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Review: GI Joe Atlantis

Nintendo NES,

Play G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero - The Atlantis Factor Online

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tornadocam
09-14-14 08:51 PM

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endings
10-04-14 01:47 AM

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GI Joe Atlantis

Game's Ratings

Overall

Graphics

Sound

Addictiveness

Depth

Story

Difficulty

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8.5

tornadocam's Score

9.2

09-14-14 08:51 PM

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tornadocam

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I will be reviewing GI Joe the Atlantis factor also known as as GI Joe Atlantis. This game could be considered a lost hit as it was released right when the SNES was coming out, more on that later. So its time to be a real American Hero or if you like you could yell COBRA!!!

Plot (Story) 9
GI Joe Atlantis takes place 1 year after the Joe's defeat of Cobra. However, unknown to anyone Cobra Commander seemed to have a back up plan. Cobra Commander found a secret power and raised the lost city of Atlantis from the depths of the ocean. Cobra soon started to rebuild their forces and with a new power source seemed more powerful than before. The raising of Atlantis and the new powerful forces quickly get the attention of the Joes. Some of them try to land on Atlantis to gather information. While General Hawk with the assistance of Sergeant Stalker lead a strike on Cobra's forces. However the Joes quickly discover that Cobra has taken hostages to Atlantis and is going to use the new power source to rule the world. The GI Joe team sets out to stop Cobra from his latest scheme.

Okay I really liked the plot to this game. I felt like Capcom was very creative in making the story. Having Cobra use an ancient source to raise an ancient city and to use to rule the world was nicely done. I also like it how ancient history is incorporated in the plot. I like plots that are creative in style. It is different than trying to take over the world with modern machines or modern weapons, though Cobra Commander's forces use them too. I also like it how the video game matches the characters very well. I give the plot a 9 out of 10 for its creativeness and offering something different.

Graphics & Controls: 8
The graphics in this game are nicely done and really shows what the NES was capable of. The backgrounds are very colorful and nicely done. The trees in the forest stage look like trees. The dungeon areas look gloomy as they are supposed to. The underwater areas are nicely done. What I also like is the background of the ancient ruins is nicely done. In addition, the characters look exactly like their action figures, which was also nice. The only thing is the sprites of the hostages sometimes look out of whack. The hostages in the game appear to be fuzzy. I do not know if that is because they were not based off of any character or if they were just thrown into the game at the last minute.

The controls are mostly good. In fact the controls play like a Mega Man game would, which is not surprising since Capcom made this game. However, it did seem while playing as certain joes the controls were sluggish. I wonder if that was done intentionally to make some of the characters sluggish on purpose or what? Anyway, though the controls are nicely done. I give the graphics and controls a solid 8 out of 10.

Sound: 8
The sound in GI Joe Atlantis was nicely done. The soundtrack fits most of the stages nicely. I also like it how the music changes when a boss battle is coming up. Now, the only thing is this soundtrack is a short soundtrack so get used to hearing the same tunes over again. The sounds the weapons make are amazing and sound very good. The sounds the weapons make lets the player know they are doing damage to enemies or getting hit. As I stated though they could have thrown in more sounds. It would have been nice if cobras would moan and groan as they are being taken out. I do not mind the short soundtrack but I could see how the same tunes might bother other gamers. Still these are minor issues so I give the sound a good 8 out of 10.

Replay Value (Addictiveness) 9
GI Joe Atlantis has high replay value. I remember playing this game when it first came out when I was a lot younger. Guess What, I still have fun playing this game. If you are a GI Joe fan and was into the action figures then it is easy to play this game over and over again. If you did not grow up with the action figures and GI Joe toys then this game is still a fun game to play. You can explore different routes, play through the game as different characters and collect all kinds of items. Atlantis, reminds me so much of Mega Man. The Mega Man games are known for their high replay value and depth. Thus, at the end of the day I give the replay value a 9 out of 10

Depth: 9
Gi Joe Atlantis has a lot of depth just like the Mega Man games do. One can explore different routes in this game. Players can also play through the game as different characters once they are unlocked. I like to play the game through with different characters it just adds to the replay value. In addition, there are a lot of items to collect such as different weapons so one can play the game through with different games. If players really want a challenge they can play the game through without using any weapons. The hostages also add to the depth as players will have to explore every route and area to rescue them all. I like games that have a lot of depth in them and I was glad Capcom put a lot of depth into this game. I give the depth a 9 out of 10.

Difficulty: 8
GI Joe Atlantis may not be the most difficult game out there, but it can be very challenging. Enemy placement is one of the many challenges. Cobra's just love to gang up on you in this game rather it is ambushing you from behind or shooting you. Cobra's are everywhere in this game so it is nearly impossible to avoid getting hit. Also the boss fights are very long and require reflexes and skills to beat. A lot of the bosses have a lot of health especially the ones later in the game such as Major Bludd, Destro, and Cobra Commander. Also some of the cobras get tougher armor in the game so they take more shots to take down. Rescuing the hostages add to the difficulty because a lot of them are in tough spots. Capcom put the hostages in areas that are heavily guarded or have obstacles with them. Another thing is some Joes have slower controls which can also add to the difficulty if you get surrounded. Now as difficult as the game is, the makers of this game do try to help you out. They are plenty of weapons to pick up in this game that players can use. You can also chose up to 3 Joes to switch to in a mission if the battle gets to hard, but some have shorter health bars. Also as you unlock other Characters sometimes they will give you power ups to help you out in battle.

I really like games that are challenging. Is this the most difficult game no as I have played lots of Mega Man games and even other games that were tough, but it is challenging. The difficulty seems about right. It is not the type of difficulty that will make you scream like the beat em up Battletoads will. On the other hand, GI Joe Atlantis will challenge your skills and reflexes kind of like some of the easier versions in the Mega Man series. Since the game tries to help you out and as I have stated this is not the most difficult game I feel like it does not get a 9 or a 10. Still, players will find this game to be challenging and due to the enemy placement, the long boss fights and the rescue hostages I give GI Joe Atlantis a solid 8 out of 10 concerning difficulty

Overall Rating 9.2
I remember when this game came out around 1990/1991 and I enjoyed playing it. GI Joe Atlantis came out when the GI Joe figurines were popular in the 1980's to the late 1990's. Also this game plays a lot like a Mega Man game as I have stated, that is because Capcom made this game. Capcom also is famous for the Mega Man series. I felt like this game showed what the NES was capable off, but it came near the end of the NES's lifespan as the SNES had just come out and more games were being made for it. This game could be considered a lost hit.

I really liked this game. I like the overall feel to it. Bringing in ancient history into this game was a plus for me and it also makes the game special. Other games especially modern ones mostly have the bad guys trying to take over the world with modern weapons. Now Gi Joe Atlantis has plenty of modern type weapons in it as well, but having the bad guys trying to take over the world with an ancient power source was just very good creativity. I don't think I can remember to many games with that kind of creativity. Dr. Wily in the Mega Man series has tried to use ancient sources. But outside of Mega Man this is the only game that I know of that has bad guys trying to use ancient sources. I also like how Capcom kept the characters consistent with their action figure profiles. So many times video game makers will take characters from toy lines and really mess up their character. So I was glad Capcom did not do that and matched the players with their profiles accordingly. I also liked the difficulty in this game I thought it was the right amount.

Now they were some minor issues in this game. The soundtrack could have had more tunes but that does not bother me too much. The controls are sometimes sluggish depending on which character you are playing as. I do not know if that was done intentionally or if the game might have been rushed. Another thing that makes me think this game could have been rushed is the sprites of the hostages look like they were thrown together at the last minute. As I pointed out under the graphics section it could be they were not based off of any character. But considering how the SNES came out and games were starting to be made for the SNES I believe this game was rushed in some areas.

Still the issues are very minor and should not stop you from playing this lost hit. Some gamers are not bothered by these issues. This game is 23 years old now and it is still fun to play. I like to sometimes other games outside of Mega Man just to be different. To some this game may bring back memories of their childhood others may just find it fun. As far as recommending this game by all means I recommend this game. I think players will find this game to be fun and enjoy it. I give the overall rating a 9.2. Who knows this game might make you say A REAL AMERICAN HERO OR HOLLER COBRA!!!!!!!!. Anyway take time to enjoy this game. Blessings in Christ and happy gaming!!

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10-03-14 04:32 PM

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Not a bad review, actually. I don't know what I was expecting, but to be honest, I was not expecting this. Not bad at all. You talked about why you rated each category the way you did, and then you went into detail furthering your explanation in your own way.

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