Call of Duty 4 for the DS might not suck like other handheld shooters
The last major shooter franchise that graced the DS left a bad aftertaste. Sure, Brothers in Arms looked pretty, its levels were of considerable size for a handheld game, and the explosions are a visual treat. Those are good stuff that you’d notice when you watch the trailers, but things start getting ugly when you proceed with the actual playing.
You have to deal with not-so-responsive controls and not-so-satisfying action. I should have taken the choppy sounds in the menu as a warning. Indeed, Metroid Prime Hunters is a tough act to follow.
Imagine my surprise when Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was announced for the diminutive Nintendo handheld. My kneejerk reaction was “this game is going to suck eggs.”
When I read Joystiq’s hands-on preview, my preconceived notions are in danger of being challenged. According to Zack Stern (the lucky journo who played the game):
“The DS version feels full of care and craft, from thought put into controls, to the segmented sessions that play well on a handheld.”
Well, Zack thinks the controls are good. Is this good enough for me? Perhaps not. Nothing personal Zack, I just want to try it myself before I do put my stamp of approval. However, I take this as a sign of hope that the game would not be as bad as Brothers in Arms DS. The question now is: would the difference between these two games be significant enough to change my mind?
Here are a couple of videos to show us how it looks, but not how it really plays.
Tags: call_of_duty_4, fps, fps_games, handheld_game, joystiq, modern_warfare, nintendo_ds, nintendo_ds_games, nintendo_handheld, zack_sternRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Call of Duty, Previews, Videos
8 opinions for Call of Duty 4 for the DS might not suck like other handheld shooters
Call of Duty 4 for the DS might not suck like other WWII handheld … | Play Video Games
Oct 11, 2007 at 10:43 am
[…] post by Mike […]
Klopzi
Oct 11, 2007 at 11:59 am
I just picked up a DS myself and these knockoff games that attempt to piggyback on the success of their next-gen console (360/PS3) brethren don’t really do it for me.
When I bought the DS, I was looking for games that I could pick up and play at a moment’s notice. Attempting to play a dumbed down version of COD 4 doesn’t really fit that mold too well.
And I can’t help but notice that COD 4 is nothing like the Xbox 360 version (understandable, of course). The fact that the graphics, sound, and gameplay may be good for a DS game belittles the fact that the graphics, sound, and gameplay are pretty terrible when compared to the console version of the same game.
I hate to see developers using a game’s name to sell copies of titles that have no place on the DS in the first place. EA has done this numerous times (e.g. the Need for Speed series), as have countless other publishers and developers.
Until they can manage to pack some real horsepower into handheld devices, I’d say that DS (and PSP) users are much better off sticking to games conceived and developed exclusively for the handheld market.
Mike
Oct 11, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Nice to hear from you Klopzi, it’s been a while. ;) I noticed in your blog that you’ve shared about having a new baby last month. Congratulations!
Ouch! Did you hear that, Activision? Quit with the milking. Same goes for you too, Ubisoft.
If the DS version of COD4 would be as polished as say, Metroid Prime Hunters, then it may just be the exception among big-name console shooter franchises landing on handhelds.
I strongly recommend you try Metroid, Klopzi. And watch out for Dementium at the end of the month. Until then, go crazy with Phantom Hourglass.
Klopzi
Oct 11, 2007 at 1:32 pm
I’ll definitely give Phantom Hourglass a try. Metroid Prime: Hunters is a possibility though not a first choice. Since being disappointed with Vice City Stories on the PSP, I’ve remained hesitant to try anything like an FPS on a handheld.
Mind you, Gamespot does give Metroid a pretty good score, so it might be worth picking up if I can find it cheap.
As for COD 4, it’s really hard to judge the graphics of the game based on the videos in the post. But looking at the DS videos versus the Xbox 360 trailers, I have to wonder how they can get away with calling the DS version of COD 4 by the same name.
By the way, I’ve been thinking about Dementium Ward as well ever since you posted about it a while back. I do wonder how scary developers can make a DS game, though. The screen is pretty small and the sound isn’t that great. I also think that Condemned ruined me for “jump scare” type games: nothing phases me after that game…
Mike
Oct 11, 2007 at 2:15 pm
For me, Metroid is the definitive FPS for the DS. Its controls are similar to a PC FPS. The directional pad controls your feet movements (like WASD), while the stylus points your camera. You shoot by pressing L button and jump by tapping your stylus twice.
The game is smooth as butter too.
Dementium uses the same controls and seems to be smooth too–as far as I can tell. The developer claims to use dynamic lighting, but I think this may just be limited to the flashlight beam. Just wait for our reviews this Halloween if it’s any good.
If COD4 can at least run as smooth as Metroid, and its controls would be as good, then I would think that it’s not so bad. That’s a big “IF” though.
Daniel Primed
Oct 14, 2007 at 7:12 am
Oh man, I really am behind with my news feeds >
Daniel Primed
Oct 14, 2007 at 7:15 am
WTF, got cut off >
Mike
Oct 15, 2007 at 8:44 am
Hey Daniel, how’s it going? So what do you think of COD4 for the DS? Any predictions?
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