Star Fox 64. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. X-Wing vs Tie Fighter. What do all of these game a have in common? The answer is simple: They’re all amazing space combat games that everyone should be familiar with if you’re a true gamer. Gameloft has released their own space combat game for the iPhone which they hope could follow in the footsteps of those great games called Star Battalion.
Star Battalion has you playing as an ace star pilot who is fighting against the Royalists who have slowly taken over and spread fear across the galaxy. In Star Battalion, you’ll be able to play the main campaign to uncover a tale of betrayal, ambition and hope either alone or co-op locally through Bluetooth or online via Wi-Fi. Not only that, but you’ll also be able to team up randomly with other Star Battalion players through Game Center. The game features a wide variety of ships to choose from each with their own stats.
If you’re into discovering a universe full of beautiful looking planets in delicious HD graphics, then you’ll be happy to know Star Battalion supports the iPhone 4’s Retina Display. Not only that, but the game also supports the iPhone 4’s gyroscope which allows for a complete 360° of immersion. Before each level begins, the game prompts the player to hold their iPhone in a comfortable position in order to calibrate the gyroscope. Once it’s calibrated, the game will take that position as the neutral position, which means you can play the game in any direction you’d like.
One thing i was surprised that Gameloft didn’t include was an online multiplayer mode where you can fight against players in space dogfights. Playing co-op is great, but being able to take your space flying expertise online against other pilots would have been the oh so sweet icing on this already amazing cake. Hopefully Gameloft can implement this in either a future update or in the game’s sequel, if there are plans for one that is.
Star Battalion ($6.99) – [iTunes Link]