Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare DSi and DS Lite

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Product Details

Released on 09/11/2007

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare DS Review

  Tom calls time on all the DS CoD4 bashing...

  With Call of Duty 4 recently voted the Greatest Game Ever by GAME customers, I thought I’d turn my hand to taking a look at the much-overlooked DS version.

  Missing the point

  I moderate our customer reviews, and all too often with DS Call of Duty 4 I’ve read people say “don’t bother with the DS version, get the 360 or PS3 version instead”, or the classic “it doesn’t even have online play!”. I can’t help but feel they’re missing the point. As a DS game, comparing this to the bigger home system versions is pretty unfair.

  As a DS game, comparing this to the bigger home system versions is pretty unfair.

  It’s understandable though, because as well as the name, both games share a similar structure. Much like the bigger versions, in DS CoD4’s singleplayer you’ll do a mission or two as the American Forces, then switch to the British Special Ops team, and back again.

  It’s all spread over eleven well designed and action-packed levels, with gameplay introduced in a training level which sees you manning a machine gun to protect an escaping convoy. It’s a good first impression that familiarises you with the controls; D-pad to move and strafe, L to fire and the touch screen for everything else.

  Surprisingly compelling

  Everything else in this case means turning, weapon changing, environment interaction, the map and ADS (Aiming Down the Site) mode. Mostly its responsive and slick, though tapping the touch screen frantically to turn in the middle of a firefight will sometimes register as the double-tap needed to access ADS mode, which can get a bit frustrating.

  But apart from that, Call of Duty 4 DS is about as good as could be expected on Nintendo’s handheld. It’s hectic, surprising and even atmospheric, with actual relevant in-game speech a little unexpected for a cartride-based FPS. Taking part in a daring escape only to hear “take out that chopper” and turning to see a dirty great helicopter bearing down on my position made me wonder not only what would be thrown at the convoy, but what else the game might deliver. Compelling stuff.

  It may not have the features of the PC or 360 version, but it is a brilliant game when you put it into a handheld context.

  The multiplayer is the weaker aspect of the game. On a single-card is restricted to a few maps and modes, though that is the usual trend with the download play option. With multiple cards you’ll have access to all the game modes and maps, but finding four friends with both DS’s and a copy of DS Call of Duty 4 may be the tricky part. In gameplay terms meanwhile the multiplayer is fun but lacks the fast pace, smoother controls and online play of the system’s standout multiplayer FPS Metroid Prime Hunters.

  Graphically Call of Duty 4 isn’t a worldbeater, but considering what they’ve included this is quite impressive for a DS game. Everything looks solid, the explosions are bright and large. The AI is not exceptionally smart but it does offer a challenge. Seeing enemies occasionally back off around a corner and waiting for you ambush style is impressive; seeing how they insist on hiding behind explosive barrels, however... not so much.

  Worth picking up

  It may not be a direct competitor, but considering its small stature, The DS version of Call of Duty 4 can for me stand side by side with the home versions. It may not have the graphics of the PC version or the online facilities of the 360 version, but it is a brilliant game when you put it into a handheld context. So if you don’t own a super-powered PC or next-gen console but do have a DS and want to try out the game everyone’s talking about, you should definitely pick this up.

  GAME's Verdict

  

  • Good controls.
  • Campaign Mode comprises 11 well-designed missions.
  • Solid Graphics.

  

  • Trying to turn around fast and going into ADS mode accidentally.
  • Admittedly not as cinematic as the home versions – though still a good effort on handheld.
  • Online multiplayer would have been nice.

  Review by: Tom 'Dutiful' Daly
  Version Tested: DS
  Review Published: 18.08.08

  Published: 18/07/2008

• Infinity Ward gearing up for Modern Warfare prequel?

  Infinity Ward gearing up for Modern Warfare prequel?

  Call of Duty: Black Ops is probably glued into your disk tray at the moment. The game's been a colossal smash. But over at Activision, the Infinity Ward crew are already hard at work on the next game in the series, by the looks of it, and Eurogamer's reporting it might be a prequel to the first Modern Warfare.

  Citing the website ThisisXbox, a source close to the team has said that the new game's story will take place immediately before the events of Infinity Ward's 2007 masterpiece. The central figure will be the mysterious soldier known as Ghost this time, and the plot will apparently focus on how he was recruited into Task Force 141.

  According to the source, the narrative will take cues from the Modern Warfare comic book series, and will allow you to revisit locations from the last two Modern Warfare games, but from an entirely different vantage point.

  Sounds exciting, but it's worth remembering it's just a rumour, and Eurogamer's suggesting the next Modern Warfare game will probably leave us waiting until 2012 anyway.

  It doesn't matter, though. We reckon something like this is worth waiting for.

• Call of Duty to go sci-fi?

  Every year we get busy speculating about a futuristic instalment of Call of Duty. Now Treyarch, the team behind Call of Duty: Black Ops has got in on the act, with the game design director admitting he would be interested in a near-future update.

  "It would be pretty fantastic!" David Vonderhaar told Machinima (thanks, Eurogamer). "It would be kind of a unique opportunity but the way this works out is obviously more complicated than, 'Hey, me and Treyarch are going to make a near-future shooter.' It doesn't work out that way in practice. It's a tough question to answer. We have not announced any new Call of Duty games at this time but to answer his specific question I think, personally, it would be pretty fantastic to do near-future, you know? Not necessarily far-future."

  He was careful to that his answer was, "For me personally. I'm just talking for myself." Boo!

  Still, if he thinking about it, maybe there hope. If youe more interested in the past than the future, of course, Call of Duty: Black Ops concerns itself with all manner of Cold War shenanigans. It brilliant fun, and it available right now for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

• Call of Duty date leaked?

  Eurogamer has a doozy of a scoop today: the website posted a news story suggesting that the date for the new Call of Duty game will be 8th November 2011. According to the news story, the website has heard this rumour from numerous sources.

  The story also goes on to suggest that the game, widely thought to be Modern Warfare 3, is codenamed Project Collossus. That sounds about right to us, seeing as a new Call of Duty game will easily go down as one of the most anticipated titles in history.

  Previous Call of Duty games tend to launch in the first half of November, so the rumour has a fair amount of credibility to it. It worth mentioning, though, that we still haven had an official announcement or a title for the game, although it pretty clear that Infinity Ward, the developer of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2, is back in the saddle.

  Whatever the launch date and whatever the title this is one game that we can get out of our heads. If you own a PC, PS3, or Xbox 360, you should be very excited about the prospect of a new Call of Duty to blast your way through and you should check with us during E3 to see whether the rumours add up.

• Treyarch bringing Modern Warfare 3 to the Wii

  Wii owners won't be left out of the action when Modern Warfare 3 hits the shelves this November. Black Ops developer Treyarch has revealed that it is currently working on a Wii version of the sure-to-be-blockbuster shooter.

  Infinity Ward is working on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, of course, but Activision executive Eric Hirshberg announced the Wii version this week, while talking grown up money stuff to investors. The decision to squeeze the game into the Wii's smaller system came because the publisher didn't want to leave any of the community out of the excitement. How sweet.

  Treyarch certainly has good form where Call of Duty and Nintendo hardware is concerned. It turned out the Wii versions of Black Ops and World At War, and also tackled the Wii port of the original Modern Warfare.

  Modern Warfare 3 shoots your face off on November 8th on PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and now Wii as well.

• Time magazine picks the 100 best games ever

  Respected American journal, Time, has ventured into digital waters to list what it considers to be the top hundred video games ever made. The result is a suitably eclectic mix, presented in chronological order stretching from the 1970s all the way up to the 2010s.

  All the retro arcade classics you'd expect are in there - Space Invaders, Frogger, Pac-Man and more - while Nintendo's core franchises dominate the 1980s as consoles made their way into US homes. Mario and Zelda are among the only games to appear in more than one guise. The original Super Mario Bros and Mario 64 both make the grade, as does the original Metroid and its 2002 first-person sequel Metroid Prime.

  Resident Evil and Tomb Raider join the list in the 1990s, and are still going strong today. Resident Evil 6 launched recently, while Lara Croft is being relaunched in 2013.

  More recognisable names also pop up as the list draws closer to 2012. Bioshock, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Guitar Hero, Wii Sports, Portal, Gears of War and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion are all held up as examples of classic modern gaming.

  Just two games from the last few years have been deemed worthy of a place. Mass Effect 3 and Batman: Arkham City are the lucky pair. Notable by their absence are current big hitters such as Assassin's Creed, Borderlands and Uncharted.

  Is Time placing too much importance on the past? Would you pick any of these for your top 100?

  Published: 16/11/2012

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