EA Motive’s Iron Man Game Should Be an Origin Story

by

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I can confidently say that the prospect of EA Motive developing an Iron Man game is nothing short of exhilarating! The chance to witness a fresh take on Tony Stark, one that isn’t merely a carbon copy of Robert Downey Jr.’s iconic portrayal, is truly enticing.

It’s thrilling that EA Motive is creating an Iron Man game for several compelling reasons, one of which is that it will be among the first recent portrayals of Tony Stark as a fully-realized version of the billionaire inventor. Since Robert Downey Jr. brought Iron Man to life and turned him from a mere man in a red and gold suit into a worldwide sensation, there have been numerous games featuring the character; however, only a few have devoted time to developing his emotional depth.

Just as each new version of Tony Stark/Iron Man in the past ten years has followed Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal, similarly, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy mirror the iconic Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) interpretation of the Guardians. Although the Iron Man origin story was accurately presented in the MCU’s Iron Man film, there’s no need to retell it again. However, Motive’s standalone game provides a chance to reexplore that narrative if they have anything significant or crucial to add to it. Essentially, this is an opportunity for Motive to leave its mark on Tony Stark’s history.

How an Origin Story for Motive’s Iron Man Could Impact Gameplay

In many successful superhero video game adaptations, it’s often considered limiting and controversial to have Tony Stark transform into Iron Man during the game’s events. Instead, games like Batman: Arkham Asylum and Marvel’s Spider-Man are successful because they feature superheroes who are already established crime-fighters, having honed their skills and abilities to their maximum potential.

Instead of providing numerous suits of various designs for Iron Man that players might anticipate from Motive’s version, it would be more intriguing to showcase Tony Stark’s genius intellect in the gameplay if Motive is developing an origin story.

It’s amazing to imagine Tony creating his first suits and discovering the types of weapons he equips them with. This process would enable gamers to progressively gather skills and mechanisms as they construct each suit sequentially.

As a gamer, I’d prefer if Motive’s Iron Man game evolved into a full-fledged franchise like Marvel’s Spider-Man, with an origin story as its foundation. This approach would give the gameplay more space to grow, avoiding an overwhelming barrage of suit variations from the get-go. The anticipation of donning the Hulkbuster armor in a sequel would be more satisfying, especially if it meant the Hulk himself could potentially make an appearance. However, centering this aspect in Motive’s debut Iron Man installment might set an impossible standard for them to exceed later on. Instead, an origin story would allow for simpler, less advanced suits initially, mirroring the MCU’s portrayal of Iron Man and offering room for improvement and evolution throughout the series.

Motive’s Iron Man Must Avoid MCU-isms Like the Plague

Instead of Motive instantly producing suits on Tony’s body using nanotechnology, it would be more engaging if Tony had to manually assemble his armor piece by piece. Additionally, developing a backstory for Tony becoming Iron Man that echoes his MCU origin could seem repetitive.

Among Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man” is widely cherished and arguably the most adored, sparking the entire MCU phenomenon.

Motive might struggle to reexplore Tony’s past unless it introduces something entirely fresh and captivating. Doing so would inevitably invite constant comparisons to the original storytelling approach. However, if Motive were to revisit Tony’s history rather than introduce itself after Tony built his initial suit, it could provide an engaging gameplay experience and offer a unique perspective on the character that differs from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), particularly for new audiences who may no longer be influenced by Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark.

Read More

2024-12-01 14:34