Moon

June fourth, Twenty-Fifty-Eight –  log entry zero one – Major Edward Kane .

Ever since Roswell, we’ve known we’re not alone. Now more than a century later they’ve found this ‘hatch’ on the moon. Is this going to be our next giant leap? If so, just what are we jumping into? We’re about to find out.

End log.

Moon kicks off with a pleasing cinematic intro. I smiled to myself when I saw credits fading in and out of the short cut scene. I felt like I was about to watch a film, not play a game. In Moon, you take on the role of Major Edward Kane, your mission to  investigate a mysterious hatch found on the surface of the moon. Backed up by radio contact and tooled up with a Super Assault Rifle, Major Kane  cautiously ventures into the unknown. Inside the hatch, the mystery unfolds.

The DS FPS controls are easy to get to grips with, using the D-pad to move around, the stylus and touch screen to aim and select inventory items and the L button to fire your weapon. Throughout the hatch are terminals that give information on your surroundings and intriguing insights into the hatch’s true purpose. At the near beginning of the game, you’ll happen upon a strange glowing blue substance that absorbs into your body on contact. It revitalises you, making you feel great! The enemies you encounter will drop more of it, upon their death, replenishing part of your health when picked up.

As you progress through the levels the enemies become tougher and you’ll find  more powerful weapons, from pistols to sniper rifles, to enable you to defeat them.  Although the range of weapons is varied the enemies you’ll encounter are not so varied but they will challenge your reflexes and keep you on your toes throughout each battle. The end of level bosses are more creative in design with some being simple “spray and pray” fights and others requiring a bit more skill and cunning to finish off.

With such a promising intro, and graphics, gameplay and audio being more than acceptable it’s such a shame that Moon’s story falls a little flat. It’s not a bad tale, not bad at all, the setting is there and the atmosphere spot on, but it’s just not the gripping thriller that could have edged the game from good to great. It’s forgiveable though and if you’re looking for a shooter to have and to hold, at home or on the go, Moon is a fine choice.