G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
43

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 32
  3. Negative: 19 out of 32
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  1. Play Magazine
    80
    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.
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User Reviews

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User Score
4.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 7 out of 16
  1. rcoberle54
    Nov 1, 2020
    6
    I was so surprised to see this game get as bad if not worse ratings than the Watchmen game. This is so much better. It's another movie gameI was so surprised to see this game get as bad if not worse ratings than the Watchmen game. This is so much better. It's another movie game that came out in 2009 but this one is actually finished! It has variation to it, it's colorful, and it's mildly fun. I didn't exactly know what to expect with this game, but what it is certainly wasn't what I had in mind. This game plays like a throwback to old 80s and 90s arcade games where you move forward, hold the shoot button as you have unlimited ammo, and strafe left and right to avoid the attacks coming down the screen. It almost plays like a 3D Galaga or 1942 in a sense. This actually might have been better if it was just a twin sticks shooter.

    The graphics look like garbage but I can forgive that when it's actually a completed game that's somewhat fun. I liked the variation on all the characters that you can unlock. Finding the best combo of characters and playing around with them to discover the best pairing was a bit of fun. You have your secondary fire that you gain through power ups and pick ups then you also have your accelerator suit from the movie as basically your super move. You have to strategically use these to your advantage and sort of know when to hold em and know when to fold em for lack of a better metaphor. The fact that this game actually had a bit of strategy and variation to it was a welcome surprise after the awful Watchmen game. There's even bits of driving sections to this game. Even though it's incredibly hard to control the vehicles with just the one joystick, at least it's there.

    The level design is alright and they all don't feel the same. Even though it's basically rinse and repeat, this game offered just enough wrinkles to be competent and fun enough. It's comic booky, cartoony, and doesn't take itself seriously. It made me wish the movie was a lot better and that this franchise would have taken off like the MCU did because I feel there is a lot of potential. Overall I had fun with this game. It wasn't a broken, glitchy mess. It was never frustrating. I liked the bonus content that you could unlock like the featurettes of the music of the movie and the old 80s cartoon PSAs. Plus this was one of the first ever PS3 games to support trophies. All that together made this a surprisingly mildly fun experience.    … Full Review »
  2. FairWarning
    May 9, 2011
    6
    Let me start off by saying that this is not a great game by anyone's expectations, at all. Fun can be had however, if you are tired to theLet me start off by saying that this is not a great game by anyone's expectations, at all. Fun can be had however, if you are tired to the point of hallucination, or drunk. If you understand the basics of the 80's animated TV series then the plot will not be anything super interesting. The gameplay is actually felt original by comparison to the dozens of second rate Call of Duty clones out there. It's a modern old school arcade game and your main objective is to rack up as many points and vaporize as many enemies with inhumanly bad voice acting as humanly possible. To describe the gameplay as point and shoot would be an insult because the game locks on to the enemies for you and all you have to do is strafe and hold down that trusty fire button. The vehicle controls can be awkward due to the far away third person angled POV. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm not someone that says the graphics make or break a game but even a 5 year old could tell you this game was rendered with Playstation 2 graphics. The "characters" are truly a substance thinner than paper in personality. Music is surprisingly adequate but nothing memorable. In truth this could have been not necessarily a ground-breaking but fun and easy to pick up and play game if it had better variety, online co-op, and maybe if the camera wasn't getting behind random objects and blocking my view. If only it wasn't a movie licensed game, if only it wasn't.… Full Review »
  3. AndrewD
    Aug 5, 2009
    9
    The only thing keeping this game from greatness is its price-tag. It's awesome otherwise. This game will appeal more to fans of the The only thing keeping this game from greatness is its price-tag. It's awesome otherwise. This game will appeal more to fans of the original animated series than the band-wagon variety climbing on-board for the new movie. It's obvious the developers tried to play on the nostalgia factor, and it works.… Full Review »
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