G.I. Joe (The Game) Will Probably Be Better Than G.I. Joe (The Movie)

For me, the upcoming G.I. Joe movie has been a pretty tough sell. Sure, the trailer looks action-packed, but it also looks like it's taking itself pretty seriously, right down to the tight, black uniforms that don't immediately convey a soldier's specialty. I don't want to see tight Spandex that makes everyone look like they fell out of the X-Men movie. I want Barbecue to show up, always ready to fight a fire. I want Recondo to show up with his stupid-ass hat. I want Snow Job to be wearing his snowsuit 24/7/365.

So, as you might expect, I've been just as skeptical of EA's upcoming game, which is largely set in the continuity of the film. But with a deep level of access to Hasbro's files informing the decision-making process on the game, it seems entirely possible that this cooperative shooter will satisfy fans of the series more than the movie.

We received a lengthy hands-off demo of the Xbox 360 version of the game and got to see a couple of different environments. The game is a third-person shooter with a cooperative focus. Two characters will always be involved in the action, even if you're playing alone. In these cases, the player can swap between the two characters at will. Or, of course, you can have a friend jump in and join the fight... provided that friend is right there next to you. The game won't have any online play. Additionally, the game won't split the screen, so the two characters will have to stick together.

You'll be able to choose from a dozen playable characters, though some will have to be unlocked. The different characters fall into different classes, so a silent ninja like Snake Eyes will be able to vault over high cover, while a big lug like Heavy Duty will be equipped with more devastating firepower. Some characters will also have class-specific abilities that let them get through doors that other characters can't open. Conceptually, it looks like it's fairly similar to the recent run of movie-themed Lego games.

In an effort to make the game appealing to a wide audience, the developers at Double Helix has given the game what appears to be a pretty significant dose of auto-aim. While there's a mechanism in place to manually select targets, it looks like pointing in the general direction of the enemies and holding down the right trigger was more than enough to cut through Cobra's forces. There are benefits, however, to being more selective. If the two Joes target the same enemy, multipliers are earned, leading to more points. You'll also slowly fill up a meter for the accelerator suit. This is the crazy black suit that will appear in the movie, granting its wearer super speed, the ability to shoot missiles out of his or her wrists, and total invulnerability. Once the meter has been filled, the suit is stored away and activated with a button press, making it possible to save it for a tricky boss fight, if desired. Additionally--and unlike the movie--when you trigger the suit in the game, the old G.I. Joe cartoon theme will play.

The old stuff comes into play in a few different spots. We're told that the game's plot, set after the events of the film, will borrow and update stories from the cartoon. Also, some characters and vehicles that won't appear in the film show up in the game, including a HISS tank that Hasbro designed but never released as a toy. Some of the old G.I. Joe public service announcements have also been included in their original form. At this point, using Eric Fensler's recut and redubbed PSAs would probably be cooler. While there's no guarantee that this will make the final cut, we were told that the voice over talent recorded a few extra lines, like "PORKCHOP SANDWICHES" during the VO session, just in case Hasbro allows it in.

Skeptical? Sure, I'm skeptical. But by plumbing the depths of Hasbro's G.I. Joe vaults, it sure sounds like EA and Double Helix are producing a G.I. Joe game that may pack in a lot more interesting classic material than the film will. But... have you seen what the new Cobra Commander will look like? That's almost enough to sour me on the entire concept, regardless of medium. Keep your fingers crossed, Joe fans.