Moon (DS)Released January 13th, 2009
June 4th, 2058. A branch of the U.S. Military, the Extra Terrestrial Encounter Organization, or ETEO, has stumbled across a startling discovery on the Moon's surface near ETEO's Alpha Base: a hatch of unknown origin! Sent to investigate this startling find are you, Major Edward Scott Kane, and your close friend and comrade Captain Kado Tsukigami, along with ETEO's Alpha Team. As you ride a space cargo carrier to the moon base, you jokingly think your Commander is overeacting on this mission, about how extraterrestrials could have built it. How wrong you turn out to be....
So opens Moon, possibly one of the best First Person Shooters on the Nintendo DS to be released so far. Even though Moon might not have the online multiplayer like Metriod Prime: Hunters, another major DS FPS, it has enough atmosphere to make up for lack of multiplayer. I will now go into depth with the features of Moon:
One of the few enemy types you will encounter in Moon.
Graphics
9/10In the graphics department, Moon pushes the DS to it's limits. From the empty Alpha Base, to the subterranian, downright creepy alien bases, Moon has the graphics to match many a great FPS. Character models move smoothly, the game runs a steady 60 frames per second and lighting effects help add to the atmosphere. The cutscenes are also not as grainy as those on other DS games, and some even use the game's graphics! However, some of the wall graphics sets repeat in the alien base areas, making them seen a bit repetitve at times.
Sound
9/10
Moon's music may seem a bit repetitive at times, like the wall patterns I mentioned earlier,, but it actually sets the game's mood.
Also, this game has something that many other DS games don't have: Voiceovers that are'nt overly dramatic!
Replay value
8/10
This game has a decent bit of replay value, in the form of extra episodes, which are virtual-reality levels that give you different sets of waepons.These extra episodes can be unlocked by finding three "alien artifacts' hidden in each story episode.Also, you can replay the episodes you have played in Adventure mode. Because of these two factors, Moon has some strong replay value.
Value
10/10
If there is one face of Moon I like the most, it would be the movie-like presentation and story. The game even opens with a epic cutscene that would'nt look out of place in a sci-fi movie! Also, like I mentioned earlier, the voice actors are some of the best I have heard on the DS, or any FPS, period! Sadly, the voiceovers only last through the first chapter. The cutscenes throughout the game are movie-quality. This game is definately worth the $30 price.
The enviroments are usually full of activity of some sort, like the astronaut working on the computer in this screen.
So, if you are looking for a decent DS FPS, and you are willing to sacrifice online multipayer to get a quality single player experience, then this game is for you.
OVERALL RATING
9/10
