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SPACE ADVENTURE COBRA
© 1996, 1997 Terasawa Buichi/A-Girl
© 1997 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Sony Playstation
—by Keith Rhee
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This software title, which adapts Terasawa Buichi's manga of the same name,
isn't a game but a "graphic novel." Unlike many other "interactive
adventures," such as the EVANGELION titles on the Saturn, it doesn't even
make any pretense to be a game. It's essentially a comic book with
background music, some sound effects, even a few frames of rudimentary
animation—opening doors, flying objects, rotating propellers, etc.
It's not quite the same as full-fledged animation, but it does make for
some interesting effects compared to traditional printed manga.
This graphic novel tells the story of Cobra, a notorious space pirate
wanted both by the law and by many rival pirates. His trademark is the
Psycho Gun, a psychokinetic energy weapon built into his left arm. Its
power output is proportional to Cobra's own mental will (speak: piss him
off and he'll fire a really large blast). A prosthetic forearm shell
conceals the gun when it's not in use; x-rays, infrared, and other scans
show a normal human arm with bone and muscle, allowing Cobra to carry his
powerful weapon undetected.
Accompanied by his sidekick android named Lady, Cobra cruises around the
galaxy in his spaceship, taking on random assignments that usually involve
the acquisition/retrieval/theft of a precious item or alien artifact. More
often than not, a "fateful" encounter with a female gets him involved in a
larger conspiracy plot, and Cobra ends up saving the day—oh, and the
girl too, of course.
In this particular installment, the story revolves around the female
archeologist named Utopia and an ancient Martian artifact with the power to
create an entire galaxy—a galaxy egg, so to speak. The destructive
power of the "Big Bang" that results from triggering the egg catches the
interest of the Pirates Guild, and our estimable hero slugs his way through
some exotic locations, hordes of thugs, and the occasional arch-rival to
rescue the hapless female scientist and retrieve the artifact.
Sound familiar? Cobra's gentlemanly manners, roguish looks, and his ways
with women are rather reminiscent of Connery's James Bond and Moore's Simon
Templar. The plots are equally familiar: some super villain concocts some
plot with far-reaching consequences for the galaxy. And who better to stop
him than our nigh-immortal protagonist?
While the plot may be cliché, the appeal lies in its execution, which is
carried out with style and a flair befitting the suave main character
himself. The character designs, especially the female characters, are
(ahem) appealing and the retro graphic style seems inspired by French
sci-fi visuals with a lot of organic designs and interesting costumes. In
particular the ships, weapons, and costumes of the villains often carry
gothic and/or erotic undertones, with a hint of H.R. Giger.
The viewer will note that the setting seems rather chauvinistic, with a
portrayal of females as sex objects. The women are well proportioned and
appealing, and there's nothing wrong with that in itself. But they're
almost without fail dressed in skimpy getups, even those who are in
respectable professions, such as the aforementioned female archeologist and
female police officers. Fortunately, this isn't the main focus of the show,
more of an element of the visual style and setting, and almost no actual
nudity is shown. But depending on who you are, this portrayal of women can
either be an appealing factor or an instant turnoff.
Also, while the use of animation in an otherwise static "comic/manga"
medium is rather interesting, it's also limited to small, choppy effects
(in the case of 2D) and a few 3D
objects which don't seem to blend in and work with the otherwise 2D illustrations and movement. In some cases, the
addition of actual movement works, but all in all it's stuck between a
fully animated video and a manga paperback while not quite achieving the
effect of either. In all honesty, I can't say that the limited use of
animation by itself justifies the purchase of the PlayStation discs.
Last but not least, existing COBRA fans
will note that this particular title omits a few of Cobra's other trademarks,
such as the target-seeking nature of the Psycho Gun (which can shoot flexing
beams), or Cobra's past (the discrepancy between the "Wanted" poster
and Cobra's actual appearance in the intro is covered in the manga, but not
in this graphic novel).
These quibbles aside, the overall presentation is quite good with some
nicely drawn visuals and the story is true to other COBRA
adventures. If you're a fan of the existing COBRA stories,
or happen to be a fan of this particular genre and medium, this graphic novel is
worth a look. It's most certainly not a must-have, however, and people who don't
buy into this kind of story are best advised to skip the purchase. 
Rating: ** 1/2 out of 4 stars |
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