Games
Sony
Microsoft
Nintendo
Other Platforms
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
70
Ashes Cricket 2009
xx
Assassin's Creed II
70
Axel & Pixel
60
Bakugan Battle Brawlers
81
Band Hero
63
Bass Pro Shops: The Strike
92
Batman: Arkham Asylum
89
Beatles: Rock Band, The
xx
Black College Football: The Xperience - The Doug Williams Edition
xx
Blood Bowl
83
Borderlands
44
Brave: A Warrior's Tale
83
Brutal Legend
70
Bubble Bobble Neo!
79
Bust-A-Move Live!
xx
Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010
xx
Cabela's Outdoor Adventures 2009
xx
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
61
Cars Race-O-Rama
67
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
72
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Commander's Challenge
xx
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Deadly Intent
45
Darkest of Days
83
Defense Grid: The Awakening
87
DiRT 2
84
DJ Hero
86
Dragon Age: Origins
xx
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast
xx
Dreamkiller
57
F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn
54
Fairytale Fights
65
Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta
91
FIFA Soccer 10
66
Football Genius: The Ultimate Quiz
91
Forza Motorsport 3
42
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
xx
Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection
79
Gears of War 2: Dark Corners
68
G-Force
90
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
85
Guitar Hero 5
83
Halo 3: ODST
xx
Hei$t
62
Heroes Over Europe
80
IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey
63
Inferno Pool
61
Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao
73
Ion Assault
xx
James Cameron's Avatar: The Game
xx
Jurassic: The Hunted
xx
Karaoke Revolution
63
King of Fighters XII, The
xx
Left 4 Dead 2
76
Left 4 Dead: Crash Course
xx
LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues
75
LEGO Rock Band
72
Lips: Number One Hits
62
Lucidity
xx
Madagascar Kartz
68
Madballs in Babo: Invasion
85
Madden NFL 10
69
Magnacarta 2
82
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
73
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2
48
Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station
61
Military Madness: Nectaris
73
Mini Ninjas
xx
MX vs. ATV Reflex
83
NBA 2K10
71
NBA 2K10: Draft Combine
80
NBA Live 10
xx
NCAA Basketball 10
83
NCAA Football 10
83
Need for Speed SHIFT
88
NHL 10
68
NHL 2K10
77
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
80
Panzer General: Allied Assault
84
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection
xx
Planet 51
77
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
xx
Qubed
63
Raiden IV
xx
Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure!
38
Raven Squad: Operation Hidden Dagger
66
Red Faction: Guerrilla - Demons of the Badlands
58
Risen
66
Rock Band Country Track Pack
xx
Rock Band Metal Track Pack
xx
Rogue Warrior
xx
Saboteur, The
75
Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space
62
Saw
88
Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, The
69
Section 8
88
Shadow Complex
71
Sonic & Knuckles
71
South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!
84
Splosion Man
xx
SpongeBob's Truth or Square
42
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes
38
Summer Athletics 2009
60
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled
80
Tekken 6
xx
Tony Hawk: RIDE
69
Tornado Outbreak
44
Tour de France 2009
57
Tower Bloxx Deluxe
86
Trials HD
xx
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 2: The Last Resort
xx
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 3: Muzzled!
xx
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 4: The Bogey Man
39
Warriors: Street Brawl, The
44
Watchmen: The End is Nigh - Part 2
56
Watchmen: The End is Nigh - Parts 1 and 2
69
Way of the Samurai 3
69
WET
51
Where the Wild Things Are
72
Wolfenstein
81
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
55
Yo-Ho Kablammo
65
Zombie Apocalypse
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 59 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 17 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >
Game Info
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Double Helix
Genre(s): Action
Players: 2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Release Date: August 4, 2009
Summary
As COBRA unleashes its deadliest plot yet, the G.I. JOE Team is counting on you and your hand-picked team of heroes to lead the counterattack. Every mission is critical and so is every G.I. JOE character. Picking up where the Paramount Pictures live action film leaves off, G.I. JOE The Rise of Cobra is an accessible third person action-arcade shooter that allows players to recreate and relive the greatest moments from the film, cartoon series and action toy line. Exclusive all-new storyline that picks up where the film ends and is inspired by 45 years of rich G.I.JOE history. Two player co-op lets players choose an elite team and call in support from other G.I. JOE characters. Choose from 16 playable characters (four of which are unlockable COBRA characters) - each with a unique set of abilities and weapons. G.I. JOE characters include Snake Eyes, Duke, Heavy Duty, Ripcord, Scarlett, Shipwreck and Gung Ho. Storm Shadow has been revealed as an unlockable playable COBRA character. Characters are classified into one of three units: Commandos who do well at close range, Heavys who possess extraordinary shooting skills but do it best from a distance and Combat Soldiers who are a balance between the two. Gear up with the latest in high-tech gadgets like the film-inspired Accelerator Suit which makes you invincible and gives you short bursts of additional fire power. Drivable G.I. JOE and COBRA vehicles designed for two-player co-op. Three difficulty levels - appealing to players of all ages and skill levels (Casual, Advanced and Hardcore). 20 levels - each with 3-5 areas to explore - across four environments. 75 file cards and various intelligence items hidden throughout the game which can be used to unlock additional playable characters, special missions, 4 PSAs and other bonus content. [Electronic Arts]
Also On Metacritic
FILM: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central
Also On The Web: Official Website
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Play Magazine
It’s not without its flaws, but Joe manages to pack in plenty of third-person, fast-paced arcade-flavored fun. Addictive co-op, power-ups galore, and thumb-numbing action make it much more a modern-day Contra than another lame licensed effort.
Read Full Review >Game Chronicles
The Rise of Cobra is not without its faults, but if you scratch the surface just the slightest you’ll find a surprisingly fun game that will put your reflexes and arcade gaming skills to the ultimate test.
Read Full Review >Deeko
It's camp value, sure, but camp value wrapped in a game just as fun as playing with the action figures that inspired it.
Read Full Review >ZTGameDomain
I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun I could have with a game if I stopped worrying about everything it didn't do, and just enjoyed what it did. Even with its problems Rise of Cobra is an entertaining, and fun experience for fans of the subject matter.
Read Full Review >XboxAddict
All in all, this is a very good game, while with its flaws, overall submerses the gamer into the world of G.I. JOE.
Read Full Review >GamingXP
If you play this title in the coop mode, it can offer some hours of quite good entertainment. If you try out this game alone, you won’t play very long.
Read Full Review >GameFocus
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a typical movie tie-in game and will likely appeal to kids or the kid within. If you are after a few hour of mindless distraction, there are far worse ways of spending it then on this game but the missed opportunity inherent in this G.I. Joe game is truly unfortunate.
Read Full Review >Planet Xbox 360
The game is a much better rental or title that is best left to borrowing from a friend who was fooled into buying it due to their ‘80’s nostalgia.
Read Full Review >Extreme Gamer
With all the gameplay problems in The Rise of Cobra and its oddly missing online co-op play, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra falls into the rental category rather than a full out purchase. Until the price drops, I’d hold up for a movie ticket, or a few good hours of watching old Joe cartoons.
Read Full Review >Xbox360Achievements
GI Joe is a fun shoot ‘em up for a short while, but then you will realize that you can get pretty much the same kind of action from any number of arcade titles. The action soon gets repetitive and you will have no urge to play the game again, at least having a buddy along for the ride makes things a bit more bearable.
Read Full Review >AceGamez
If this was an Xbox Live Arcade title, then the score would be a little bit higher than it is, but as a full price release, there's just not enough content, and too many problems, to bump GI Joe up into the higher brackets.
Read Full Review >Games Master UK
An enjoyable if throwaway action game that weighs in at a not so throwaway price. [Sept 2009, p.81]
GameDaily
So while G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra provides momentary thrills, it's little more than an overpriced and shallow romp through drab looking levels full of idiotic bad guys.
Read Full Review >Da Gameboyz
Overall GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra is your typical movie based game. It lacks depth, feels rushed, and is not worth the price of admission.
Read Full Review >Gaming Age
I personally would have preferred a classic “Joe” title, since nostalgia seems to be in these days, but for what’s it’s worth, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra video game is exactly what you would expect from a film to game translation, nothing more, nothing less.
Read Full Review >Cheat Code Central
The co-op functionality and the vast array of collectibles are nice additions on the surface, but being unable to play with friends online and not unlocking anything substantial keeps the experience lackluster.
Read Full Review >IGN
As a fan of G.I. Joe, I expect a videogame version to make me feel like a Real American Hero. This didn't come close. The gameplay is unexciting and the visuals uninspired.
Read Full Review >Gamervision
Even for a movie tie-in, GI Joe feels like a rush job. It’s not a terrible game by any means; the game mechanics mostly work, there’s plenty of variety to the characters, scores of things to unlock, and even playable Cobra characters like Storm Shadow and Firefly. It’s just that everything it does has been done much better by many different games.
Read Full Review >WonderwallWeb
GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a big disappointment for all fanboys of the original show. Worth a rental first before you even consider buying.
Read Full Review >Gamer Limit
A typical shooter that barely resembles any iteration of GI Joe I’ve ever seen.
Read Full Review >Gameplanet
It's difficult to say anything positive about the single-player, but there's a bit of fun to be had with the co-op. Overall however, Rise of Cobra is yet another disappointing movie tie-in.
Read Full Review >GameZone
The campaign mode is really short, the graphics are ugly, and the sound is passable. The only reason to play this game is to pad your gamer scores or if you are an extremely die-hard G.I. Joe fan.
Read Full Review >TeamXbox
In the end, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is like vanilla ice cream. It is fine for what it offers, but is plain and blah compared to what you could be having. Even for someone who didn’t get into the G.I. Joe fad, I didn’t expect to find a plain vanilla G.I. Joe.
Read Full Review >GamePro
While I wasn't expecting too much from G.I. Joe as a whole, I walked away with the impression that, while it wasn't absolutely horrible, it really didn't leave much of a lasting impression either.
Read Full Review >XGN
Unfortunately the game has not become the game it could have been. The only thing that earns a satisfactory is the sound and that's all. Maybe, if the game ever makes it's way to 30 euro's and you're looking for a fun co-op, this one is recommended.
Read Full Review >MEGamers
With annoying camera, repetitive gameplay, and brain-dead AI team mates, this is the perfect Christmas gift for someone you dislike.
Read Full Review >Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
Fleetingly daft fun but this is too expansive, too charmless and too hard. [Nov 2009, p.91]
MondoXbox
Very simplistic gameplay mainly aimed at kids and casual gamers, mediocre graphics and several problems in controls and camera management ruin a game that maintains as its only bright spot the co-op mode, unfortunately only offline. Forgettable.
Read Full Review >Cynamite
An awful game based on a mediocre action-movie. Gets dull very soon and has too many glitches.
Read Full Review >RealGamer
Overall, this game is a very basic shoot-‘em-up that lacks any sort of cerebral engagement, and hence feels very lightweight and far too easy to play.
Read Full Review >Official Xbox Magazine
Definitely inspired by old co-op coin-ups like Ikari Warriors, minus any ambition. [Oct 2009, p.75]
Worth Playing
The problem is that the entire game feels cobbled together and misses the target on a lot of very important things, like fun.
Read Full Review >Gamer 2.0
The most enjoyable part of the game would have to be the unlockable Public Service Announcements from the old cartoon show. But chances are, you could save the cash and look them up online. And, trust us, you would be very well served by saving that cash.
Read Full Review >Boomtown
At the end of the day this is just another lacklustre movie tie in really, it had some good ideas badly executed, but if you are a fan of the movie you may get a few hours enjoyment out of it.
Read Full Review >GameSpot
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is full of things that make you go "hmm." Why do midlevel checkpoints update your score but not save your game, forcing you to restart from the beginning if both characters die? If you're going to steal from Gears of War, why steal the slow-walking, earpiece-cradling mission updates?
Read Full Review >VideoGamer
It’s messy, it’s stale, and traces of it will linger with you for days. And the worst part of it all? You paid for this garbage.
Read Full Review >DailyGame
There's nothing redeeming about this game other than some decent surround-sound effects and the closing credits.
Read Full Review >Everyeye.it
G.I.Joe: Rise of the Cobra is one of the worst games ever seen during this generation, with ugly graphic and sound and an insubstantial gameplay.
Read Full Review >SpazioGames
G.I. Joe: la nascita dei Cobra is embarrassing. It's totally unplayable and technically shameful, an atrocious action-game. There is nothing to save, so keep distance from this game. One of the worst experiences of this generation.
Read Full Review >Game Informer
Those patient enough to suffer through the initial gameplay inadequacies are rewarded with horrible, low-quality cutscenes, a “special” Accelerator Suit ability that often drains during said cutscenes, unreachable power-ups that hover just out of grasp, the worst vehicle controls I’ve used in years, and voice overacting that makes the guy who says “killing spree” in Unreal Tournament sound understated.
Read Full Review >GameTrailers
This game is an abomination that has absolutely no business being sold at a price point approaching full retail. Like so many other movie adaptations before it, The Rise of Cobra feels like it was meant to capitalize on gullible fans. Lucky for you, we’re here to warn you to steer clear.
Read Full Review >1UP
The Rise of Cobra's biggest problems aren't in the way it uses the license -- the problems are that, on anything but the lowest difficulty setting, the game is unnecessarily unforgiving and uses a completely counter-intuitive health regeneration system.
Read Full Review >Gamers' Temple
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra The Video Game is just plain awful. Whatever you do, though, don't let me stop you from seeing the movie. You'll love it.
Read Full Review >Eurogamer Italy
Unbalanced, not working camera, anonymous level design and technically far from next-gen. Have we to go on or you need something else to go out for a pizza with your friends using your dirty 60 Euros?
Read Full Review >Eurogamer
A lazy and predictable slog through 20-year-old game design, stultifying 'action' and glaring, ridiculous omissions. There's no defending it on the grounds of being a kids' game, since most astute children will likely find this turgid, unengaging blast every bit as tedious and repetitive as their adult counterparts.
Read Full Review >GameSpy
A pointed lesson to other designers that including co-op, especially local co-op, is a great value-add to even an otherwise totally worthless game.
Read Full Review >Play.tm
Showing a complete lack of faith in either their own control system or their intended audience's ability, Double Helix have seen fit to implement a far too effective automated targeting system which does its best to remove every last element of skill from proceedings.
Read Full Review >Official Xbox Magazine UK
A boring, brain-dead waste of time. [Oct 2009, p.82]
Edge Magazine
If there's a benefit to the game's focus on local co-op multiplayer, it's that players can stand suicide watch over each other for when the awfulness of it all finally overwhelms them. [Oct 2009, p.97]
X360 Magazine UK
Has no redeemable features, is almost devoid of quality and should be avoided at all costs. [Issue#50, p.95]
Teletext GameCentral
A shamefully poor tie-in, even by normal standards, that totally ignores the potential of the license.
Read Full Review >Giant Bomb
Every little thing about it, from the bland presentation to the dead-simple gameplay, conspires to make the final product incredibly lame. It has the depth of a bad downloadable game with the price tag of a full-on retail release. It's the worst of both worlds. And now you know.
Read Full Review >DarkZero
Who am I kidding? I’ve tried, but this game is just rubbish. Utter crap. Another steaming pile of movie-based compost to throw on the pile. Avoid this game like your brain depended on it.
Read Full Review >Level7.nu
Movie licensed game have a long and not so rosy reputation of being less that stellar, at best, with a fem major exceptions. The videogame adaptation of the movie G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra is no such exception. The visuals looks like a poor remnant from the previous generations of consoles, the controls are shoddy, the camera is appalling and the list goes on. Even the cooperative mode manages to be a total dud. Avoid at all costs.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
Even as the credits roll, it’s tough to shake the nagging feeling that this experience should have been a $10 downloadable game, or should be the game you unlock as a bonus after finishing the real game.
Read Full Review >GameShark
Between the camera and targeting woes, generally clunky gameplay, and a complete inability to capture the essence of what makes the G.I. Joe franchise fun and exciting in the first place—the game is a complete failure.
Read Full Review >Game Revolution
The shooty stuff is okay, the cover is fine, the difficulty is all but nonexistent given your inability to die, but the worst part of all of this, the real slap in the face, is that it costs FIFTY !@#$ING DOLLARS
Read Full Review >Gaming Nexus
There's no reason to buy G.I. Joe as long as there is at least one other game on the store shelf.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 4.2 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Ebor F gave it an8:
I read the reviews online and thought to myself, I really want to see how bad it is... so I started playing. (Please bear in mind that I'm not a G.I. Joe fan, so I cannot speak for that.) I was actually pleasantly surprised, granted it was a bit too easy in the beginning. As some reviewers said "You can't die", well that only holds for the easy mode, in both the intermediate and hardcore mode you can die. As you play through hardcore it becomes fairly challenging to get all points in a level (which is required for all achievements), but not challenging in a nearly impossible way like for example Call of Duty 4 the airplane mission on Expert. So what about the gameplay itself? Well yes the camera system is sometimes pretty bad and even infuriating. No the game does not have the same amount of unlockables that something like Lego Star Wars the complete saga has. But overal it's a fair amount of variation with about 12 G.I. Joe characters to unlock, 4 Cobra characters, 12 Vehicles (unfortunately you can't operate all of them.) 3 bonus levels, 3 secret fights, 4 end bosses and lots of file cards and intel scattered around. Overall I played for a total game play time of about 20-25 hours. Honestly I think 20-30 hours for a game is decent, that averages to 2-3 dollar per hour (which is cheaper than almost any form of entertainment, including movies.) Some games just take too much time, so for me 20-30 hours is perfect, because you get a sense of completion and you can move on with your life. I played the game in 2 runs through. The first run was pretty much in co-op with a friend on the easiest setting, which was a lot of "mindless" fun, not completely unlike the type of fun you'd have from playing one of the Lego series games. It's ideal for co-op as the other player can join and leave at any time he/she wants. The second run I played single player on hardcore to get all achievements and I found that there's actually some skill to it. Not the best game out there, but certainly a lot of fun to play.
L L. gave it a1:
The worst next-gen game I have ever played. This game has no reason to be purchased or even be on display.
