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

You might have heard or seen something about it already, but there's a new G.I. Joe movie coming out, and while it might not have the same spectacular opening sequence as the original G.I. Joe animated movie, it still has many of the same characters that fans of the original show know and love. Thankfully, the same applies to the upcoming game that happens to be based on the upcoming movie. You can select from a roster of 16 characters made up of well-known Joes and Cobras alike--though there are more Joes to select from than Cobras.

We had a chance to check out some quick co-op action (only local co-op is included, unfortunately) with one player taking on the role of the red-haired heroine Scarlett while we played as Gung Ho--representing the game's commando and heavy classes, respectively. As you can probably guess, commandos don't quite have the same strength when it comes to the firepower the heavies have, but they make up for it with some quicker moves. It's also worth mentioning that while there are different classes of Joes, all of them control in a very simple manner. In our demo, all we had to do was hold down the "shoot" button, and the Joe would automatically attack whatever was in range. This doesn't mean that you can keep your character in one place and just shoot, though (well, you can, but you just won't live very long). So thankfully the game makes it just as easy to perform an evasive roll or take cover behind objects in the environment, popping up every few seconds to take some shots and then ducking back down again when things get a little too intense. Additionally, each character has access to a special move that he or she can use when it gets a little too crowded on the screen--Gung Ho's is an RPG-like shot that explodes in midair and then rains down on enemies in the immediate vicinity. While inflicting all of this destruction, you can earn something called battle points. These points generally represent how well you're doing in the game (you know, like a score), but these points can also be used to unlock new characters.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra seems to represent the refresh on the franchise pretty well, but it still pays homage to the classic animated series (there are even some original G.I. Joe public service announcements). Also, its straightforward and simple mechanics will surely appeal to the youngsters who are being exposed to the greatness of Snake Eyes for the very first time, but it'll be interesting to see how the older set responds. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360 and PS3 on August 4.