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Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
Iron Man X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal for PlayStation 1
Iron Man X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal for PlayStation 1 is a side-scrolling action game in which two armoured comic-book heroes work together. You choose Iron Man or X-O Manowar and battle through industrial complexes, urban areas and alien environments. Soldiers, gun emplacements and electrical traps stand in your way. As well as shooting, you use jumps, punches and kicks to clear space. A second player can control the other hero simultaneously, letting you coordinate attacks and movement.
Your armour does more than absorb damage. Both heroes can hover briefly and have ranged weapons and a powerful chest attack. You can also pick up objects and throw them. Enemies are not always on the same plane as your character: certain targets are in the background and require an attack aimed in that direction. During a fight, you therefore alternate between close-range punches, shooting sideways and aiming towards another plane.
Along the way, you replenish your armour's protection and collect extra lives or chances to continue after defeat. Bosses such as Goliath and Titania conclude sections of the journey. The controls use the directional buttons and buttons of a standard PlayStation controller. Playing together requires two controllers, not a Multitap. The game uses passwords to continue later; carefully write down the code when you interrupt your playing session.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 1 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Iron Man X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal for PlayStation 1 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Iron Man X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal
Acclaim published Iron Man X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal in 1996, with Realtime Associates as developer. The project paired Marvel Comics' Iron Man with X-O Manowar from the Valiant universe. Both heroes owe their abilities to powerful armour, but came from different comic-book series. That similarity provided the basis for a shared action game in which the characters do not have to fight each other: two players can simultaneously battle the same enemies.
The collaboration also received a comic-book treatment that same year. X-O Manowar / Iron Man: In Heavy Metal and Iron Man / X-O Manowar: In Heavy Metal together formed a two-part story written by Fabian Nicieza and drawn by Andy Smith. The comics connect the universes and feature enemies associated with this meeting. Around the original release, Heavy Metal therefore existed as a recognisable crossover project, with the pairing of the two armoured protagonists as its common foundation.
On PlayStation, that meeting took the form of a side-scrolling shooting and fighting game with three-dimensional-looking characters. Being able to shoot targets behind the normal playing plane reflects the emphasis on extra depth in Acclaim's original promotion. Progress nevertheless remained based on separate action areas and passwords. This release belongs to the early PlayStation years; it is neither an adaptation of the later Iron Man films nor the separately developed handheld version bearing the same title.
Similar games for PlayStation 1
Spider-Man for PlayStation shares the Marvel heroes, recognisable villains and alternation between fighting and moving through an environment. There, you swing on webs, climb walls and explore three-dimensional locations as one hero. Heavy Metal keeps progression largely side-scrolling and lets a second player join simultaneously. Both give their protagonist more options than simply punching, but Spider-Man uses webs and height, while Heavy Metal combines armour weapons, hovering and shooting into the background.
X-Men: Mutant Academy also uses comic-book heroes with their own powers and lets you string attacks into combinations. It organises those abilities into direct duels in fighting arenas, where you weigh distance and the right attack timing against one opponent. Heavy Metal has its heroes travel through action areas and fight groups of enemies together. The similarity lies in recognisable superpowers; Mutant Academy turns them into contests against one another, while Heavy Metal creates a shared journey past hazards, platforms and bosses.
Mega Man X4 shares the side-scrolling platforming, armoured protagonists and boss battles. You choose X or Zero for a separate adventure, with ranged shots or sword attacks providing different starting points. Heavy Metal pairs Iron Man and X-O Manowar for a journey you can also undertake simultaneously with a second player. Both require combining jumps and attacks, but X4 places greater emphasis on routes, hidden upgrades and learning individual bosses' patterns.
Like Heavy Metal, Rapid Reload combines side-scrolling shooting, jumping and encounters with large bosses. You choose a character and switch between weapon types to hit enemies at different ranges. Heavy Metal adds cooperation between two comic-book heroes, brief hovering and attacks on targets in the background. The shared principle is to keep moving while shooting; Rapid Reload focuses this on a solo journey with guns, while Heavy Metal lets you divide the action between two players if you wish.
Batman Forever: The Arcade Game also has two comic-book heroes advance together against groups of enemies and uses recognisable weapons and special attacks. Batman and Robin fight Gotham's underworld with gadgets and extensive attack combinations. Heavy Metal additionally gives its armoured heroes a strong emphasis on shooting, hovering and targets in the background. Both revolve around fighting through successive areas; Batman Forever emphasises street brawling, while Heavy Metal combines that combat with platform sections and ranged weapons.
