A little over a month ago I sat down with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for the Xbox 360. At the time I considered it the best shooter experience on the Xbox 360 this year. MW3 for the 360 featured stunning visuals, silky smooth gameplay, an epic single player experience, and a multiplayer game that was better than ever. I literally had nothing negative to say about the game. So when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Defiance for the Nintendo DS arrived at my home office, I was very curious to see what developer ‘n-Space’ could do with such a stellar console experience. Well, after some extended gameplay I am left with some mixed impressions. On one hand, you obviously cannot expect the MW3 console experience to be the same on a handheld machine. That said I expected MW3 Defiance to be a little more enjoyable.
Much like its big brother on the bigger consoles, MW3 Defiance features a single player and multiplayer experience, yet it is a scaled back version of the home console versions of the game. Many of the bells and whistles from the console game are not included, so you should not go into the game expecting the ‘full meal deal’ so to speak. MW3 Defiance is a first person shooter (FPS) which does not always suit Nintendo’s handheld machine given the layout and limitations of the hardware; however, given we have seen a few CoD games on the DS in the past, there was still plenty of room for optimism.
In terms of the single player story, MW3 Defiance starts out with a good old fashion Russian invasion. Britain and the United States have joined forces in an all out effort to prevent the Russians from inflicting chaos and global destruction. Sure, there is much more to it than that but in the end it is certainly a bare bones version of the home consoles storyline, not to mention it is a plotline FPS gamers have beaten to death. Nevertheless the story is perfectly suited for the handheld machine and for the game’s target audience.
MW3 Defiance’s single player story features 14 levels that manage to mix up the gameplay much more than I expected. There are sequences where you are following your squad mates across snow packed terrain in typical first person shooter fashion. There are also sequences where you are sniping enemies from across a mountain top and there are stealth and vehicle missions as well. The stealth sequences often involve sneaking up behind an enemy and shanking them with your knife. Other stealth sequences simply have you sneak around an area avoiding foot and vehicle patrols. You will also control a tank in the game and command your forces to move much like you would in a SOCOM game. Bottom line, I was impressed with the level variety in the game as you never know what you are going to get from one level to the next.
Control wise, MW3 Defiance has a learning curve. If you played previous CoD games on the DS you should not have much of a problem. In fact, for those who have played any previous first person shooters on the DS where you are using either the stylus or buttons to move your character, MW3 Defiance controls should not be an issue for you. Given my lack experience with shooters on the DS, I found the controls to be troublesome at first and it took quite some time to get comfortable with them. On the positive side, MW3 Defiance does offer up two control options – stylus or button. I used both options on and off throughout my first couple of hours of gameplay; but ultimately spent more time playing with stylus. By using the stylus on the touch screen you can look around and aim your reticle. You also guide which way your player is going with the stylus. Moving your character is also accomplished with the d-pad and shooting is accomplished with either the left or the right trigger. It felt awkward at first, but you do eventually get used to playing with the stylus. That being said, I was wishing for an Xbox 360 dual stick controller in no time flat. Much like using the stylus, using the buttons to move and look around also felt a bit awkward and unnatural. At the end of the day it will boil down to your own preference.
One of my biggest issues with the controls is the sprint and crouch functions. To say they are unresponsive is an understatement. Far too often I became frustrated when my player would not come out of his crouch or when my player refused to sprint. Double tapping the d-pad triggers the sprinting and crouching actions, yet in many instances a double tap would result in well, nothing. My player would simply not respond to the functions which ultimately lead to some tense and aggravating experiences.
MW3 Defiance has three levels of difficulty. I spent the bulk of my time in regular mode which is the equivalent of a “medium” difficulty. While there are some difficulties with some choke points in the game; overall, I never really encountered any major obstacles where I would get stuck or continually die. The AI offers up a decent amount resistance throughout but they are certainly not the smartest tools in the shed. In many instances they would be standing in plain sight looking right at you making it easy for you and your squad mates as you can either flank them or take them down with a couple of shots.
In addition to a fairly robust campaign mode (as far as single player FPS stand on the DS), MW3 Defiance does feature some additional modes. Quickplay allows you to replay some of the more enjoyable levels you experience in the single player campaign as long as you have unlocked the levels by previously playing them. There is also a challenge mode where you can challenge your skills in every ground based mission in the game. Challenge levels are unlocked by completing previous challenges.
MW3 Defiance also features a multiplayer component. The game supports up to six players via local wireless play. Players must be in close proximity to play the multiplayer games. Unfortunately, nobody in my immediate area and none of my friends currently own MW3 Defiance for the DS so I was unable to play any of the local multiplayer mode. MW3 Defiance also supports up to 6 players online over Nintendo Wi-fi. You can connect with your friends through the friends roster or search for matches throughout the worldwide matchmaking. There is a ranking system and perk options. It is nowhere near as deep as the Xbox 360 or PS3 version of the game but it is still a very cool option for those looking for some multiplayer madness on their DS. I only played a few games and had my butt handed to me. Yet the games I did play where very smooth and enjoyable. The online multiplayer certainly gives the game some replay value.
Visually, MW3 Defiance is about what I expected. It is not a stunner by any means and comes across as an average looking DS game. If anything MW3 Defiance tends to show the DS’s age as the game looked dated and some of the games environments are downright ugly. I am a little puzzled why the game could not be released on the Nintendo 3DS as the game could have looked so much better. That said, I was impressed with the overall look of the weapons and some of the games cut scenes were nicely presented. Other than that, MW3 Defiance is not a game that will leave you awestruck with its visuals. Sound wise, MW3 Defiance is also very mediocre. While the voice work is strong, the weapon sounds lack punch and the game’s music is nothing special. As far as lasting impressions are concerned, MW3 Defiance has little in the sound department.
Overall, MW3 Defiance for the Nintendo DS is one of the better Call of Duty games on the older handheld console. Unfortunately that is not much of a bold statement when you consider that traditionally Call of Duty games comes across as somewhat average on the DS. I found the controls troublesome and the visuals seemed dated. That being said, the single player game does offer up a decent amount of variety and the game’s multiplayer options are somewhat impressive considering the limitations of the hardware. At the end of the day, MW3 Defiance has some replay value suitable for gaming on the go for shooter fans and DS owners alike.
