Augmented reality isn’t a new technology by any means — football fans experience it whenever they see the yellow first-down line drawn on their televisions. It’s only logical, then, that video games have wholeheartedly embraced the concept of juxtaposing virtual elements within the real world. And even though developers haven’t quite gotten to the point of tinkering with the safety protocols of the nearest holodeck, they've still accomplished a remarkable feat of progress.
While the glasses-free 3DS handheld from Nintendo certainly packs the necessary punch to blur the line between virtual and reality, you don’t need to wait around for its impending release to mix the two. Here are four games on the iPhone to check out if you ever feel the need to bend reality a bit to get your game on.
AR.Pursuit
If multiplayer aerial competition is your bag, then Parrot’s augmented-reality supplement for its separately purchased iPhone-controlled quadracopter device should show up on your radar.
AR.Pursuit pits two players in a cat-and-mouse chase across the skies. By simply piloting their copter close enough, the pursuer can send automatic machine-gun fire to their opponent, resulting in a slow-down effect and a golden opportunity to slug a missile into their exhaust pipe for the coup de grace. Of course, once the missile hits, the tables are turned: Hunter becomes hunted and a new round begins. (Spacious hangar not included.)
Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gunner
The most memorable ships from a galaxy far, far away can jump to lightspeed right into your backyard, subway station, or even your city’s skyline with Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gunner.
Strap yourself behind the controls of the Millennium Falcon’s beefy quad laser cannons to shoot down squadrons of Imperial TIE fighters that juke and weave in the real-life setting of your choice. An early-Monday commute on a cramped subway train isn’t something to look forward to — but that won’t matter when you’re armed with one of the best augmented-reality shooters this side of the galaxy. (Or if you’re this guy.)
ARDefender
Int13’s tower-defense game sticks to the mold for augmented-reality games on offer today. Using a printed tag card as a placemarker for the iPhone’s camera, players must defend a lone tower against waves of attackers. The battlefield encompasses a 360-degree field of view around the tower, so players need to be aware of enemies approaching from all angles.
ARhrrrr
Don’t worry, no one sneezed on this game’s title — it’s just an unsubtle hint at the nature of one of the most convoluted (and promising) augmented-reality games out there.
Even though the Georgia Tech project is over a year old, its premise is still delightfully complex and engaging. A zombie-infested town sprouts up under the watchful eye of a smartphone’s camera (masquerading as a hovering helicopter), and players need to rescue trapped civilians by clearing the roads of pesky walking corpses. As an added twist, the inclusion of actual Skittles candy pieces acts as improvised explosives for some extra damage.
ARhrrrr has a slight wait until hardware tech advances enough to support it, but until then, I suppose can start stockpiling copious amounts of tangy-flavored bombs.