GDC 2009: G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra First Look

G.I. Joe has been around for decades in a variety of forms, starting out as an action figure created by Hasbro many decades ago. Its popularity has come and gone, but in an attempt to reboot the brand, a new toy line accompanied by a movie is set for release later this summer. We met with Electronic Arts at the 2009 Game Developers Conference and it looks like the company has decided to transform this line of action figures into a video game, which hasn't been done since 1992. EA has also decided to take a different approach as well, so instead of basing the game around the movie, Rise of the Cobra is set after the events in the film.

We were told that the game won't spoil the ending of the film, so as soon as you get your trigger-happy fingers on the game, you can blast away as your favorite Joe without any worries. The game is broken up into campaigns that will cover a wide variety of terrain, so you'll blast your way through the bleak desert, dense jungle, big cities, and even spend some time shivering in the arctic. The best part about G.I. Joe is that the entire game can be played with a friend, the same way that the Lego series works. A buddy can jump in and out easily, but if you're on your own, the AI takes over. The game looks very much like a 3D version of Contra, a fast-paced arcade shooter with tons of stuff flying all over the screen and a never-ending stream of bullets coming from your end. There are more than 12 playable Joe characters, each with his or her primary weapon and unique special ability. For example, in our demo, we got to watch Heavy Duty and Snake Eyes in action. Heavy Duty had a powerful long-range attack, whereas Snake Eyes was much more agile and fared better with enemies up close. EA has revealed that there will be four playable Cobra characters, one of which is Storm Shadow, but the rest we're going to have to find out about later.

Teamwork is essential, and given that the game's an arcade-style shooter, you'll rack up more points if you work together with your partner and take out foes at the same time. The more points you earn, the more battle points you'll get, which you can then use to unlock new characters, environments, and other bonus content, including PSAs from the cartoon series. Working together also builds a meter that, once full, lets you use an accelerator suit (from the movie) that gives you superhuman powers such as increased speed and the ability to shoot missiles from your hands. While in this mode, the classic G.I. Joe theme song will play, which is bound to bring back some fond memories of early-morning cartoons. Another thing to point out is that the game doesn't look like it's going to be as hard and grueling as old-school arcade shooters. The EA representatives pointed out that they wanted the game to be accessible to all, so it's not entirely necessary to use the cover system or special attacks to get through the game.

During our demo, we watched Heavy Duty and Snake Eyes gun down everything in their way, but there will be other gameplay modes within the campaigns to change things up a little. There will be vehicle sections in which two people can work together cooperatively, as well as a satellite strike section, which gives you a top-down view of the Cobras so that you can line up your targeting reticles and fire at will. The developers have taken many elements from the entire G.I. Joe universe, not just the movie, so there will be plenty of fun surprises for fans.

The build we saw was pre-alpha, so there's still quite a bit of work to do in terms of fixing the camera, adding more destructible items, and polishing the graphics. For now, it seems to be a fun, mindless cooperative romp around the world with an endless supply of ammo. Look for G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra when it is released later this summer.