Giant robots might be one of the most recognizable icons of nerd culture. Comic books, movies, books, and especially video games all use giant robots in ways to make our media fascinating. One of the more recognizable game franchises that use giant robots is – no surprise – the MechWarrior Real Time Strategy series. Players guide a squad of Mechs (giant robots with big guns) through numerous planets to blow up other robots. Now that experience is coming to the iPad in MechWarrior: Tactical Command, thanks to Personae Studio.
MechWarrior: Tactical Command will contain enough material to rival a triple-A game. Thanks to the touch-screen of the iPad, this MechWarrior game will deliver a similar Real Time Strategy experience found on PC. The game will even include an 'immersive' single player story campaign written by series' canon authors, Loren L. Coleman and Randall N. Bills.
Personae Studio intends to keep the experience of the MechWarrior franchise in this game. Rules from the original board game are preserved, like Heat acting as stamina. Players will be given four Mechs to fight through Elementals, Tanks, and other heavily armored Mechs on three planets, one of them being Twycross. A variety of customizable Mechs are available as well, from the Mad Cat to the Atlas, which can be upgraded after missions using C-bills.
What's surprising about this news for a MechWarrior game on the iPad is the emphasis on single player gameplay. MechWarrior: Tactical Command has 21 single player missions available. I think what some gamers like about Real Time Strategy games is to play them with (or mostly against) friends through online play. Yet there doesn't seem to be any social or multi-player features. But the game looks nice based upon some screenshots, and being able to drive around a giant robot might be any nerd's dream. Now they can do it on the go!
MechWarrior: Tactical Command is available now on the iPad via iTunes for $9.99 USD.
