G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

 Xbox 360
Metascore
42

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 59 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 59
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 59
  3. Negative: 33 out of 59
Buy On
  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.
  2. Game Chronicles
    76
    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.
  3. Deeko
    75
    It's camp value, sure, but camp value wrapped in a game just as fun as playing with the action figures that inspired it.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 22
  3. Negative: 11 out of 22
  1. EborF
    Sep 21, 2009
    8
    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 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.… Full Review »
  2. BCW
    Aug 25, 2009
    7
    Very fun old school shooter. It doesn't deserve all the hate it seems to be getting from review sites. It's not a complicatedVery fun old school shooter. It doesn't deserve all the hate it seems to be getting from review sites. It's not a complicated game, but harkens back to the arcade style shooters like Contra mixed in with GI Joe characters. Lots of shoots, and 16 different characters each with their own weapons and special attacks make it a pretty enjoyable blastfest.… Full Review »
  3. UlissesBarbosa
    Aug 13, 2009
    1
    Amazing how a game like this was released. Even on older platforms like the PS2 this would be considered a very lame effort. A SNES game canAmazing how a game like this was released. Even on older platforms like the PS2 this would be considered a very lame effort. A SNES game can provide you more fun. Bad design, bad levels, bad sound, bad controling and first of all bad mote. It´s not worthy your money, your time or even a peek. A waste of the franchising. Thumbs down.… Full Review »
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