Though a surprise to many players, G.I. Joe Operation Blackout is now undeniably a thing. Operation Blackout was originally leaked in July, and now its existence is official. One of the most popular toy lines is returning to video game platforms and is making its presence known.

G.I. Joe has been around since the 80s, when it became one of Hasbro's most popular toy brands. The toys had a show that went with them, chronicling the battles of the G.I. Joe squad against Cobra. To say that the show was iconic during its heyday is an understatement, as it ranked directly beside Transformers at its peak.

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G.I. Joe Operation Blackout was first revealed in a leak from Best Buy, but now official information is available. A reveal trailer has shown gameplay, and there's a lot to take in. The game sticks to a comic book style for its graphics, with cutscenes actually being in comic book panels. The designs of the characters look like they stepped right out of the show. Even the voices seem to be pretty close, which is very impressive. Cobra Commander had one of the most memorably strange voices ever, and his new incarnation, while not exactly the same, still sounds right.

To say the game is a shooter is almost redundant, but it is third-person rather than first. Operation Blackout appears to be a hero shooter, with different characters having different abilities. There will be a campaign of 18 missions and 12 playable characters to start, as well as three multiplayer modes. The total number of maps is unknown, with two revealed for sure: the U.S.S. Flagg and Cobra Island. Operation Blackout is certainly a more action-oriented game than Hasbro's tactical Transformers: Battlegrounds offering, but it's not releasing into a forgiving market.

The market is filled with third-person shooters right now, and many of those are hero shooters. Thanks to the continued influence of games like Fortnite and Overwatch, cartoony shooters are a dime a dozen. EA even gave away Rocket Arena for free for a limited time, just to get it on the map. Operation Blackout is going to have some stiff competition if it wants to get a player base.

The addition of a genuine story mode is a point in Operation Blackout's favor. There is plenty of lore from G.I.Joe to draw on, and the story is apparently based on the series comics. There's no guarantee that will save it though. Battleborn had a story mode as well, and Battleborn is shutting down. They may have been the kings and queens of the 80s, but only time will tell if the Joes can stay relevant today.

G.I. Joe Operation Blackout will release for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One on October 13, 2020.

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