It's tough to go head-to-head with some of the best FPS developers in the world, but every year developer n-Space brings the household name of Call of Duty to players on the go. When stacked against the likes of Treyarch and Infinity Ward it's easy to look over the pocket offerings and move straight to the 360/PS3/PC powerhouse consoles for FPS goodness, but for those smart enough to take a quick second and see what Activision is offering on Nintendo's portable there's a gem of a series that is going strong. Modern Warfare accompanied COD4 on 360, the developer again brought impressive tech and a surprisingly comprehensive look into World at War, and as the countdown to 11-10-9 began yours truly – being perhaps one of the largest COD fans on the planet – was getting prepared for not only a great HD version of Modern Warfare 2, but also n-Space's next DS effort.
I wasn't let down either, as a quick hands-on session in LA last week left me psyched for not one, but two COD offerings this year. Modern Warfare 2 is going to dominate consoles for the remainder of 2009, but n-Space's Modern Warfare: Mobilized is one heck of a DS package, complete with new modes, new weapons, some of the expected pillars of the Modern Warfare world (AC-130 anyone?), as well as an all-new story and design. Rather than being a pocket-sized version of the events from Modern Warfare 2, n-Space is opening the game up and ready to tell its own story. It's the Modern Warfare world, but it's also a 100% standalone game.
 Call of Duty is back, and it means business.
I had a chance to dive into three missions to kick off the hands-on coverage of Mobilized, and they included an on-ground mission called Confrontation, a tank mission that takes players inside the Abram in Armored Escort, and the highlight of the session, Clearing the Way. That last one is a pocket-sized take on the AC-130 bombing missions, and it rocks.
We'll take them in order, starting with Confrontation. A standard ground-and-pound foot mission, Confrontation showed off a few of the new guns in the game, as well as the new interface, enemy AI, and improved mobility and control. The action is faster this time around, complete with a higher framerate and slick controls, and the amount of voiced chatter was instantly impressive. It's DS, and my team wouldn't shut up; that's a good sign of things to come. As far as enemy AI, baddies would actually take cover, rush with shotguns, pull back when I entered a room, and actually show some sort of concern over their own lives. It's DS, so you aren't going to get advanced AI algorithms and flanking paths, but it's a far step above some of the "pop-up" shooting gallery elements found in other DS FPS offerings, World at War included.
Oh, and as for the guns we had a chance to try out the new AA-12 auto-shotgun, a quick-firing P90 with red dot sight, a 45 pistol, an M240 (big brother to the SAW), RPG-7, Skorpion and Spas-12 shotgun. Popping up into iron sights was fast, and movement within ADS (aim-down-sights) mode was also slicker and easier to use than World at War, which was already a step above the first COD on DS. As with the original design, sprinting is pulled off with a quick double-tap up, crouching with a similar tap down, all weapon switching and ADS is done via touch screen, and free aim is managed via the stylus, dragging over an on-screen radar. The two screens are packed, and it works great.
Jumping into the M1A2 Abram next we I tried out Armored Escort. As a sort of first-person take on the tank missions in World at War's console version, players have control over the tank itself with the d-pad (rotation and movement) and then control either the cannon or .50 CAL via the touch screen. This one is pretty self-explanatory, as I made my way through a "not Iraq, but sort of Iraq" city blasting away at enemy tanks and mowing down footmen with the .50. As far as responsiveness goes, the machine gun is much faster, acting like a regular ADS rifle with more recoil. Looking down the gun is a bit tough, and the enemies are small on screen, so it'll take some getting used to. Overall though it's fun and easy to pick people off as you make your way through the city.
The tank's cannon can be a bit of a pain at first, but after a couple minutes I had it down. Since it's slower to turn your first instinct is to just tap and drag like a normal gun, and it won't work. Instead, holding the stylus to the edges of the screen will pan the gun. Again, it takes some getting used to, but it works fine given the feel the developer was going for. In addition, the FPS mode for the tank's cannon is actually pretty awesome, using a video filter as if you're actually watching the battlefield from the Abram's weapon cam system. With the .50 CAL you're right there in the thick of it, so there's no filter. Hop into the gunner seat for the main tube, however, and you're looking out a video display with actual interference. It's an awesome touch.
 Check out first footage of the game in action by clicking above.
And finally we've got the AC-130. After a minute of using the game's bomber controls I told Activision to release a whole slew of these missions as a standalone DSiWare game, as the AC-130 is one hell of a rewarding pocket experience. Removing all music and having just a black and white gunner cam while spying on a battlefield works wonders, as the stylus-driven aiming allowed for sheepishly "detached" kills in a very cold, by-the-numbers kind of way. You cans witch between 20mm, 40mm, and the dreaded 105 howitzer shot via the d-pad, and that also changes the camera zoom and lag on the shots. Mowing people down with the 20mm is nice, but switching to the 40mm is essential for taking out vehicles, and the same goes for the 105 shots for full-on building leveling. The mission plays out in waves, using an actual cloud crossfade that looks natural and manages to stream in new areas instantly. Each minute or two you're prompted with a new scenario, including everything from a hostage situation with "marked" (with a red strobe) allies surrounded by baddies to full-on building-leveling support fire for incoming convoys. This is only a hands-on, and it's only the beginning for Mobilized, but already it's pretty obvious that moments like the AC-130 mission make for a must-own package. Hopefully there's a whole lot more of that, as it was easily the highlight of the demo. Seriously Activision… DSiWare… do it.
Want more? Be sure to check out our interview with n-Space by clicking here.
We'll have a whole lot more of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized – including more of those deadly, giggle-inducing AC-130 missions – as we get closer to the 11-10-9 release date. Until then, be sure to check out first footage of the game, first screens , and don't miss the interview with n-Space on the making of the game. Keep your eyes peeled for additional coverage. We've got more on the way.
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