Akella and Primal Software's Heavy Duty is an interesting bird. Since it was last shown off at E3 it has been compared to a multitude of games, but it is best described as a high level real-time strategy action game that combines the tactical command of a grand strategy game with the close and personal combat of a third-person shooter in a ridiculously open world.

The first thing to note about the game is just how open the developers promise the world will be, letting you drop into any location with ease, switching between a command mode and a hands-on action mode. We're talking huge photo realistic landscapes with a total area of 154 sq. km. Players can zoom in and out on this world, locating hotspots and dropping available forces where they feel they are needed the most like a supreme commander should be able to. But if a hands on approach is needed you can jump into any of the forces you command at any time and take the fight to your foes directly.

One of the most important aspects of the game is the ability to create and customize giant spider-like mechs, using a myriad of technological advancements that you'll research and learn from the invading alien forces you'll be battling throughout the game. Beyond building the perfect Mech, you'll be managing a base and gathering whatever resources you'll need to create your mechanized army and taking the battle to your foes in the most effective way.

Primal is really focusing on a world that is fully interactive in every way, with a number of technologies that make the world bend and oftentimes break under the heavy feet of your army. Everything in this world can be moved, broken or destroyed with enough force or firepower. Trees, rocks, or the very earth can be pocked by explosions, bent, broken and otherwise violated by your violent behavior. The world also promises to use physics affectively to further add to the game's overall realism in a number of areas including the way objects act when the proper force is applied or even how your mech handles navigating the terrain. And the terrain and the world remembers all its scars with grand detail, meaning that if you level a mountain or knock down some trees it will stay that way permanently. There are a lot of high level concepts being built into the game that we hope work as described on the box when development is complete.

Then there's the mechanized army that you'll build and drive (or direct if you want a more hands-off approach to things like a traditional RTS) from the ground up. These giant eight legged metal marauders will uses physics rather than predetermined movement to navigate the terrain. As an example of that you'll scale lofty heights like mountains by having your footing adjust appropriately to the terrain you are trying to travel. This gives you the ability to avoid tipping over or to scale giant obstacles like mountains with ease.

It also sounds like you'll be stuck with the eight legged chassis design, but you'll be able to customize each unit to handle different tasks and arm them with a variety of conventional and experimental technologies that you'll develop through research or "steal" from your adversaries. Research, like the cost of running your super bases, will be paid on a monthly basis by the world's leading corporations, so balancing management, cash flow resources, staff costs and finding ways to earn additional cash are all important part of winning the game. This aspect of the game coupled with the action is why many have called Heavy Duty "X-Com Meets MechWarrior." It is certainly an original premise for a game and an interesting one if Primal can put the sum of the game's many parts together properly.