Meta announced the high-flying superhero game Marvel’s Iron Man VR (2020) has a new permanent price, bringing it to $30.
Once a PSVR exclusive, Iron Man VR on Quest 2 and Quest Pro lets you suit up as Tony Stark and take to the sky to fight evil. The action-adventure game is now available at a new price of $30, or 25% off the original $40 purchase price.
When it launched on PSVR in July 2020, we gave it a rating of ‘Great’ in our full review, calling it VR’s “first great superhero game.” We liked it so much at the time, we later awarded it with the PSVR Game of the Year in 2020.
What makes Iron Man VR so great? It’s packed with unique mechanics and a full course of fun and engaging content—not to mention an actually worthwhile story.
Here’s how developers Camoflaj describe it:
Tap into your inner Super Hero as you step into Iron Man’s armor and blast into the skies. Explore Tony’s garage to customize and upgrade an arsenal of gear, gadgets, and weapons. Hit the afterburners and feel the rush of flying hundreds of miles an hour. Use all of Tony Stark’s resources to find the mysterious villain Ghost and her army of hacked Stark drones. Experience this action-packed immersive Iron Man adventure now.
Iron Man VR has held its own in another week on the UK physical games sales charts.
The PSVR exclusive fell to the ninth spot in the top 10 according to the chart tracked by GfK and UKIE. The game debuted in second place last week, so it’s quite a sharp drop but still pretty impressive when you consider Iron Man VR is contending with games appearing on platforms with much better install bases. Iron Man VR sold more physical copies than new Nintendo Switch exclusive, Deadly Premonition 2 last week, for example.
As we said last week, it’s very possible that the boxed PlayStation Move bundle for the game, which gets you a copy of the experience and two motion controllers, is heavily contributing to Iron Man VR’s sustained position on the charts. Whenever PSVR itself goes on sale, for example, we see its pack-in title, PlayStation VR Worlds, sneaking back into the UK charts.
Again, we’re still waiting to see how the game performs through digital sales on the PlayStation Store, which we won’t hear about until early August.
Though some struggled with its technical shortcomings, we thought Iron Man VR was a great PSVR exclusive with fantastic controls and immersive action. Last week we published an extensive spoilercast with developer Camouflaj, in which we touched on both story and design. If you’re interested in learning more about the game and seeing what the future might look like for it, be sure to check that out.
We’ll probably see Iron Man VR slip out of the top 10 next week, but it looks like a top 40 position could still happen.
Iron Man VR took flight on PSVR last week, and left a whole lot to discuss in its wake.
Fortunately, we got to steal game director Ryan Payton from Camouflaj for an entire hour to talk about it. Below is our full spoilercast for Iron Man VR which, yes, includes lots and lots of spoilers.
Over the course of the interview, we spoke to Payton about the game’s story, its characters and the direction Camouflaj took Tony Stark. As you probably know, the game offers a full, story-driven campaign that explores the character of Tony and the cast around him in some unique ways. We talk about the comics that inspired the story and some of the easter eggs to look out for, as well as where some of your favorite characters might be in this universe.
But that’s not all; we also went deep into some of the criticisms of the game at launch, including some of the technical issues and structure of the story/gameplay. Payton spoke candidly about the reception since launch (both the good and bad) and the nature of VR game development in 2020. If you’re wondering why the team made certain design choices or how they pulled off some technical feats, you should definitely tune in.
Marvel’s Iron Man VR seems to be off to a flying start in the UK’s physical games chart.
The weekly chart, tracked by GFK and UKIE, places the PSVR exclusive in the second spot for its first week on the market. The chart only tracks physical sales of games in the UK, so it doesn’t include copies of the title sold on the PlayStation Store, but does put it in league with games appearing on other platforms.
Iron Man VR Sales Take Off
For example, Iron Man VR sold more copies than Animal Crossing: New Horizons last week, and beat out usual chart-toppers like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and FIFA 20. The only game it’s behind is Sony’s other recent big launch, The Last Of Us Part 2.
It’s a somewhat surprising achievement given that Iron Man VR is limited to a much smaller install base than other consoles. PSVR has sold over 5 million units worldwide, whereas PS4 has topped 110 million in recent months. Bear in mind that Sony did sell an Iron Man VR bundle with a pair of PlayStation Move controllers, too, which surely helped it along that path.
We’ll be eager to see how the game ends up performing in the monthly PlayStation Store charts, too. We haven’t seen June’s charts yet, but Iron Man VR launched on July 3rd, so don’t expect it to make an impact until the July list is published in early August. In May’s chart, newcomer The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners finally toppled Beat Saber from a long reign at the top.
By now there’s probably more than enough snappy Tony Stark quotes immortalized by Robert Downey Jr. that you could make an entire review of Iron Man VR just lifting from the movies.
But, reflecting upon the newly launched PSVR-exclusive’s technical performance, I can only think of one line from an iconic scene in Civil War: “You’re in dire need of an upgrade. Systemic – top to bottom.”
Iron Man VR is a brilliant, brilliant game. Its combat is some of the most intricate and thrilling you’ll find in VR today and its story goes to great lengths to cover new ground for a character that’s been pretty thoroughly explored over the past decade and a bit. But, like the Mark 1 armor that saves Tony from captivity, it can also be rusty, clunky and requires a lot of patience. It’s clear from playing even the game’s first mission that Iron Man VR is pushing PSVR and the PS4 to their limits, and that we’re way past due for a new model.
The game’s loading times, for example, are numerous and lengthy; a thrilling opening setpiece that sees Tony suit up mid-air is brought to a screeching halt as you transition from Stark to suit, and every time you die you’ll be waiting around a minute to get back into the action. The PS4 is trying desperately to keep pace with developer Camouflaj’s ambitions but ends up often squandering that of the action and storytelling.
Some environments, too, are on the unsightly side; a visit to Shanghai, China recalls PS2-era architecture. It’s undoubtedly the best that can be done to get a wide-open area running in PSVR with long draw-distances, but even then some of the game’s combat sequences see the framerate drop on a standard PS4, which is the first time I’ve noticed that happen after Sony’s reportedly rigorous Q&A process.
It’s the headset itself that puts up the best fight; Camouflaj’s impressive 360-degree design somehow manages to work despite PSVR’s traditional tracking limitations. But it’s not perfect, and the Move controllers still make for a mental minefield when first getting to grips with the game. Plus, after two play sessions I took my headset off to discover that the PSVR headset I’ve kept well-maintained since launch day now has twisted, mangled wires from the amount of turning; something you don’t see on wired PC headsets.
All of this is a sign that developer’s aspirations are outgrowing the limits of the aging PSVR headset. The console has had a fantastic 2020 thus far, with Iron Man, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Paper Beast and other great games whetting our appetite while we wait for Dreams, Pistol Whip and Star Wars: Squadrons, but it’s clear that in Tony Stark’s latest adventure — one that was supported and published by PlayStation itself no less — the system has met its match. Anyone that wants to go above and beyond Iron Man VR will need a better foundation.
Fortunately, it seems like more stable footing is nearly here. Sony’s PS5 boasts near-instant load times thanks to an onboard solid-state drive (SSD) and an increase in horsepower might make only slight differences for traditional games, but could do wonders for the scope and polish of VR titles. Comments from Sony’s R&D division, too, suggest that a potential PSVR successor could be wireless, or at least provide that option (follow everything we know about PSVR 2 right here). Bundle all that in with revised controllers and expected updates to tracking and screen resolution, and you have a headset that could well make a gigantic leap forward.
That promise has me looking forward to hopefully revisiting Iron Man VR on new hardware just as much as I eagerly anticipate a sequel. PS5 launches this holiday season and will support the original headset, but we’re yet to see what else Sony has in store for the future of VR.
For today’s livestream we’re diving into Iron Man VR, the newly released PSVR-exclusive superhero action game from Camouflaj and Sony. If you’re curious about how we livestream the way we do then look no further than this handy guide for general tips and this guide specific to our Oculus Quest setup.
Our review went live for Iron Man VR yesterday and I called it “an absolute triumph” of a VR game. It takes a while to get used to the controls and everything, but once you do, it’s absolutely liberating to lift off as Tony Stark in the iconic armor and take to the skies. There are lots of weapons to pick from and it packs a satisfying 8-hour campaign.
The stream is planned to start at about 11:00 AM PT and will last for around two hours. We’ll be hitting just our YouTubeand I’ll be donning the suit in a fresh game, starting from scratch. By this time next week I hope to have completed my second complete playthrough from start to finish, live, on our channel! Jamie and/or Zeena will likely join to hang out and help out with chat.
You can see the full Iron Man VR stream embedded via YouTube right here down below once it’s up:
You can see lots of our past archived streams over in our YouTube playlist or even all livestreams here on UploadVR and various other gameplay highlights. There’s lots of good stuff there so make sure and subscribe to us on YouTube to stay up-to-date on gameplay videos, video reviews, live talk shows, interviews, and more original content!
And please let us know which games or discussions you want us to livestream next! We have lots of VR games in the queue that we would love to show off more completely.
Looking for Iron Man VR tips and tricks to get you started? We’ve got you covered!
Yup, Tony Stark takes flight on PSVR today, and we’re big fans of it. Camouflaj’s blockbuster isn’t just a great spectacle; it’s a genuinely deep and intense action game too. In fact if you don’t know what you’re doing, it can be pretty overwhelming.
We’ve conquered the game on the hardest difficulty, so we’re here to offer up some Iron Man VR tips to those struggling.
Kill Weaker Enemies First
Challenge in Iron Man VR doesn’t always stem from the strength of enemy attacks, so much as the number of them. The weakest class in the game will constantly be firing enemy orbs at you that, while largely harmless, can easily distract you from more powerful blows from tougher foes. When a wave of enemies come in, make sure to thin the herd as soon as possible so you can keep complete focus on tougher opponents.
Time Your Boosts And Make Some Distance
Dodging attacks in Iron Man VR often requires you to boost out of the way. It’s incredibly effective at avoiding basically anything thrown in your direction but it also requires a small recharge every time you use it, which can leave you vulnerable to powerful hits. A well-timed boost is the difference between life or death.
For the most part, the game’s also only designed to throw attacks at you when an enemy is facing you. Use this to your advantage; make constant twists and turns in your direction and, if health is really low, find a building or vehicle far off to take cover behind to help your armor recharge before heading back into the fray.
Lead With Auxillary Weapons, Follow-Through With Punches
It can be tempting to just rely on your trusty repulsor blasts in combat, but you’ll have a much easier time if you fully utilize Tony’s arsenal. Auxillary weapons mounted to your left and right arms can give you a great headstart in a fight if you unleash them as soon as enemies show up and are bunched closely together. Also don’t forget to punch; it’s another great way to dodge incoming fire, is deadly in its own right and can send enemies spiraling into others.
Know When To Quick Turn And When To Turn Naturally
Thanks to some incredible prediction algorithms, Iron Man VR is essentially the only PSVR game with Move support that can be played with 360 degrees of freedom. But the system isn’t perfect and you’ll need to get a feel for mixing up natural and quick turns, especially on hard difficulties. The quick turn is an essential feature in the game’s races and necessary when you find yourself getting wrapped up in wires.
Use Hover Mode
Iron Man VR is a game of mental arithmetic. Camouflaj has done a decent job making its control scheme as intuitive as possible on PlayStation Move, but it can often be too much to remember, especially when flying at 100 miles an hour. If you’re getting flustered, a good way to quickly gather yourself is to press the button for Hover Mode, which will bring Tony to an instant stop wherever you are. You can use this mode to get in some well-placed shots without having to move before boosting off again to avoid incoming fire. It’s a lifesaver.
Consider Normal Mode Before Hard Mode
If, like me, you like a challenge, then you might be tempted to play through Iron Man VR in Invincible Mode (Hard Mode) first time through. And it’s true, the game offers exhilarating combat in this mode, but it can also be incredibly frustrating. Checkpoints are few and far between, tracking and wire limitations can lead to cheap deaths and dying often means not only a long reload but rewatching a cutscene too.
Even with all the Iron Man VR tips listed above, this mode will still give you a real struggle. Remember this is a superhero game; you want to feel powerful. Hard Mode will always be there after your first playthrough, but we’d recommend seeing it through on Normal first.
Iron Man VR is available now on PSVR. Do you have any other Iron Man VR tips that have been working for you? Let us know in the comments below!
The verdict is in. After several days of playing you can read our Iron Man VR review right here to see how this superhero adventure stacks up!
Making superhero games is already very difficult. Not only do they have all of the typical stressors and difficulties that any other game has, but they have a pre-existing fan base of comic readers and movie watchers that have a specific idea in their head of what that hero is supposed to do, say, and look like. Add in years of idolization, the lack of any really reputable games about the character, and the astronomical task of making a good VR game in and of itself, and Marvel’s Iron Man VR had a tall order at hand.
Despite the odds, it absolutely delivers.
Camouflaj set out to make an Iron Man game that would feel both like an authentic portrayal donning the suit as Tony Stark and a completely fresh and original take on the character. They didn’t want to copy the MCU version of Iron Man (this is totally separate from any other versions of the character and uses comics as inspiration) and didn’t want to retell an origin story.
The end result is an entirely captivating and thrilling action game that features an incredible narrative full of stand out performances and unexpected twists. The voice cast here (featuring the likes of Josh Keaton and Jennifer Hale, to name a few) is one of the best I’ve seen in a VR game with excellent development over the course of the 8+ hour adventure. That being said though, Hale’s portrayal as Pepper Potts is excellent but she plays a painfully small part in the overall story. For the vast majority, she’s absent and it feels like a missed opportunity given her rapport with Keaton’s Stark.
Iron Man VR is structured like a linear action game with a central hub in the garage of Stark’s Malibu, California mansion. From the hub, you can tweak your armor loadout, pick missions to play (or replay,) explore and play around with things like a basketball game and home gym, or do flight and combat challenges. It’s a good structure with as much content as I’d expect from a AAA-quality game.
My playthrough clocked in around 8 hours and felt very well-paced. I spent a tiny bit of time doing optional challenges and poking around environments. If I had tried to unlock everything in the garage, get every suit design, and look for more Easter eggs it could have easily taken several more hours. There are also new pieces of content that open up after you finish the game and three difficulty modes to pick — I played on normal and never died, but that isn’t to say it wasn’t challenging or fun. I had several near-death experiences and frankly enjoyed feeling like a powerful superhero. Hard would likely be better if you’re looking for more of a challenge.
As good as the story is in Iron Man VR though, the real highlight here is how it feels to be Iron Man. A lot of the time you’ll see people say games like Spider-Man on PS4 or the Batman Arkham games made them feel like a superhero, but even those can’t measure up to the attention to detail here. I don’t think I’ve ever played a game that embodies feeling and being a superhero so completely. From the super-powered highs to the depressing lows.
Holding the PS Move controllers down by your waist, you tilt them backwards to aim your palms behind you and pull the triggers to engage thrusters and fly. This is the core of Iron Man VR’s gameplay. From this stance you can then twist your wrists to turn subtly in the air, point your palms up to go down, let go of the thrusters, then switch the direction you aim your palms to engage boost and sort of “drift” through the air as well.
Boosting to the side to dodge, then engaging hover to stop in place and line up a powerful blast was my bread and butter in tight combat scenarios. Mastering the art of flying with one-hand and shooting with the other, while moving, is another key tactic that feels amazing to pull off — even if a little imprecise at times.
But as cool as it all can feel, it’s mostly in spite of the PS Move controllers. They were outdated in 2016 when the PSVR launched and they’re just showing their age even more now.
Iron Man VR Review –Comfort
You’d think Iron Man VR would be an intense game not for the weak-stomached, but Camouflaj have actually done an impressive job making it palatable for people. In addition to the usual trimmings like snap vs. smooth turning and plenty of vignette tweaking if you need it, even at full blast there is always a HUD inside the Iron Man suit to ground you. While flight can get very fast (over 200MPH technically) it never feels nausea-inducing thanks to how it’s represented. When you’re on foot, it’s a node-based teleport movement system only.
At first I was worried combat would get extremely repetitive and just involve boosting, punching, and shooting, but there’s a lot of customization and nuance here. You start the game with basic repulsor beams and smart missiles that lock onto targets, but in the garage there are lots more. You can change the repulsor to a chargeable beam, unlock bombs, cluster bombs, missiles, and more. And yes, you’ve got the iconic Unibeam as a special as well.
As you enter each mission you see Tony’s breath reflected back on the metallic interior of the helmet. As the onboard systems activate, the HUD initializes and fades into view as your eye sockets appear and zoom onto your face. It really, really feels like you’re wearing the armor. VR developers of sci-fi games or helmet-based games really need to look at this and take notes.
At first the HUD is a little distracting because of just how much information is shown at all times, but it not only helps with immersion, it’s all useful information. It would be nice if you could adjust the size and placement of some elements though.
To its credit, Iron Man VR really feels like it’s pushing the PSVR to its limits. Despite what the developers say about designing the game around the PSVR and PS Move Controllers, I can’t help but feel like it would be so much better on a headset with higher resolution and more horsepower to eliminate jagged edges, no wires to avoid the tripping hazard from constantly spinning, and better controllers so I didn’t have to participate in mental gymnastics to remember which buttons do what. Mapping things like rotating, punching, and hovering all right there next to each other was still confusing even after nearly 10 hours of play time.
Iron Man VR Review –Like This? Try These
Iron Man VR is the best superhero VR game we’ve seen yet, but if you want to take control of other iconic Marvel heroes then look no further than wave-based co-op game Marvel Powers United VR on Oculus Rift. Or if you want some free thrills, the movie tie-in VR game Spider-Man: Far From Home VR on PSVR and PC VR is simple, but effective at keeping its web-slinging promise.
I’m still in awe that the pseudo-360 tracking works as well as it does. I never really had issues regardless of which direction I was facing in my room, even if my back was to the camera. The camera can always see your head and if it can’t see the controllers it uses the gyroscopes to estimate position and movement.
The absolute worst parts about Iron Man VR though, something that have zero concessions to make them not so bad, are the load times. I cannot stress enough how brutal some of these load times are.
I’m talking literally minutes on-end standing in silence. To Camouflaj’s credit they did a good job of providing useful tips, story recaps, and concept art to look at for around half of the load screens, but it’s still awful. You literally have enough time to go get a snack between missions. And to make matters worse, most missions begin with a load screen, then you get ready in the garage and pick where to go, then another load screen, do part of the mission, another load screen, do the rest, and then load screen back to the garage.
It’s almost comical how bad the load times are and really underscores the need for PS5 from a VR perspective. I’m eager to see what this game plays like on PS5 (fingers crossed it’s supported) even using the original existing PSVR headset.
Iron Man VR Review Final Impressions
Despite a few setbacks like horrendous load times, sometimes janky controls, and a few missed opportunities with its (surprisingly excellent) story, Iron Man VR is an absolute triumph. Camouflaj absolutely delivered a AAA-quality campaign-driven VR game featuring one of the world’s most iconic superheroes, all while showing him in a new light with an original story that isn’t weighed down by the baggage of the MCU and comics. Flying as Iron Man feels amazing, talking to characters as Tony Stark is full of wit and humor, and from top to bottom it’s an exhilarating and well-paced adventure that feels like it only grazes the surface of how high this developer can fly in VR.
Marvel’s Iron Man VR will be available from July 3rd, 2020 exclusively on the PSVR headset for PS4. We conducted this review using a PS4 Pro. For more on how we arrived at this verdict, see the UploadVR Review Scale below and check out our review guidelines. Like our Iron Man VR review? Let us know in the comments below!
Cleared your schedule for the weekend? We hope you have, because the PSVR exclusive Marvel’s Iron Man VR is headed for launch on July 3rd. To drum up even more hype, developers Camouflaj released the game’s launch trailer featuring plenty of high-flying action and story.
We’ve seen a fair bit of Iron Man VR in the months since we first went hands-on with the game last year. From what we’ve seen and experienced, the game has huge potential, which is part thanks to its innovative flying mechanic that—without exaggerating—makes you feel like Iron Man.
If you’re looking for a better breakdown of everything you’ve seen in today’s launch trailer, Camouflaj actually released a bunch of gameplay and story info just last week, which should help you understand some of what you’re seeing here.
Provided you drag your eyes across this article before July 3rd, you can still pre-order Iron Man VR in either a digital or disc Standard Edition for $40, and a Digital Deluxe Edition for $50 which includes four Iron Man armor skins that are unique to the Deluxe edition, extra upgrade points, the full soundtrack (digital), and an Iron ManVR PS4 theme.
The release date for Iron Man VR is fast-approaching on PSVR! Marvel’s Iron Man VR, developed by Camouflaj and published in part by Sony, releases this Friday, July 3rd and you can read our full review on Thursday, July 2nd, at 5:00AM PT.
This is one of those rare instances where we actually have an extremely good idea of what to expect out of a game prior to its release. Not only were there several demos we got to attend, there is now also a demo on the PSN Store for everyone to try, we’ve spoken to the developers at length, and generally know what this game has in store.
We can’t say anything else right now about it, but if you’re looking forward to the game’s release you can check out our review and plenty of video coverage right here at UploadVR.com a day before it launches starting at 5AM PT.
As a reminder: Iron Man VR features a brand new story. This is not connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, any existing video games, cartoons, or even comics. The team looked to past stories from the comics for inspiration, but are building this as its own, unique story that’s totally standalone and is not an origin story.
Let us know what you’re expecting down in the comments below!
