Talk of Grand Theft Auto IV possibly hurting Iron Man's opening was clearly wrong. According to Variety, the movie made $104.2 million during its opening weekend, proving Paramount's Rob Moore right when he said that young males can carve out two hours to see Iron Man.

Variety did explore GTA IV's impact on the home video market recently, which showed no major releases targeted at the young male demo for the week. Probably the best comparison would be to see how the Iron Man video game did in sales when NPD comes out next month, and we know we're going out on a limb on this one, but we're pretty sure GTA IV won that battle.

Movie games are a dime a dozen. For some reason, people don't think Iron Man will be different. While we'd like to be optimistic, let's remember that this is still a movie game. It would be great if it surprised us and was actually ... well, good.

Catch more of IGN's videos of the PSP version of Iron Man here.

This video goes behind-the-scenes with San Francisco developer, Secret Level -- the dev studio working on PS3 and 360 versions of Iron Man. The crew talks about the challenges and techniques involved with making the game, but also focus on how they harnessed Iron Man's flying abilities. Not only that, but the video also displays tasty in-game footage and concept art.

So far, we like what we've seen of the game. We need to pat Secret Level on the back. The flight gameplay looks glorious, as does the environments when flying. We hope it will remain this way once we play the game for ourselves.

Of course Iron Man is yet another movie cash-in, a title that will sit on the shelf and call to you as you march out the cinema with glitzy, superhero shenanigans still fresh in your memory. But aside from all that, wanting to play as the eponymous, metal-clad cad is a desire that doesn't just come from the foul wells of corporate synergy and marketing. Nigh indestructible and capable of dishing out destruction from the palm of his hand, it's no challenge to see the appeal in controlling Iron Man -- a literal can of whoop-ass.

It does come as a major concern then, when his in-game movements display more than a little clumsiness. It's not entirely Iron Man's fault -- he's a flying tank that performs best when it maintains momentum and moves in a straight line -- but the 3rd-person action shown to us by a Sega representative seemed hampered by the controls and camera. While there's a great sense of speed and freedom conveyed by soaring across a desert, it's only when Iron Man cools his jets and starts punching things that issues arise.

Much to our (elated) surprise, the Iron Man video game is looking good. Adding a few more mega fonzies to our Cool-O-Meter is the addition of a few actors from the film. Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard and Shaun Toub will all lend the voices to the game, according to a Sega press release.

To catch up the few people who live under a rock, Downey plays Tony "Iron Man" Stark, Howard plays Lt. Colonel James Rhodes (who later becomes War Machine). Toub has a more minor role, playing fellow Afghanistan captive Yin Sen. We wonder if he'll fill in the same role as Bruce "Don't call me Ash" Campbell in the Spider-Man games as a tutorial guide. The Iron Man game is expected to arrive just before the film's May 2 release.

[Via Press Release]

If there's one thing that can make us more apprehensive than a movie-based-game, it's a comic book-based-movie-based-game. We've found that the fewer levels of adaptation a product is forced through, the better off it is for it. However, after watching the VGA premiere trailer and the recent "Iron Flight" trailer for Sega's Iron Man, we must admit, it's becoming difficult to maintain this trepidatious front -- the game looks rad. Between the Black Sabbath, the missile suplex, the blue stealth armor, and the halving of not one, but two tanks, we're pretty sure the pleasure centers in our brain just burst. We highly suggest checking out that trailer while we attempt to drive to the nearest emergency neurologist.

We know, we know, it's just a video clip. And yes, we know that we've been burned by sexy trailers for mediocre licensed games before. But this new trailer for Iron Man (shown during last night's Spike VGAs) is just so freaking good, we're finding it hard to keep our cynical composure.

How about when Iron Man throws a fighter jet, or when it grabs a missile and redirects it? How about the original gray armor? Awesome. Everything here is. There is one thing that troubles us though: At one point, Tony Stark flies through a ring. If it's a stylish move, all's well, but if Iron Man's going to get into some Superman 64 shenannigans, things are going to get hectic.

Yes, perhaps we have heard of practically all the games Sega says they're showing at E3, but we now know a bit more specifically when we'll get our soon-to-be-E3-cramped mitts on them. Due this fall are Bleach: Shattered Blade (Wii and DS), NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Wii), SEGA Rally Revo, PS3, Xbox 360, PSP, PC) Sonic Rush Adventure (DS), Universe at War: Earth Assault (PC) and Virtua Fighter 5 (Xbox 360). In the holiday season, expect Ghost Squad (Wii), The Golden Compass (Multi), Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii, DS).

Next year, look for Condemned 2: Bloodshot (Xbox 360, PS3) in February, Iron Man (Multi) in spring, Universe at War: Earth Assault (Xbox 360) in Q1, The Club (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) in winter, and Space Siege (PC) at some point during the year. If you want to learn more about any of these, we've taken the liberty of posting the whole release after the jump.

As more and more comic books are being turned into movies (X-Men, Hellboy, Sin City, etc.), comic book characters are becoming a hot commodity. SEGA is now jumping into the fray, picking up the videogame rights to Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor. All three characters are set to have feature films in the near future and it makes sense that SEGA would do their best to acquire them (blockbuster movie = free marketing). These characters will join SEGA's roster alongside Iron Man, whom the company acquired last year. Iron Man, incidentally, is also being made into a feature film.

Given the quality of recent SEGA titles (cough, Sonic the Hedgehog, cough), we remain suspect of the new Marvel games. Still, comic book heroes generally make decent fodder for videogames (Superman notwithstanding), so we're cautiously optimistic. Here's hoping.

Since we're on the topic, how about we get Captain America and the Avengers on XBLA? Let's get somebody working on that, mkay?

[Via Joystiq. Thanks, Annie]]

Superhero games are nothing new, but like comic movies, the games seem to be of a higher quality lately. With that in mind, SEGA has announced a deal with Marvel to bring games featuring their beloved characters to PC, next-gen consoles and handhelds. But what can I say that SEGA PR can't say better? Here's what SEGA US president Simon Jeffery said:

"As SEGA continues to create more games that are built from the ground up to appeal to Western audiences it makes perfect sense to work with a powerhouse company like Marvel that has established and beloved characters like The Incredible Hulk, Captain America, and Thor. These are icons that people are already familiar with and love, so our goal is to give gamers the ability to play out their fantasies by actually becoming these Super Heroes."

I think I'm personally looking forward to a Thor game the most, if for only because he hasn't hit the gaming space quite as often as the other heroes. How about you? Which of these Marvel characters would you most like to play with on your PSP?

[Via IGN]

Sega, I love ya and I hate ya. Nights on the Wii? Come on, the SIXAXIS would work too -- look at flOw. Also, why no traditional Phantasy Star? Why are you pooing all over the Sonic franchise? At least you're not cutting any corners on the Virtua Fighter 5 front. SEGA, you seem to cater to the fighting enthusiast. Dreamcast was a great arcade fighter system -- their arcade stick (whatever its name was) was arguably the best ever. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is still in my white box.

Marvel understands this and continues its relationship with Sega by giving them three more superhero names to utilize: The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America. Sega already has an Iron Man game in the works, probably to follow the upcoming film's adventure with Tony Stark. Iron Man is Tony Stark, right? Or is my memory rapidly melting away into reality? We can expect most of these games to coincide with their respective films, but maybe we'll get treated to one with a unique story. Who knows? ...The Shadow knows. Awful.

A limited number of the Avengers assemble! It may lack the punch of the standard battle cry, but it seems to be the one on Sega's lips as they add The Hulk, Thor and Captain America to their character roster. What unites these three characters? Are there a handful of designers at Sega with a bold vision to bring these favorites to life on consoles ... or could it be that all three are the subject of forthcoming blockbuster films? Well, Reuters says that Sega's already got a team on The Hulk in anticipation of the June 2008 film starring Edward Norton, if that helps narrow it down.

Sega is already creating an Iron Man game internally for consoles in conjunction with the Robert Downy Jr. flick due out next year and Reuters reports that the game is being made "using next-generation technology," so it should be an instant classic. We're anxious to see what Sega does with the heroes, but allow us to make one small suggestion: Wiimote + Thor's hammer = funtastic. That's all we're saying.

This one's definitely a rumor, since it's coming from Rumor Reporter -- the same guys who spread all that awful Warhawk stuff. Whether that is true or not is irrelevant. We're here to focus on the latest rumors. There are a couple of games being tossed around and, for the most part, aren't surprising but worth talking about.

• Guitar Hero is making its way onto the Wii, apparently. That'll turn out pretty fun. Probably.
• A videogame based on the upcoming Ironman movie is in the works for the PS3 and XBox 360, under the creative umbrella of Sega and developed by Secret Level.
• Capcom intends to continue the Lost Planet franchise on the 360 and PS3 with an unconfirmed title as of yet titled "Lost Planet Wars". This game will probably be an RTS or some other strategy-oriented title, much like the game following Halo 3, titled Halo Wars, will be.

So, we're gonna support these rumors because... well, they're not exactly rumors. These are expected! Not entirely, but if these things didn't exist, that would be silly and sad. Maybe the next Lost Planet will be something completely different or completely the same as the first game. Leave your thoughts.