Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for DS: Not Enough Bang for Your Buck

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (COD4) is one of those DS games players both dream of and dread. They dream of finally seeing a great three-dimensional, first-person shooter but dread how it will get chopped up on the DS setup. Now that COD4 is finally out on DS, can it live up to the full console versions, or will it fall on its face? Read on and find out how this game fares.

In COD4, players are a Special Forces member out to stop terrorists from deploying a nuclear bomb. The story line takes you through the Middle East and Russia as you hunt down bad guys, all the while using an arsenal of very real looking weapons. The control layout is a little different than traditional consoles, but DS players are used to that.

The graphics on this 3D shooter are as real-looking as you can get for DS. From swaying trees to blood splatters, players will enjoy working in a very detailed environment. There are a wide variety of character models which move in a natural manner. You can crouch, shoot, and run just like the full sized game. This game is probably just a half-step behind the big guys. The only real drawback is the smaller screen players have to use. While I wouldn't call the animation stellar, I would say that it does a very good job considering the format.

The audio is just as impressive as the graphics. Gunfire sounds like its actually occurring in the room with you. Vehicles rumble by realistically and the soundtrack is put together nicely. There's lots of good dialog, including game chatter, briefings and enemy conversations. This is another area COD4 for DS excels. Again, this isn't 5.1 surround sound, but it definitely conveys a lot of realism.