The game came out on Atari 2600 in 1983. Other than the name, G.I. Joe Cobra strike has very little to do with the G.I. Joe franchise. The game plays similarly to other 2600 games of the time, such as; Breakout, Kaboom, Pong, and maybe even Space Invaders. But what sets this game apart from other Breakout inspired games, is the fact that you can play it cooperatively using two paddle controllers. However, instead of bouncing a ball with the paddles, your goal is to protect the running men below by blocking the missiles being dropped by the giant cobra.
On top of blocking the attacks, you are able to shoot the Cobra with missiles from the cannons on both sides. But in order to do so, you need to first move your paddle over to your cannon and then press the fire button. Once your men are all destroyed, the game ends. As mentioned before, this is a true co-op game. Unlike other 2600 game that feature co-op, this one doesn't have a competitive aspect to it as well. The score is shared between players, and working together is required to move forward.
The giant cobra must be hit around eight times in order to move to the next level. You will then be presented with an almost identical cobra, but with different colors. The graphics are simple, however, the Giant Cobra sprite is very impressive for the 2600 hardware. This is one of the few instances where a character in a 2600 game actually looks like it's source material. Another interesting feature in the game is when you plug a joystick in, a third player can join in and control the cobra. This might not sound like much, but for the time, I think this was a pretty unique gameplay element.
Overall, G.I. Joe Cobra Strike is a simple game. It may not be the best 2600 game, and by today's standards, it may seem outdated. But if you're looking for a unique co-op experience on the 2600, this is certainly a lesser known classic that deserves some time. This is the definition of "easy to play, hard to master". There aren't a lot of co-op games for the 2600, but this is definitely one of my favorites.