Different for the better...
First, the graphics. While it may not look increadibe, this is only a handheld. And for DS games that do look good, they are limited on what you can do. They pixels are visible and may be a little hard to get used to as some smaller enemies seem to blend in with the backround from far away. But overall, they get the job done.
For the sound. These are some VERY well done SFX for a DS. The weapons sound like a futuristic weapon really should sound like. And the background music is no slouch either, they are not the best you have ever seen, but still, very well done.
The controls may take awile to get used to, but using the touch screen as a second analog is something you feel proud of once you have mastered it. But one problom i do have with the controls is that it can sometiimes be a little tricky to get a bead on something. But it's something as simple changing the sensitivity.
The online is great... for the most part. For some people like me, it may take well up to 10 minutes or so just to be matched up with 1 person. But when you are playing friends matches it is a blast. using the mic to talk to your friends is a very cool feature that, unfortunitly, can only be done in the lobby. also, there have been instances were the person either has terrible lag, or is using mods. I have heard numerous reaport, and have had this happen to me, where the person is not taking any damage and other common hacks found on the consols. But the odd thing is, that it usually seems like the person is "modding" when your only playing with one person... wierd...
Overall, this game is worth getting, even though single player is kinda boring. As there are NO SAVEPOINTS!!! if you wanna save, you gotta go ALL THE WAY back to your ship... but overall very fun.