G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Image above: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Copyright (C) 2009 Electronic Arts Inc.

The project I’ve worked on for the past year at Double Helix Games has now been released: it’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the multi-platform game tied to the movie by the same name. I can honestly say it’s been an interesting and educative experience, from which I’ve learned a lot.

Reviews of the game so far have been mixed, some recognizing its merits as well as its flaws, others unmercifully bashing it. Amongst the various observations there have been some which were quite superficial, one review even going so far as attacking Dennis Quaid (who plays General Hawk in the movie) and the rest of the movie cast specifically for the quality of their voice acting in the game; which would be an opinion any reviewer could be entitled to, if not for the fact that neither Mr. Quaid nor the rest of the cast (with the exception of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (1)) lent their voice to our game. If anything, this critique should probably be a testament to how good a Dennis Quaid the actual voice actor who plays Hawk in the game is.

Another funny remark has stated how the accompanying soundtrack is “ripped off” the movie, when in reality it was specifically composed for the game and skillfully executed by an orchestra (anyone could have confirmed that with minimal research). In my opinion it is in fact one of the best features of this game. In addition, I’m still looking for this mysterious “lava level” some reviewers mentioned; I certainly cannot remember it being part of the product at any point during the development.

Granted, The Rise of Cobra has some flaws, which clearly could not and did not go unnoticed; however, my personal opinion is the game still manages to offer a good dose of fun, particularly if played in co-op with a friend at Advanced or Hardcore difficulty. And I believe fun is half the battle.

(1) see game credits.