G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Hands-On

As a video game tie-in to one of the more high-profile blockbuster movies of the year, it should come as no surprise that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is slated to release on just about every platform out there. A while back, we brought you our first impressions of the current-gen console version of the game, but you may be wondering how the DS game is shaping up. Well, portable Joe fans: You're in luck. We've recently been spending some time with The Rise of Cobra on the DS to answer that very question.

The DS version of The Rise of Cobra feels quite similar to its console counterparts in a lot of ways. It's an unabashedly old-school action game where players choose a Joe and carve through levels filled with Cobra soldiers using a simple combination of ranged and melee attacks. The DS game uses a top-down perspective, giving you a bird's-eye view of the battlefield as you traverse through a number of locales, ranging from outdoor snowy landscapes to indoor science facilities. Most missions involve you blasting your way through a series of corridors, taking care of huge numbers of Cobra soldiers, destroying computers to open doors, and taking on the occasional boss near the end of the level.

The style of combat is heavily dependent on which Joe you choose because the game lets you pick which character you want to play as before the start of each mission. Our game had slots for six selectable protagonists, each with unique stats dictating strength, speed, gun ability, and explosive ability. Snake Eyes seemed to be the swiftest and most agile Joe; able to dash around the battlefield cutting up enemies with his katana. His polar opposite had to be Heavy Duty, who trudged through levels carrying a powerful minigun and tossing grenades.

The one big difference between the DS and console versions is that you won't find the two-player co-op system that allows console players to go two at a time on any mission in the game. Yes, the DS game keeps you limited to one player while going through the Story mode. However, there are still multiplayer options here. Three competitive multiplayer modes for up to four players were playable on our build: Warhead, Team Battle, and Defend the Base. Warhead has you bringing a bomb to the other team's base; Team Battle is a simple Team Deathmatch; and Defend the Base has one team destroying important control points to gain access to the opposing team's weak point. All the modes are built for two-to-four player matches, pitting Joes against Cobra, with the likes of Cobra Commander, Storm Shadow, and Firefly making up the Cobra side.

The Rise of Cobra is, without a doubt, a very straightforward and intentionally accessible game. It has the feel of a fast-paced shooter rooted in 1980s game design, only without the punishing difficulty of a game in the Contra mold. In fact, it's quite simple: Your health will regenerate, and dying is more of a temporary inconvenience than a major threat. In short: If you're a Joe fan from way back when, the game will feel just as retro as the cartoons. You can expect it to be released on August 4.