Is the force strong with you or do you know someone who has the force strong in them? No matter because THQ has teamed up with ngmoco to deliver a Star Wars game that doesn’t require you to be one with the force. In fact, all you need to have is an iPhone and a love for Star Wars, or at least First-Person shooters.
Star Wars Imperial Academy takes the Star Wars universe and mixes it with ngmoco’s Eliminate engine to create an online FPS game that reminds me of LucasArts’ Star Wars Battlefront series. Star Wars Imperial Academy puts up to four players in online death-match battles that takes place in different points of interest in the Star Wars universe such as Hoth, Cloud City, Tatooine, and others. You’ll also be able to use a number of weapons such as the ARC caster, PLX-2M rocket launcher, and the E-11s sniper rifle to name a few.
As you fight through a number of online deathmatch battles, you’ll be able to increase your rank in order to change your outfit to reflect your rank, such as a Sand Trooper or Blackhole Trooper. Since the game is based on ngmoco’s Eliminate engine, you’ll move your character with the left side of the screen, while the right side is used to aim and auto-shoot. Yes, I said auto-shoot. If you’ve played Eliminate, then you’re familiar with the concept, but if you haven’t, then just take it as it sounds. You pretty much aim and the game automatically shoots for you, which I feel has its pros and cons. On one hand, you can focus more on your aim when you’re running around in the game, but on the other hand, I don’t feel this control scheme offers much challenge as I feel it’s more of an FPS on training wheels, although I’m sure casual gamers would be able to jump right in. Either way, it’s a free game, so it’s definitely worth your while to check out.
Star Wars Imperial Academy (FREE) – [iTunes Link]
