G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra Review (Subacetylene)
G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is by far the worst retro side-scrolling beat 'em up I've played so far on steam. In all honestly I haven't played a beat'em up this bad in a long long time. In fact, I can't even think of one that is worse... and I've played a lot. I was a huge fan of Ninja Turtles, Double Dragon, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Final Fight, The Simpsons, The Punisher, Battletoads and many others. Every one of those games is more fun than this one.
The only thing going for this game is the 16 bit nostalgic retro style, the music, the license, and... that's it. The gameplay is awful. After playing halfway through a mission, you will want to quit playing. The moves are extremely repetitive. You just punch, kick, throw, and jump. There are no new moves you learn, or anything. Yes, you can pick up weapons, but they barely help.
How about multiplayer and co-op? There is local co-op, but you can't play with friends online on steam. What a bummer.
What else... the bosses. I fought the Baroness, and I think something went wrong with the game. I just couldn't move anymore. I was super slow, couldn't move, and ended up losing all my health. After fighting her, I almost gave up playing the game. It just wasn't fun. Maybe I need to give it more time or need to get better. But seriously I feel miserable playing this game.
I really hope they improve this game. If I could give any recommendations to the developers, it would be to add interesting move lists. Almost every beat-em up I've played has better gameplay. The new double dragon game is just sooo fun, as is Streets of Rage 4. The move lists in those games are amazing. The gameplay and combat is so addictive and fun. You can do sooo many different combos and moves.... That is something that completely lacks in this G.I. Joe game.
I've got fond memories of G.I. Joe and used to play the hell out of the old G.I. Joe 3rd person arcade shooter back in the day. That game was extremely impressive for the time and is still a better game than this.
I paid a lot more for this game than it is currently worth. But I hope the developers add more content and somehow improve the gameplay and make it more enjoyable. Add some combos! Do a little research and see why those other games are addictive.
As is it is right now, this game is more of a bore and a chore than fun. If anything I'd give it a 4 out of 10. But I'd totally bump up the score if the gameplay gets better and more modes are added in the future. I'm a huge GI Joe fan and have positive hopes this game improves in the future.