the Combat / Gameplay? 

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Image via Marvel, Sony, Camouflaj

Before you start this game, make sure you are hydrated and take many breaks because this is one of the more physically demanding VR games that I've ever played in my years of VR, which has been a lot I must say. I found myself having to take more breaks than I normally would when it came to VR because when you think about it, you're flying around, you have these motion controllers, you have a headset on and will most likely be wearing headphones, you're using your arms to push you upwards, you're shooting blasters, while still turning a lot of different and turning your head up and down. So go into the game thinking it will be a marathon and not a sprint and you will be fine.

As far as the gameplay itself, while you’re fighting as Iron Man, you have two main weapons that you use: The quick-firing repulsors and secondary weapons that you can customize and switch out. You have to hold up your hands, palm out, and you’ll use repulsor blasts; tilt your palm down, and your wrist-mounted secondary weapon will pop up. It took me a second to get used to it but the way they used the move controllers really felt like it captured how Iron-Man would really use his weapons. You can also throw rocket-powered punches by holding down a controller button to throw a powerful hit. If we’re being honest, I didn’t use that feature much at all unless it was absolutely necessary and sometimes even forgot I could use it. For the most part, your repulsors will be the one to get the job done for you.

What About the Actual Story? 

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Image via Marvel, Sony, Camouflaj

Although Marvel’s Iron Man VR game is an original story, you can tell it was inspired by the MCU. It does retread some familiar ground like Tony dealing with the consequences of his former life as weapon-maker and war profiteer and Pepper Pots becoming CEO, but this time the main villain is Ghost, who recently made her live action debut in Antman and the Wasp as played by Hannah John-Kamen. [In the VR game, Ghost is played by Chantelle Barry.]

The story itself wasn’t a home run from a storytelling perspective but I thought it was a solid story overall. You could see some of the story plots ahead of time and a good chunk of exposition was delivered by your character off-camera. Some of missions felt a bit repetitive at times specifically when it came to taking down Droids that had been taken over by Ghost.

The story itself didn’t reach the heights it could, especially when it comes to making you feel like Tony Stark, but at the end of the day I wasn’t trying to play as Tony, I wanted to be Iron-Man. Because I've been so invested in the comics and Tony’s arc in the MCU, I didn’t mind a simpler story especially since the focus was on his alter ego.

Biggest Critique?

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Image via Marvel, Sony, Camouflaj

This may not seem like a big deal but the biggest issues I had with the game itself didn’t even have anything to do with the gameplay or the stroy. It had to do with the loading screens. The game is broken up into chapters and in each chapter there are multiple missions. When you complete one mission you are sent back to the loading screen to wait until the next round. Sometimes it can be super quick and other times I found myself standing there for 1-2 minutes. Like I mentioned earlier, this is already a physically demanding game so eventually those little minutes you're waiting will start to build up. When doing VR you want to be as efficient as possible because you shouldn't do it for long durations at a time so it was a bit frustrating having to spend extra time standing. Sometimes I would just take off the headset and sit until it was ready.

Should I Buy It? 

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Image via Marvel, Sony, Camouflaj

I hate telling anybody whether or not to buy something especially in the middle of a global pandemic. That being said, if you already have a PSVR headset and have the financial means to get this game, then i say definitely do it. Getting to experience the feeling of being a superhero from the comfort of your own home is worth the money.

Rating: B

Collider's Own Dorian Parks plays through the Iron Man game from the beginning! #IronManVR