Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra adopts a run-and-gun formula reminiscent of Neo Contra, placing the camera just behind the player’s shoulder as you blaze through waves of Cobra grunts. The core mechanics are straightforward: swap between machine guns, rocket launchers, and other period-appropriate firearms, then activate the Delta 6 Accelerator Suit for short bursts of invulnerability. This power‐up system adds a tactical layer, forcing you to choose the right moment to go all-out or conserve your special meter for tougher encounters.

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Character variety is a highlight, with twelve distinct Joes to unlock as you progress through the campaign. Each operative falls into one of three categories—Commandos excel in close quarters, Heavy Weapons specialists dominate long-range engagements, and Soldiers offer a balanced skill set. While the differences between these roles aren’t always dramatic, they encourage experimentation and replaying stages with different loadouts to suit your play style.

Levels are punctuated by vehicle segments—jeeps, hovercraft, and even jet fighters—that break up the on-foot gunfights. These sequences provide welcome variety, though some can feel underdeveloped, with clumsy handling or simplistic objectives. The boss battles, meanwhile, consistently deliver a satisfying sense of scale, whether you’re taking down an assault tank or facing off against a hulking mechanized Cobra prototype.

Multiplayer co-op is implemented via drop-in/drop-out functionality, allowing a friend to join your single-player session seamlessly. When playing solo, an AI partner fills the second slot, though their effectiveness varies; sometimes they’ll cover your back, but at other times they’ll run headlong into a hail of enemy fire. Despite these hiccups, having a second gunner greatly enhances the chaotic fun of pushing through enemy strongholds together.

Graphics

The visual presentation of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra rides the wave of late-2000s console power, delivering crisp character models and detailed weapon textures. Each Joe and Cobra soldier has distinctive armor and color schemes, and the metallic glint on your rocket launcher or the cloth folds in your uniform are rendered with surprising care. Cutscenes, while not quite movie-quality, effectively capture the larger-than-life vibe of the franchise.

Environments range from sun-baked desert outposts to dimly lit industrial complexes, and though some backdrops reuse textures or layout patterns, the set-pieces generally feel well thought out. Dynamic lighting helps set the mood—flickering sparklers in a factory or muzzle flashes in a nighttime raid add cinematic flair, even if the engine occasionally stumbles with shadow pop-ins or texture streaming hiccups.

Frame rate performance is mostly stable on consoles, holding close to 30fps during intense firefights. However, when multiple explosions rock the screen or several jet fighters swoop in at once, you might notice a brief stutter. These slowdowns are momentary and don’t usually derail the action, but they remind you that this build is optimized more for spectacle than sheer smoothness.

Story

Departing from the exact plot of the 2009 movie, the game weaves a fresh narrative in which Cobra Commander executes a global offensive to overthrow world governments. This new storyline allows familiar characters like Duke, Scarlett, and Snake Eyes to shine in original missions that aren’t constrained by the film’s scenes. Fans of the brand will appreciate the expanded lore and glimpses at Cobra’s shadowy laboratories.

The pacing of the narrative, however, is uneven. Early chapters build tension effectively with undercover infiltrations and dramatic betrayals, but as the game progresses, exposition dumps in brief cutscenes can feel rushed. Some mission objectives are shoehorned in purely to advance the plot, resulting in the occasional disconnect between what you’re fighting for and why it matters.

Voice acting is competent, with recognizable timbres for key characters—even if the delivery occasionally lapses into cliché. Action-ballad music cues and explosive sound design help keep the tempo high, but deeper character moments are scarce. If you’re looking for moral ambiguity or intricate allegiances, you won’t find much here; instead, expect a straightforward “good vs. evil” romp befitting G.I. Joe’s cartoon roots.

Overall Experience

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra delivers a solid dose of nostalgic action, packing in enough variety—weapon loadouts, character classes, vehicle segments, and boss battles—to engage both casual players and franchise aficionados. While the core run-and-gun loop doesn’t reinvent the wheel, the Delta 6 suit mechanic and the co-op mode give it an edge over more generic shooters of its era.

Technical shortcomings, such as the occasional frame drop and the AI partner’s erratic behavior, never fully derail the fun but are worth noting for completionists or those who demand polished solo experiences. Graphically, the game impresses with detailed models and dynamic lighting, though level design sometimes errs on the repetitive side.

Ultimately, this tie-in transcends typical licensed staleness by offering a standalone adventure that feels true to the G.I. Joe mythos. If you’re craving a cooperative blast-‘em-up with a touch of military camp and a steady stream of heavy weapons, Cobra Commander’s reign of terror has never been more inviting to topple.

Retro Replay Score

4.9/10