• Xbox 360 ››
• Action ››
• G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

G.I. Joe Preview

• By Cameron Lewis
• March 23, 2009 15:03 PM PST
• Print
• Email this!
• Share
  • Digg
  • Yahoo Buzz!
  • FaceBook
  • StumbleUpon
  • del.icio.us

Throw Contra, Gears of War, and Devil May Cry into a blender and you'll get G.I. Joe, the video game answer to the upcoming blockbuster film. Feast your eyes on some early reconnaissance intel, exclusively from GamePro.

Hasbro first dropped G. I. Joe and his comrades on the front lines back in 1964, but the offbeat assortment of charismatic villains and valiant heroes is best remembered for the animated antics of the mid-1980s cartoon series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero that always managed to be on television just as we got home from school. More than two decades later, the whole gang's preparing to storm the summer movie season, and the action doesn't end there.

Cobra Clutch

In the film, an arms dealer by the name of Destro puts illicit weaponry into the hands of all the wrong people, and it's up to a covert team of specialized operatives to foil his schemes. But the video game is anything but a cheesy play-the-movie chore. The Cobra organization isn't easily subdued, and your adventure picks up where the movie's storyline leaves off: whether trouble arises on sand-choked dunes or snowbound arctic wastes or sweltering jungles, you'll fight the good fight against a wide variety of Cobra enemies, from classic H.I.S.S. tanks and Trouble Bubbles to hordes of Cobra troopers and mechanized Big Daddy look-alikes. The storyline is still under tight wraps due to its close ties to the upcoming film. But the key plot hook will focus on a classic cartoon episode arc involving the creation of the Mass Device, a high-tech weapon that Cobra will use to teleport its armies to anywhere in the world. Naturally, the Joes aren't going to let that happen without a fight.

Don't let the militaristic flavor fool you into expecting realistic modern battlefields or jingoistic political dogma. G. I. Joe is all about intense and immediately accessible twitch action gameplay, and draws liberally from an eclectic variety of disciplines, like the screen-filling mayhem of side-scrolling shoot-'em-ups (Contra, Metal Slug) and the frenetic havoc of modern third-person run-and-gun blitzes (Gears of War). An intuitive pick-up-and-play control scheme promises to let green recruits and seasoned couch commanders alike jump into the conflict quickly. Newcomers can dole out damage with just the left analog stick and a trigger finger, while more advanced players can use both analog sticks to strafe around opponents and latch onto cover. Whichever way you play, the controls are simple, streamlined, and immediately accessible - a key goal of the development team.

Coordinated Chaos

Before you embark on a mission, you'll choose two agents from your available G.I. Joe character roster, and not all soldiers are created equal. Though all of the characters under your command boast melee and ranged attacks of some kind, each belongs to one of three distinct archetypes that determines his or her particular strengths. The Commando class excels at close-quarters melee combat, the Heavy packs serious firepower but is most formidable from a distance, and the Combat Soldier offers a balance between those extremes. You'll want to take the environment and opposition into account as well. "Playing in tight corridors and tunnels is great for characters like Scarlett," according to lead designer Dax Berg, "while outdoor attacks from Flight Pods are best suited to guys like Flash."

There's no reason you have to go it alone, either. Though you can switch between your chosen champions at any moment, a pal can pick up a controller and aid the cause of freedom at any time with drop-in, drop-out cooperative play. "Online functionality is still being evaluated," says Marsala, "but sharing a couch with your buddy will be the best way to play."

The division of duties is clear and simple, but paves the way for diverse weaponry and considerable strategic depth. Snake Eyes can slice and dice Cobra foot soldiers with his devastating katana, or deliver skull-crushing charged blows that launch foes into the air, ala God of War, for some mid-air juggle combos. But Snake Eyes won't be nearly as effective without a ranged workhorse like Heavy Duty mopping up any would-be assailants from a distance. Conversely, Heavy Duty alone can find himself overwhelmed and clumsily dodging punches, but a Combat Soldier or Commando pal can effectively keep his line of fire clear. It's the coordination between these three classes that is one of G.I. Joe's most interesting gameplay elements - imagine putting Dante from Devil May Cry and Kratos from God of War II into one team-based game, and you'll have an idea of the strategic possibilities in G.I. Joe. For example, a melee-centric Commando player like Snake Eyes can launch an enemy into the air and allow a nearby Heavy or Soldier to perforate the victim in mid-air for massive damage (and extra points).

Certain grates and doors are only accessible to exploration-minded members of a particular archetype and can lead to all sorts of hidden goodies, but cooler still is the fact that every playable character gets a powerful special attack tailored to his signature personality. Team leader Duke can toss smart-bomb grenades, Snake Eyes can freak out with venomous fury in the direction of your choice, and Heavy Duty can sweep his minigun to spray in 180 degrees of withering fire.

• Previous Page Prev
• Next Page Next
• 1
• 2
• 3

• Print
• Email this!
• Share
  • Digg
  • Yahoo Buzz!
  • FaceBook
  • StumbleUpon
  • del.icio.us