Wi-Fi Army: first Google Android game announced

With everyone shouting about the potential for iPhone games and whether the new N-Gage platform is going to be any good, the prospect of Google's forthcoming Android operating system being a viable gaming platform is a notion that's been somewhat lost in the noise.

But W2Pi Entertainment has begun development in earnest of a very unique sounding location-based FPS game for Android, called Wi-Fi Army.

The basic set-up sees you search for players when you're out and about, and if your phone detects anyone with an Android handset that is running Wi-Fi Army within a 300-foot radius, you can invite them to the game.

If the player accepts your invite, their profile is sent to you including a photo of what they look like. The idea is that you then have to track them down. But the really clever part is that when you spot the person you are playing with, you have to take their picture with your Phone's camera which is then automatically uploaded to the Wi-Fi Army server that compares the picture against the picture of the player that's in the database. If a match is found it counts as one hit.

The beta version will only support up to 500 players per city, although it will be free. Apparently weapon upgrades (Lord knows how those work) and other power-ups will be available for a nominal fee.

It's extremely ambitious sounding stuff and making use of wi-fi, GPS and camera functions in one game is something that has mostly been the stuff of the drawing board up until now. If this game actually ships, then there will certainly be little else like it out there.

We have our reservations regarding the reality of getting such a complicated system to run smoothly, not to mention the slightly creepy nature of tracking down complete strangers in real life to take their photo.

That said, there's no denying the idea is fiercely original and if it works the way the developer intends it to, it bodes well for the power of the Android platform and its future credentials for gaming.

Click 'Track It!' to catch any updates about this very intriguing title.