Posted by SuburbanHell in Featured Articles, Microsoft, PS3, Sony, Xbox 360 | 1 comment

DPrime Review – G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Game: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Developer: Double Helix
Publisher:  Electronic Arts
Platform: PS3, XBox 360
Website: http://gijoe.ea.com

     In 1983, I was an impressionable 5 year old boy, and thanks to the glowing box that taught me that today was brought to you by the letter M and the number 13, I was about to enter a whole new world.  The cartoon for G.I. Joe debuted this year with a large hasbro toy tie-in that would shape my life for years to come.  Countless video games came out for the series as well, and the only one what was remotely half-way decent and in the homespace was one for … I think the Commodore 64 (there had been a couple decent arcade titles if memory serves)  Until now.

     Stripping away the fact that this game is loosely tied in with the recently released live-action movie of the same title, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is essentially the video game we all wish we got to play when we were kids and wanted to shoot lasers at cobra and save the day alongside Duke, Flint, and all the rest.

     This game, for lack of a better term, is a buddy-shooter.  You and a buddy (or just yourself and an AI-controlled assistant) take on Cobra through several levels of “pew-pew!”, over the course of the game unlocking more Joes, concept art, and some old-school PSAs.  Porkchop Sandwiches! You also get to unlock playable cobra characters as well.

     Opening up the box and popping into my console I was almost immediately disappointed, In the first level Duke and Scarlett weren’t moving fluidly, you almost have to force them across the screen, accessing doors was a huge pain, and I really thought at one point that my level would not end.  Frustrated, I stopped playing that night.  Doing a spot of research on the net, not everyone, but others have experienced this level-1 issue, which was disappointing to read, as I have come to expect glitches like this to be a thing of the past once a title has shipped.

     I returned to the game a day later and it was a world of difference, fast moving Joes, beautiful graphics and lasers and explosions (not to be confused with BAYSPLOSIONS!!!) all over the screen, THIS was fun.

     Early in the game it’s just Duke & Scarlett, but you soon can unlock others like Heavy Duty and Snake Eyes each with their own special attacks, etc.  Some Joes can only open certain types of doors, but the game remedies that with these strange “teleportation chambers” you discover that allow you to swap Joes on the fly.  Shortly after this, you encounter the ability to drive your first vehicle, this also gave me the warm and fuzzies, harking back to a simpler time.

     The game does utilize the “super suits” that appear in the live-action movie, a press of a button turns you into super soldiers for a brief time, allowing you turn the tables on an otherwise impossible situation, aside from that there really isn’t anything that strays from the original concept of the comics and cartoons and all the things that we came to love about G.I. Joe to begin with.

     The story seems kind of simplistic, “there’s strange activity at these bases and it ends up being this terrorist group called Cobra and oh hey look they have a plot to take over the world, stop em Joe’s!”, but it works.

Plus, YO JOE, PEW PEW!

     Ok, all reminiscing and fanboying aside, the graphics are pretty decent the sounds and music fit the game perfectly, and the play is easy to pick up and go.  It’s a lot of fun to shoot and blow shit up quite frankly.  That all being said, the game has 2 primary flaws and is missing something. 1)It’s easy, the challenge curve never really gets past “OMG JOES PEW-PEW!”, and 2)It’s DAMN repetitive.  Take two Joes, run through <insert terrain here>, shoot bad guys until there are no bad guys left to shoot, repeat.  Also, while your AI counterpart isn’t at all a hinderance, it’s a LOT more fun to play this game with a friend than it is alone.  I also can’t for the life of me understand why they didn’t give this an online component.  Can you imagine?  Joes vs Cobra online?  How sweet would that be?  I guess we have to wait for the sequel, if there is one.

What I liked:

- The concept:  A real mindlessly fun G.I. Joe shoot-em-up.

- Graphics & Sound:  Is this the cartoon Joes you loved before?  For the most part yes, they’re just a little more grown up, but then, so are you (probably).

- The mindless fun:  Have I mentioned Yo Joe!  PEW-PEW!?

What I didn’t Like:

- The story: With ALL the Joe lore gone by, they could’ve done something more with this.

- Fighting Storm Shadow 3 times when there’s so many other Cobra agents the game could’ve brought on us…meh.

- The game doesn’t get any tougher than it was from level 1 on.  More enemies sure, but no real strategy needed.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 7.6 out of 10

VERDICT: So, flat out, is this worth the money to go pick up and buy?  As a fun shoot-em-up with a friend on a weekend?  You bet.  If you’re looking for a more in-depth story or something far more challenging, maybe not. Rent it first, if you like it, buy it.

Posted by SuburbanHell in Microsoft, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Phones, Sony, Wii, Xbox 360 | 0 comments

EA to showcase top titles at gamescom

Cologne, Germany, 14 August 2009 – Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced its product line up for gamescom, Europe’s biggest consumer and trade fair for interactive entertainment. Visitors will have a chance to play some of EA best loved blockbusters, as well as a selection of hot new properties coming this year. EA’s portfolio offers fun interactive game play for audiences of all ages and with diverse tastes.

“Visitors at gamescom will be blown away by the incredible breadth and quality of EA’s titles,” said Jens Uwe Intat, Senior Vice President and General Manager for EA European Publishing. “From core gaming experiences for seasoned players, to sports games, to casual, online or mobile, there will be something new for everyone to discover and enjoy.”

EA at gamescom

Tuesday, August 18th at 4:30pm
EA press briefing the Palladium, Schanzenstraße 36, Gebäude 197, 51063 Cologne. A live stream of the press conference will be available at http://ea.com/gamescom.

Wednesday, August 19th from 9-10am
Booth open to media and industry partners in Hall 6 / A-71, C-70. Short presentation, privileged access to gameplay, and opportunity to meet with EA’s leading creative talent.

August 19th-23rd
EA booth: Hall 6.1
Games include: Battlefield: Bad Company™ 2, Brütal Legend™, Dante’s Inferno™, Dead Space™: Extraction, Dragon Age™: Origins, FIGHT NIGHT Round 4, FIFA 10, FIFA Manager 10, GI JOE™ The Rise of the Cobra™, HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2, LITTLEST PET SHOP™ Beach Friends, LITTLEST PET SHOP City Friends, LITTLEST PET SHOP Country Friends, Mass Effect™ 2, MySims™ Agents, NBA Live 10, Need For Speed™ Nitro, Need For Speed Shift, NHL® 10, SimAnimals™ Africa, The Sims™ 3, Spore™ Hero, Spore Hero Arena, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 10.

EA Mobile
Feature phone: Bubble Bobble Evolution, Command & Conquer™ Red Alert™, FIFA 10, GI JOE, Need for Speed Shift
iPhone™: GAME OF LIFE, MONOPOLY Classic, Tetris®, TRIVIAL PURSUIT, The Sims 3

August 19th-23rd
Behind closed door game demonstrations in EA’s business lounge, Hall 5.1. Open to media only
Sessions include:
All Points Bulletin, Army of Two™: The 40th Day, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Brütal Legend, Command & Conquer 4 (working title), Dante’s Inferno, Dead Space Extraction, Dragon Age: Origins, EA SPORTS Active™: Personal Trainer, FIFA 10, FIFA Manager 10, HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2, Mass Effect 2, Need for Speed Nitro, Need for Speed Shift, NHL 10, Rage, RockBand™: The Beatles, The Sims 3™ World Adventures, MySims™ Agents, The Saboteur™, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online.

The first ever live public demo of BioWare and LucasArts’ Star Wars®: The Old Republic™ will be viewable in the theatre at Hall 6.1 / B-066, A-061.

Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning® is featured at the GOA Booth Hall 9.1 / Aisle A n° 041 and Aisle B n° 040.

Posted by SuburbanHell in Companies | 0 comments

Electronic Arts goes to Comic-Con

(Edit, to draft, Top, Slurp)

Copy this whole post to another site

Slurp cancel

select siteadvertisingconsumeristdeadspindefamerfleshbotgay fleshbotgawkergizmodoidolatorio9jalopnikjezebelkotakulifehackervalleywagartistsgawkershop

Electronic Arts is going to Comic-Con and they will be heavily armed.  Showing off ten games and holding plenty of panels, it may be your first chance to go hands on with games like Left 4 Dead 2 and Dragon Age: Origins.

Titles planned to be previewed on the show floor, at EA’s booth, include Brütal Legend, Dante’s Inferno, Dead Space Extraction, G.I. JOE The Rise of the Cobra, The Saboteur and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.

EA will also host the “EA Gaming Lounge presented by Xbox 360″ at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter Hotel during Comic-Con. That off-site event will feature Dragon Age: Origins, Battlefield 1943, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Left 4 Dead 2. Loungers will be able to test drive the second campaign in L4D2, known as “Swamp Fever.”

Panel information is described below for those who are able to attend, it may be wise to take note of some of these.

Dante’s Inferno
Thursday July 23; 12:30-1:30
Jonathan Knight (executive producer, EA), Ash Huang (art director), Brandon Auman (writer), Christos Gage (writer), and Victor Cook (director) talk about the adaptation of this literary classic into pop culture. They will discuss how they translated the various aspects of The Divine Comedy into a video game, an animated feature, and a comic series, where they were faithful and where they invented, and how each of the mediums differs. Also get a peak at EA’s game in development, and also watch the world premiere trailer for the animated feature Dante’s Inferno co-produced by EA and Starz Media. Room 8

Dead Space Extraction
Friday July 24; 6:00-7:00
Chuck Beaver (Producer), Ben Templesmith (Illustrator) and Antony Johnston (Writer) will discuss utilizing the interactive gaming medium to portray emotion in a more visceral way than books & film traditionally display. Visceral Games executive producer Steve Papoutsis discusses the implementation of story and talent into games and the art of crafting a believable, epic story into this fall’s Wii exclusive Dead Space Extraction. Room 2

The Saboteur Rethinking the WWII Gaming Genre
Saturday July 25; 2:00-3:00
Pandemic Studios™ lead designer Tom French and art director Chris Hunt discuss how historical events served as the foundation for their upcoming action sandbox game The Saboteur, who the Saboteur is, and how the innovative combination of game design and artistic style were employed to develop a unique experience. Room 2

Army of Two: The 40th Day – Bridging Video Games with Comics
Sunday July 26; 3:15-4:15
In this panel Reid Schneider (Executive Producer – Army of Two) and Alex Hutchinson (Creative Director – Army of Two) will discuss how they have been working with comic artists to show players the consequences of their moral choices throughout the game, and how the in-depth involvement of these artists in the production of Army of Two changes the feel of the game. Room 6A

Source

Posted by SuburbanHell in Microsoft, PS3, Sony, Xbox 360 | 4 comments

G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra – More Screenshots

Electronic Arts today posted more screenshots of the upcoming game G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, due out on August 4, 2009.  Click on an image to see the full-sized version.

With these screenshots, they also posted screenshots of some of the unlockables in the game.

Unlockable 80’s PSAs from the cartoon?  Awesome.

Posted by SuburbanHell in Microsoft, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Phones, Sony, Wii, Xbox 360 | 0 comments

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra – New Screenshots

Electronic Arts has posted 4 new screenshots for the upcoming G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.  These 4 screen shots are for the PlayStation 3, though the game will be released on a multi-platform array:  PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, XBox 360, DS, and mobile devices.

Click on each image to see the full size version.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is due out on August 31, 2009