Ever wanted to be able to pilot a giant walking mech, cockpit controls and all? Well, Capcom has brought gamers the closest possible chance at such an experience in the home: Steel Battalion may just be the ultimate mech simulation game for any system, PC or console. Battalion features a massive 40-button controller and 3 foot pedals. Popular Science even gave the game the Best of What?s New award for 2002 in the electronics category because of this beast of a controller. But the question is, does the game actually make the $200 price tag for the total package (controller + game) worth it? Well, keep reading and find out.
In Steel Battalion you play the role of a rookie recruit learning to pilot a Vertical Tank or VT. During your initial training, the base you are at is attacked and you must get to the VT in the main hanger bay in order to fight back, and thus the fun begins The year is 2080 and Vertical Tanks are experimental new weapons used by the Pacific Rim forces, which you are obviously a part of. A military dictatorship has attempted to take over and the region has been thrown into war.
When you first begin the game, you are in the cockpit of a VT and you have to start up the VT and get it moving so you can defend the base. Using the massive controller is something that must truly be experienced to be believed. The start up sequence involves closing the cockpit hatch, hitting the ignition button, and then you must hit five switches to bring all systems online. Finally you must hit the start button at the right time to finally be able to get your VT moving. After the start up sequence (which, I might add, is pretty cool in and of itself) you must put the VT in gear and press the gas pedal down to be able to move. After you get a taste of the battles ahead by destroying your first two enemies, the opening title comes up, and then you move on to your first real mission.
The missions begin with simple objectives like destroying 70% of the enemy forces and protecting supply ships and get progressively more difficult and complex from there. Initially a total of twelve missions are available, and once those are completed, several more are unlocked to bring the total count to twenty-three. In addition to unlocking more missions, you are also able to unlock more VTs.
You earn money, or credits, for each mission you pass and as long as you have money you can buy vertical tanks to keep playing the game (in other words, they serve as your continues). If your mech blows up and you don?t eject out of it in time, all of your saved data will be erased (literally) and you will have to start over from the beginning, and this fact alone may turn off several people from playing the game. After all, who wants to permanently lose all of their hard work?
While piloting your VT, your view is strictly from a first person viewpoint from inside your cockpit and you must use the monitors that line it to see enemies and to view where to go. There are plenty of weapons to use with your VT, but you have a weight limit and you should never go over the limit or risk the performance of your VT. Also you can only carry a certain amount of ammo for each weapon at one time, but during some missions you can call for supplies for your weapons.
There are two modes of play to Steel Battalion: Campaign Mode, which is the main story of the game, and Free Mode, in which you can do any mission you have beat in the Campaign Mode. This version of Steel Battalion is sadly just a one player game, but Capcom has stated that they are working on a Live-enabled version of the game (possibly a sequel), so have no fear that your SB controller won?t ever see the light of day again after you beat this game
Steel Battalion features excellent graphics during the actual gameplay, but the cut scenes are lacking in the visuals department and could have used some work. The mission briefings could have also used a bit of a graphical touch-up. The in-game graphics are grainy (on purpose) and give you the feeling of being in an actual war. Unfortunately, occasional instances of pop-up will occur and this can be quite annoying as an enemy tank may get hidden in some trees and seemingly pop out of nowhere. The cockpit view of inside your vertical tank is pretty cool as you have gauges for just about anything, such as how much ammo you have for your weapons, fuel, chaff grenades, speed, and map of area. If your cockpit?s glass gets dirty, you can even hit the windshield wiper button to clean it off. This doesn?t do much for the gameplay, but still is incredibly cool on its own.
Enough about graphics, how about the gameplay using that controller? Needless to say, the controller is quite big, but I was actually able to comfortably sit it in my lap while playing the game. Every button lights up and gives you hints about which one you need to press at a particular moment, like when to eject (which will save you and your game saves). If you need supplies all you have to do is turn the communications dial to the right channel and press the button and supplies will come to you. There is a button to be able to track where your enemies will go and give you a better chance of hitting them, which is a cool option. You can zoom in with your main monitor to better see distant enemies, or you can zoom out with your map to gain a better view of the battlefield. It will take you a while to get used to playing with the controller and so there is quite a learning curve to playing Steel Battalion. I was able to pick it up relatively quickly though, and I think the same should go for most other gamers.
Steel Battalion supports Dolby Surround Sound 5.1 and it is a prefect game for use on a surround sound system. The sounds of Steel Battalion are definitely very well done. Each weapon has its own distinctive sound. If an enemy locks on to you, a warning signal will go off and your aiming reticules will turn red. Each VT moves with a thundering noise and sound quite real (if such massive walking tanks of death existed). Radio calls from other units and when you call for supplies sound really good as well. There are really no complaints to be had with Battalion?s sound.
In the end, Steel Battalion is quite a good game and it is the best mech simulation I have ever played. While it isn?t as fast paced as MechAssault, I happen to like Steel Battalion better because it really makes me feel like I am piloting a giant mech. The controller is more than just a gimmick and without it I don?t think you could play Steel Battalion. The $200 price tag of the game will automatically scares off a large portion of the gamer community, but for those of you with the money to spare, especially if you are a diehard mech fan, Steel Battalion is well worth your money. You won?t find an immersive experience like it with any other game out there.
