G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Straightforward, guns-a-blazing action to celebrate the gung-ho characters of the American-style ‘Action Man’… and the latest movie, of course.

Gears of War or Call of Duty this certainly is not, but Dads and lads seeking a rainy afternoon of shooting thrills in a G.I. Joe style-y won’t feel short changed here. It’s obvious that Electronic Arts are looking to trade on the fanaticism for the G.I. Joe brand, instead of just going for a straightforward movie tie-in. This is just a great opportunity to bring a kids’ game of super-soldiers to life with some passion.

It worked for us! Sure, the control of your ‘Joe’ feels basic compared to the elite first- and third-person shooters available for Xbox and PlayStation. It feels more like old run-and-gun classics like Commando (Capcom) and Total Carnage (Midway) in terms of basic movement and blasting. But this is a different class to the download games available on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network for sure. There are plenty of occasions where it’s better to get in close and melee attack shielded enemies, and on top of that each ‘Joe’ has his / her speciality to bring the real fireworks.

Missions take a good while to complete and are worth revisiting for hidden extras. The 12 main heroes have unique puzzle-solving abilities, requiring Heavy Duty, Ripcord, Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara, Duke or whomever to open doors or tear down specific obstacles. On your first play-through keeping on the look out for such opportunities is one of the ways that multiplayer co-op can be fun. The other is more competitive, encouraging Joes to blast as many Cobra minions as possible, because the spoils of war translate into Battle Points for upgrades.

Grown-up gamers will find it hard to shake the sense that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is not much more than a themed play-set. But this will be the same reason we expect younger players will stay enthralled. It’s certainly more fun playing alongside a friend and the freedom to drop in or out at any time is ideal for this. We didn’t have as much fun driving solo in a jeep with its rocket-launcher – too much like rubbing your tummy while patting your head. But with one person driving and the other shooting it’s cool. Sadly co-op is only playable offline. Yes, you’ll need to meet your friends in person!

The highlight of the show is the Accelerator Suit, also featured in the movie, which imparts supercharged attack and defence power to your Joes. This is powered up by the amount of destruction caused, and activated by pressing Y (or Triangle). For a minute or so your Joes are unstoppable, and the corny but brilliant G.I. Joe theme tune plays for the duration. It could easily be awful, but instead brings a wry grin.

Other crowd-pleasures include air strikes summoned under specific circumstances, but it’s the relentless explosions and overtly digital sound effects that are the lethal cocktail for anyone who’s a sucker for such thrills.

There are action games out there to be taken far more seriously, but we honestly feel that EA could not have produced a finer tribute to G.I. Joe on current consoles.

4 out of 5