EA’s GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra is one of those games you’ll either love or hate depending on your age.
Publisher: EA
By Charlie Brown
GI Joe was one of my favourite games when I was young, and I was really looking forward to playing GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Unfortunately, I seem to have outgrown the game in more ways than one.
To be fair, I’m used to the likes of Halo and F.E.A.R 2, which are aimed at my generation, and have very stylised graphics that are much more in tune with gaming experiences I enjoy.
First of all, the graphics were disappointing. The handling of the camera work, and just a few clunky problems such as being shot at by villains who were off-screen; or the camera angles when in the all-terrain vehicles are shoddy, added to my overall lethargy when playing the game.
At it most basic, you are a band of GI Joe warriors who are tasked with rescuing some team mates, while also trying to stop the villainous Cobra organisation spreading its tentacles throughout the world.
Like other recent gaming reviews, I also garnered the opinion of a couple of little mates of mine, Oliver (9) and Elliott (7), and it’s here where our opinions vary markedly.
Oliver raved about it, and thinks it is one of the best shooter games he has played. To be fair, as far as violence goes, this is about his age limit. He has not played the more graphic games due to his parents not allowing him to, but he certainly loved the premise of this one.
“I liked how you went from level to level, and how the Wii gives you a power up button,” he says. “My favourite character is Heavy Duty, whose gun starts firing really fast when you hit the power up button.”Oliver also says he likes how you get to free GI Joe characters when you get past a certain level.
Elliott didn’t seem as fussed as Oliver about the game initially – until he started playing – then it was all action. He was most impressed with the accelerator ability, which virtually makes your player indestructible. They went through most levels easily and found the game simple to follow.
At the end of the day, this is a first-person shooter game designed for the younger generation. If you are a huge fan of graphic violence, blood and guts, and a realistic view of a war zone, then this isn’t for you. If you’re just beginning your shooter gaming career, then this probably isn’t a bad place to start.
Charlie Rating: 2.5 shacks out of 5
Oliver Rating: 4.5 shacks out of 5
Elliott Rating: 4 shacks out of 5
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