How Does It Stack Up To Its Console Brethren
Developer N-Space has brought the Call of Duty franchise to the DS in two separate games. The first was COD 4 which laid the groundwork for future games with impressive tech. The second was COD: World at War, with this they improved on that tech, and focused on making a better FPS. N-Space is trying to top their first two efforts with Mobilized.
The game is broken down into two different modes, single player and multiplayer. Both modes of which have received great attention and are fully fleshed, and you do not feel like more effort was put into one mode over the other. The developers were clearly setting their sights of making it a good companion piece too its bigger console brethren.
The single player campaign has you in the shoes of American and British troops. You will be switching between each military as the campaign goes on. The militaries are in search of nuclear weapons and that is about as far as the story goes. The story isn’t much but it does well enough carry you through all the missions.
The gameplay involves the basic first person action you find in other shooters as well as, bombing, tank, and helicopter missions to name a few. The game stands on its own as a very competent shooter where you will go down streets own corridors blasting enemies all the way. The standard FPS levels are good, but tend to get a bit monotonous over time. The monotony comes from the lack of the scripted wow moments you would find in the console games, and some other issues that are due more to the lack of power on the DS .Thankfully you will see some variety with the other types of missions mentioned above.
During the game the touch screen gets some added use through the use of some simple mini games. These games include hacking computers and disarming bomb. As I said before they are very simple, and to be honest they are not very fun. The games however are implemented very well and they help to immerse you in the game by giving you tasks like disarming bombs under the pressure of a time limit.
The control in the basic shooting is tight and responsive with the DS’s touch screen controls, and you simply aim by using the stylus like an analogue stick. Basic movement is done by using the D-pad, but I feel that the walking is a bit slow and can hamper the action slightly. You also have the ability to aim down the sights of your gun, which can take some getting used to. You may either have to double tap the screen to aim which does not always respond, or take your eyes off the top screen to tap an aim button on the bottom screen. Once you get used to the aiming and walking speed, the controls are good.
The graphics are impressive for a handheld game and the developers are improving on their work done in previous games. You will see a variety of locations each with their own look and the games engine allows for some detailed environments. The textures in the game can look a little muddy, but when you are focusing on the action you don’t really care. The framerate however will dip occasionally when there is too much action on the screen. There are also an impressive amount of enemies and allies on screen at any one time, this does contribute to the dipping framerate a bit.
The sound department is where this truly becomes impressive as a handheld. The developers have squeezed more voice over in this game than probably any other DS game around. Your squad will be screaming at you during missions which can add some intensity. The enemies do often repeat the same words every time you kill them, and that may eventually annoy some players. The weapons sound and the music that plays throughout fits the tone of the game. The sound may sound compressed in the game, but that is understandable because it is the only way to fit so much sound on a DS cartridge.
The online and local multiplayer in the game includes many of the same modes as the consoles. You will find solo and team deathmatch, capture the flag, and many more modes. The online runs smoothly and is enjoyable, but I don’t see this garnering success in developing a competitive scene. Either way it is nice to see a real multiplayer mode on a DS FPS. You can play locally if you can gather a group of other players that own the game, and this mode plays just like the online.
Conclusion
COD: Mobilized is not a scaled down version of the console versions of Modern Warfare, but more like a companion piece. It is a very competent FPS and you would be doing yourself no wrong buying this game. Just be aware of some issues that you would find in many other DS games. The tech alone is impressive and it is great to see a good shooter built around it. FPS and COD fans should all give this game a try if they want their game of choice on the go.