G.I. JOE: Rise of Cobra Review

Written by: Steve Martin Posted: 3rd September 2009

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G.I. JOE: Rise of Cobra Details:

	Action
	PlayStation 3/Xbox 360/Nintendo Wii/PSP/Nintendo DS
	EA Games
	EA Games

16+

Out Now

1-2

Movie tie-in games have a history of being, well, a bit rubbish and a bit of a rush job to utilise the license for a quick cash-in opportunity, so I approach G.I. Joe with some fear and uncertainly.

From what I remember G.I. Joe was supposed to be a super-secret elite task force. However this game shows them to be more like trigger-happy privates! The game sees you taking a team of two Joe’s into battle against the evil COBRA and their henchmen, in a variety of locations including the Artic and desert, although some levels also take place inside compounds, but the outdoor levels are more enjoyable than the drab and dull bunker levels.

Although there is a healthy roster of Joe’s to choose from, with more being obtained as you find them in the main story mode, they boil down to just three different types, your basic combat trooper type, jack-of-all-trades but master of none, the heavy gunners, impressive fire power but slow in melee combat and commando soldiers, better up close as they are nimble and experts in close combat. All the playable characters are in one of these categories with similar primary weapons depending on their class, only the special attack is unique.

Missions centre on vanquishing foes, vehicles and their fortifications, sometimes having to take out specific targets such as force field generators or ammo dumps, it’s all pretty standard and simple, utilising cover to take out the more difficult mounted guns. Most of the missions are fairly short and can be completed fairly easily to begin with. The gameplay is very arcade-like, as you gain points for everything you destroy, and multiplier pick-ups litter the levels. Other pick-ups give you special attacks that can be used whenever you need them. This is backed-up by the two-player team mechanic that allows you to swap between characters at will in the single-player mode. As well as the ability to utilise your powered-up suits once you have scored enough points, which offers unlimited special attacks and invulnerability for a short time! Some levels see you taking command of vehicles but these are difficult to control and are far too powerful and nigh-on indestructible!

My major problems with this game is the 3rd person perspective that allows no movement of the camera angle, this is archaic and means you are constantly attacked by enemies whom are out of view because the camera is too far behind you and hasn’t swung round the corner automatically! The next big gripe is the fact that the game is too gung-ho, as I mentioned in my opening statement. You have unlimited ammo for your primary weapon and it aims at the closet baddie (or explosive barrel) automatically, so you just run through the game constantly holding the fire button. Most of the enemies will eventually die and you’ll get quite far to begin with, only the mounted guns and the bosses require any sort of tactics such as using cover. I understand that this is probably intended for younger gamers, but it detracts from the gaming experience as everything is done for you, therefore you feel removed from the action. The AI (enemy and friendly) is also lacking some much needed common sense, creating an unrealistic atmosphere in which to play the game.

It’s not very impressive graphically, characters and locations lack detail and identical baddies are in abundance throughout, even the cut scenes lack any sort of flair and fail to make an impression. The awkward camera also means that it can be difficult to keep up with the action on-screen.

The voice-acting is patchy with some cut scenes being fine and then other times it is hard to understand what they are actually saying, subtitles are a must! The phrases uttered by your enemies are also repeated far too often for my liking and are suitably low quality. The music score itself is pretty subdued and only the jazzy music when you opt to use your powered-up suit is all that is really worthy of a mention!

Overall, this game is a very basic shoot-‘em-up that lacks any sort of cerebral engagement, and hence feels very lightweight and far too easy to play. The camera is a major gripe that is a throwback to games made over ten years ago! The simple missions and simple gameplay may appeal to younger or casual gamers, but will frustrate and disappoint anyone more experienced. Less “GO JOE!” and more “GO HOME JOE!”