G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout Reviews

G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout is ranked in the 10th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
5 / 10.0
Oct 20, 2020

There's a nugget of an excellent game located deep within G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout, but this outmoded third-person shooter doesn't have the resources, scope, or variety to expand upon its unmistakable potential. With repetitive objectives, frustrating controls, and a lack of online multiplayer, G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout isn't fun enough to stand out in a crowded shooter marketplace, despite the obvious and heartfelt passion showcased for the '80s franchise.

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TheSixthAxis
Top Critic
6 / 10
Oct 26, 2020

There is some fun to be had in G.I. Joe Operation Blackout. The story is great but there is an over reliance on making you defend a position while wave upon wave on enemies attack. It's lower priced than most new releases but even taking that into account I can only really recommend this to die hard Joe fans.

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Ken McKown
Top Critic
5.5 / 10.0
Oct 20, 2020

Operation Blackout nails the nostalgia. Everything about this package is incredible for fans of G.I. Joe. The problem is the game play itself. The shooting is not fun and for a game that revolves around that, it is hard to ignore. I kept playing wanting to love this game and simply could not. I hope the developers tweak and fix these issues as this game is begging me to love it. As it stands though it is a disappointing trip down memory lane. Now if you will excuse me I am going to go back to playing it in hopes that I can find enjoyment in nostalgia.

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Dec 18, 2020

The tone is here, but the rest is mediocre.

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6.5 / 10.0
Oct 26, 2020

There's a decent game at the very core of G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout , but it's buried underneath annoying controls, a bizarre focus on co-op play instead of multiplayer, and missions that feel like an endlessly repetitive grind. Still, it's dedicated to its source material and it has its moments, but it doesn't do much else to stand out from the pack. And now you know, because knowing is half the battle.

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5 / 10
Oct 24, 2020

If we've made this game sound thoroughly generic, that's because it is. But it's not a disaster - Operation Blackout has plenty to do, with unlockable skins and modifiers to mess around with if you get into it, and there's love for the G.I Joe property here, so fans of the toys may get a kick out of it. For everyone else, though, it's a very difficult game to recommend. If you want a third-person shooter on Switch, Rebellion's Rogue Trooper or Zombie Army Trilogy are both better buys. And now you know. And knowing is half the- actually, no, forget it. We're not even going to finish the thought. We're better than that.

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6.5 / 10.0
Jul 3, 2018

The sum of the parts makes for a game that’s very much aimed at GI Joe fans, and that’s great. There are a lot of fan service games out there, most of which have no interest from me, but this one did. Between that nostalgia and innate interest, and recognizing very early on that this game is by far best played with a couch co-op buddy, GI Joe Operation Blackout is fun in spurts. I enjoyed the different feel to the characters and the story was entertaining as well. There’s a lot of pretty good elements to the game, but repetitive level design and gameplay, blah AI, and aiming woes taint the experience considerably — not necessarily to deal-breaker territory, but just proceed with caution.

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6 / 10
Oct 26, 2020

G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout serves up nostalgia for G.I. Joe fans, with a narrative that feels right at home for the series. The colorful and stylized cel-shaded visuals are perfect for the franchise, making you feel like you are playing inside a comic book. It's a real shame that the overall gameplay falls flat thanks to poor aiming mechanics. The AI that joins you when playing solo is utterly useless, and enemies can backtrack faster than you can advance towards them. There are optional side objectives to complete, and collectibles to find, which unlock alternative looks for characters, weapon skins, and comic cover art.

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7 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2020

If you're a sentimental fan of G.I. Joe, then you are the most likely to truly enjoy this game. G.I. Joe fans will enjoy the characters, the things to collect, the Saturday morning cartoon-ish visuals, as well as the campy cartoony storyline. For all others, this will just come across as a run-of-the-mill third-person shooter game that will require some patience to find a control scheme setting you can work with.

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6 / 10.0
Nov 13, 2020

Overall I think G.I. Joe Operation Blackout is decent but will quickly fall into obscurity with the abundance of better quality third-person shooters on modern consoles. In my opinion, the diehard genre fans won't give much thought to this without online gameplay. In truth, this game will mostly appeal to a limited niche, mainly GI-Joe fans.

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5 / 10.0
Oct 20, 2020

Outside of nostalgia, G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout does not stand apart from the generic third-person shooter, and its inconsistent gameplay and repetitive missions further mute its impact.

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3 / 5.0
Oct 17, 2020

No one can argue that G.

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4.5 / 10.0
Dec 18, 2020

G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout is messy. The presentation is inconsistent, while the story is serviceable at best. The addition of local multiplayer outweighs the lack of online play, and the game is lengthy enough. However, the poor combat mechanics drag down the experience heavily, and on a platform that's absolutely bursting with more competent third-person shooters, this is one that you can easily pass on.

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Gamefa
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Oct 31, 2020

G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout is a fun game but not a good choice if you haven't played previous games or not familiar with its heroes. Story and graphic are satisfying but gameplay mechanism are not implemented as well as they should.

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3 / 10.0
Oct 20, 2020

Ultimately, G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout is a team-based third-person shooter with poor aiming, atrocious enemy A.I., and no online multiplayer options. That should tell you all you need to know, basically. It’s not the worst game you can buy right now, so if you’re a huge G.I. Joe fan and pick it up on a whim you might have some fun with it. Anyone with more self-control, however, should either wait for it to be deeply discounted, or simply forget it exists. You won’t be missing out on anything worthwhile if you never play it.

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7 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2020

Having grown up with the Joes through the comic books and the cartoons I'm undoubtedly in the sweet spot for the love of the organization and their eternal fight with Cobra...

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Nov 11, 2020

G.I. Joe fans haven't had much to celebrate over the last two decades, but G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout is a solid step forward in the franchise's return to greatness. It's not an experience that's likely to excite those unfamiliar with the brand, but this is a game that was clearly made for those looking for a genuine, G.I. Joe experience. IguanaBee and Fair Play Labs put a lot of effort into getting all of the little details right, delivering an experience that's absolutely worth checking out for Joe fans. The game doesn't offer anything too revolutionary, but this is a licensed game that does right by its audience. Yo Joe!

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4 / 10.0
Nov 2, 2020

G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout's beautiful animated cutscenes can't make up for the poor gameplay and lack of online multiplayer.

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6 / 10.0
Oct 23, 2020

G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout is a perfectly serviceable shooter, even if it is not a complex one. The story, the lack of rpg / progression elements and not having a cover system make this more of an arcade-y shooter while you work through the different missions. The characters themselves are the star of the show, and they did a great job in stirring up my nostalgia for the series, even if the rest of the game is solid while doing very little to stand out.

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Nov 6, 2020

G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout is an exciting premise; you play as both the Joes and Cobra, helping to restore order and conquer the world at the same time. It’s a team-based game, where you can solo/co-op play through the campaign and duke it out with your buddy, split-screen locally of course, (not an option for this Covid era, however).

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