If I had to rank the best control setups for a first-person shooter, this damn thing wouldn�t
even make the list.
Nah, for me, the best way to control a shooter is with something like the Wii Remote or PlayStation
Move.
That way, you get the accuracy of a pointer with the maneuverability of an analog stick.
Of course, if you�re good at maneuvering with a keyboard, a simple mouse can�t be
beat.
But you know what else would make my list?
The Nintendo DS.
Yeah, believe it.
Hand cramps aside, it had a great setup for first-person shooters.
It just...didn�t have many first-person shooters.
But this one?
This is one of the few, the proud...the shooters of the Nintendo DS.
It�s Call of Duty: World at War.
Just...maybe ice your palms, after playing.
Now, on its own, World at War is just...an inherently good handheld shooter.
But the thing that really makes it stand out on the DS...is the DS itself.
Playing this game with touch just makes all the difference in the world.
You can get your aim down the pixel, and not only that...it�s also faster than fumbling
with dual thumbsticks.
It�s really an example of game design totally benefitting from hardware design.
Much to the dismay of these poor mofos.
So the touch screen changes a lot about Call of Duty.
Some of it�s for the better, like aiming with the stylus, but a lot of it�s...more
subjective.
One of the interesting things about World at War on DS is that...it doesn�t just do
touch aiming.
It pushes touch throughout the experience.
And not all of those ideas hit the target.
And if you want to see what I�m talking about, look no further than the touch screen
display.
This is really where all the action takes place, in terms of control.
You have a big open area, which is used for aiming.
But there�s also buttons you can touch to do certain things.
Reload by tapping your weapon, bring up your sights by tapping the icon...and that stuff
works alright, despite forcing you to briefly look away.
But dragging a panel, to change weapons?
Ugh.
Not as �alright.�
And going back to the subjective...World at War also throws in lots of little touch minigames.
You might have to defuse a bomb or use Morse code, and this stuff�s actually kind of
fun the first time around.
But after repeating them?
It feels more gimmicky than fun.
But again, for better or worse, that stuff at least gives this multiplatform game its
own distinct feel on the Nintendo DS.
Now, the gameplay is pretty much what you�d expect, but...given the hardware�s limitations,
it almost has a gallery shooter feel at times.
Like, the bad guys aren�t very mobile.
They mostly just...pop up, like cutouts.
But it�s still fun, and for what it�s worth, the game�s actually impressive on
the DS.
The environments are really big, and the graphics are surprisingly good, given the platform.
I realize it might not look all that great, maybe I�m kind of gushing a bit much...but
I�m just so interested in the idea of improving game control.
And not just changing it to be different, but actually making it better.
A lot of things about the DS and the Wii were gimmicky changes just to be different...but
some really were improvements.
On the Nintendo DS, World at War is certainly different to be different.
But in some ways, it was also different to be better.