Download Eliminate, Now.

From the makers of Rolando, Topple, and Star Defense comes one of the coolest games in the Apple App Store.  Eliminate is here and it’s fantastic.  Built on the plus₊ gaming social network, players can connect and play online anywhere via WiFi or 3G.

Eliminate is the App Store’s only online first person shooter and it’s fantastic.  Using the plus+ network, players are matched by their rank to ensure the most balanced matches possible.  Players can level up on the plus+ network to advance higher on leaderboards or unlock badges of accomplishment.  Because plus+ is a social network, players can add friends and send match invites via push notifications.

The foundation of the game is based off a player’s energy.  Energy allows the system to track a player’s performance to award credits for participation and kills.  Energy is obtained two ways: every player earns a certain amount of energy per day or you can purchase ‘power cells’ through in-app purchases on your iTunes account. Without energy, players can still participate as normal but cannot earn credits for the matches they play.  Credits can be used to purchase new armor suits and weapons or to upgrade their existing equipment in any number of ways.

The controls take a bit of practice to master.  The left side of the screen has a movement joystick that is used to move forward and strafe left and right.  Turning is done through dragging your right thumb on the right half of the screen.  Players can jump by tapping the bottom middle the screen.  To fire, players can tap once with their right thumb to fire one shot or double tap and hold to empty the clip.  The hardest part to master is double tap firing while trying to turn.  Eventually you’ve got to pick up your finger to continue advancing in the same direction and have to retap to continue firing.  A game like this would be perfect for a dock-connecting controller that would surround the screen, much like the PSP.

If you haven’t already checked it out, download Eliminate Pro in the App Store for free.  Even if you don’t commit to buying power cells, it’s still a great game to play.  Once you do, add your plus+ username to the comments.  Don’t forget to add me to your friends list (VforVinDiesel) so I can destroy you all.  If you want to learn more, check out ngmoco.