dan5678's Journal: GI Joe Rise Of The Cobra For XBox

I was never a big fan of G.I. Joe when I was a kid. Perhaps it's much more popular now that there is a movie and subsequent video game for gaming systems.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is not a horrible video game. It's just ok. It needs more, but ends up as incredibly so-so, with some notable irritations that will drive you crazy should you want to try it out for yourself.

The game begins with Heavy Duty being taken away by the bad guys, and "Duke" and "Scarlett" going off in search of him. As you continue through the game, you're finding new "Joes" to add to your team, and before your next missions, you choose two Joes to take out. Each has specific weapons and fighting styles, and you may need a certain type of Joe to open a locked door. Sometimes you encounter a little booth that will enable you to change to a different Joe during your mission for just such a reason, which means you won't have to play a level over if you don't want to. Then again, if you miss one of the secretly hidden pick ups during a level, you will probably want to go back in search of the complete set. These items also unlock concept art, character info and videos, including some of the old G.I. Joe public service announcements that perhaps scared you as a child into doing the right thing. Those are part of the redeeming part of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

Each Joe has a special attack, as well as a more powerful special attack that can either be built up by success against enemies or by picking up giant medals that are around the area grounds. You can store up to three special attacks at a time, but they're not all that hard to accumulate, so you'll almost always have one that you can use when you need it.

On certain occasions, you are granted use of a vehicle. They aren't the easiest vehicles to drive, but they can take a lot of abuse and have pretty powerful weapons, so the offensive and defensive benefits outweigh the clumsiness in navigating them.

If you decide to play solo, you can still take advantage of the two Joes. Switching to the other soldier is only a button press away, which comes in handy if you need a different kind of combatant, but also to switch away from a heavily damaged Joe. The developers handle the other fighter, so you still get the team benefit.

Another aspect of the game that is a lot of fun is being able to play co-op with a friend or younger player, with the limitations that it happens on the same console. No online co-op here, which is pretty surprising considering the state of networked video games these days.

There is very little variety as you go about your missions, other than the look of the levels. You will run into plenty of invisible walls and unyielding terrain, no matter how powerful your weapons are.

The biggest problem you'll face in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is that you have no control over the camera, sometimes you will turn a corner and be totally blind to what's waiting for you a few yards ahead until it starts firing at you. Other times, you'll end up on the other side of a cover wall or object, and your character will be totally out of sight until you move your Joe out.

The way damage happens in the game is that you only have to take a few hits to have your gauge turn red, a short time taking damage can be terminal. You have ways to avoid damage, but sometimes it happens so quickly that you can't react in time. You can also try to take cover, but an enemy can also quickly destroy cover, which makes you feel powerless to save yourself. A checkpoint in this game is only there to lock in the points you've scored. If both of you Joes die in a battle, you don't go back to the last checkpoint. You start back at the beginning of the level again.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is like vanilla ice cream. It is fine for what it offers, but is plain compared to what you could be having.