G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Following hot on the heels of Michael Bay’s big-screen re-imagining of Hasbro’s legendary Transformers toy line comes yet another Hollywood pillaging of our childhoods in the form of G.I. Joe.

Just as dumb and overbearing as the two Transformers films have been, the G.I. Joe live-action movie would appear to be notable only for squeezing Sienna Miller’s slender frame into a figure-hugging leather catsuit, but at least it’s given EA Mobile the excuse to produce this moderately enjoyable action title.

It’s your task to guide the three-man G.I. Joe counter-terrorism team to glory in its battle against the evil Cobra organisation. The trio of combat experts - Duke, Ripcord and Scarlett - all control similarly but each is blessed with unique weapons.

Duke, for example, possesses a sniper rifle which can take out distant targets, whereas Scarlett has an EMP gun which can shut down hostile machinery. Ripcord’s speciality is grenades, which come in very handy when you want to blast apart any pesky door that happens to bar your progress.

As well as these special items of ordnance each member of your team is equipped with a patented G.I. Joe Accelerator Suit which slowly recharges itself after you take damage. However, take too much of a beating and your burly protagonist will end up as lifeless as one of the plastic toy soldiers from which this game takes it inspiration.

The suit also imbues its wearer with improved agility and the power to perform massive leaps, both of which deplete a special gauge that slowly refills over time.

While G.I. Joe can hardly be described as devastatingly original the action is slick and gratifying. The presentation is also top-notch, with highly-detailed graphics and superb animation.

Unfortunately, the gameplay is almost as dumb and vacuous as its big-screen namesake and despite the presence of vehicle-based combat sections - where you get to pilot G.I. Joe vehicles such as the Howler and the Mobat - things soon become a little too repetitive.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

High production values can’t mask the fact that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is distinctly lacking in the originality stakes; it’s fun for a while but soon becomes too samey for long-term enjoyment to take hold
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Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.