A little over one year ago saw the release of one of the most ambitious titles I've witnessed to date. Marketed towards the average home user was something daringly referred to as the "ultimate Mech sim", a game from Japan by the name of "Tekki", or "Steel Battalion". Developed for the Xbox and retailing for around $200US, the game featured a gigantic 40-button (roughly) controller, foot pedals, and a disc containing the actual software game. Suffice to say, it caused a bit of a ruckus upon release. Whilst not tremendously popular due to its aggressive price and ambitious level of gameplay (almost every single button on the controller has a common use in the game, and Mech Assault feels like "Pong" in comparison as far as gameplay goes), as one of the people proud enough to have obtained a copy of the game upon its release in North America, I can honestly say that it has changed the way I look at Mech gaming for the better. Despite the crazy amount of simulation detail put into the game, however, many people refused to purchase it due to its relatively short campaign, and, most significantly, lack of multiplayer. Setting out to resolve that issue (though it may have been the plan all along - murmurings have it that Steel Battalion was supposed to be a sort of "training run" to an impending multiplayer add-on), Nude Maker announced development of Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. Promising online squad-based warfare to a degree that's never been seen before on the Xbox (and not too commonly on PC), SB: LoC looks to be almost even more ambitious than its predecessor due to the reliance on a large player base to keep the game popular. Having netted considerable time with the just-completed semi-public beta of the game, here's a complete overview of my thoughts and opinions on how the title is shaping up.

First of all, let me get the requirements out of the way. As of the time of this writing, Steel Battalion: Line of Contact will require that players own a copy of the original controller in order to function - the game absolutely will not work with a conventional Xbox controller, so don't hold your breath for a magical dumbed-down version of the game. Secondly, the only way for new users to get into the game is to purchase a fresh Steel Battalion bundle from Capcom, due to become available on February 26th (at the time of this writing). This bundle contains a controller and game assembly. Following this, Line of Contact can then be purchased for its release on March 16th. On top of all that, an Xbox, broadband connection, and active Xbox Live account are also all absolutely required for SB: LoC, as the game will not feature any offline functionality (though it will ship with a System Link play mode for players lucky enough to live near other people with a copy of the game and controller - though I'm actually starting to hear rumors to the contrary on this). The entire cost for an average Xbox user to get onboard the bandwagon would probably run upwards of $250US to get the controller bundle and Line of Contact, but as I'm about to go into, the price is well worth it. Obviously some level of intellect will also be required, because as I stated above, this ain't your grandpa's Mech Assault (on the bright side, it is my hope that the price tag and level of complexity will serve to keep moronic griefers out). One common question I encounter is an inquiry on how the Xbox Live headset is supposed to be used if the Steel Battalion controller is being used in place of a standard Xbox controller. The answer is simple - the headset is connected to a regular controller, which is then hooked up to the Xbox's second player port. The controller is then not only used as an interface for the headset, but can also be utilized to navigate the game's interface and access specific Xbox Live features (friends list, etc) while the game is running.

Anyways, let's start discussing the game itself. A basic overview of SB: LoC can be summed up in three words: Online. Mech. Warfare. And by "warfare", I don't mean pathetic mindless little death matches akin to Unreal Championship and Mech Assault, I mean actual war. The game has a very heavy tactical slant, and someone who runs blindly into a fight without understanding how to properly play the game or operate his gigantic walking war wagon will almost always go down in flames. The game isn't necessarily difficult to play, just requiring more brain power than most other titles. Not only is operating a VT ("Vertical Tank" - the game's definition for Mecha) a full, immersive, two-handed (and two feet) process, but there are all kinds of tactical considerations to take into account that can drastically change the way a battle goes. Everything from the terrain being fought upon (which can affect VT performance and possibly contain hazards, such as deep lakes to drown in), the time of day, the location of resupply and respawn zones, and other elements can all play into how a match goes just as much as individual pilot skill. Another thing that can change this is the gameplay mode, of which there are three - Conquest, Battle Royale, and Capture the Container. Conquest is a form of "capture the base" mode, similar to Battlefield 1942's stock gameplay mode, Battle Royale is a basic "anything goes" death match mode, and Capture the Container is essentially a spin-off of Capture the Flag, except that it involves huge stomping robots and manipulator arms. I'll delve into the specifics of all three modes in a bit, but suffice to say, the differences can change the way a match is approached - a Battle Royale free for all would play out much differently than a three-on-three Conquest game.

Steel Battalion: Line of Contact is divided up into two separate gameplay modes, Campaign, and Free Mission. Campaign mode is where all the big action happens. Players register a pilot file (inputting an age, nationality, nickname, and selecting from a vast selection of "avatar" images), select a faction, and are then placed into a global campaign for territorial control. The campaign is round-based, with each "round" lasting roughly eight turns (give or take - this may vary in the final), with specific turns lasting approximately 2-3 days. During the course of a round, two factions fight for control of the map by setting up matches and duking it out in Conquest sessions. When a round is concluded, the players on a winning faction get a boatload of bonus points, while the losing team is penalized. The map is then reset and another round begins. The two selectable factions include the "Pacific Rim Forces" and "Hai Shi Dao", the "good guys" and "bad guys" respectively from the original game. Something worth mentioning is that a third and fourth faction were introduced a little ways after the beta had begun, but the true extent on how these factions will be used was never revealed. One was a completely independent rebel faction called the "Right Brothers" (which even had their own specific line of unique Vertical Tanks to choose from), while another was a mercenary group calling itself the "Jaralaccs" (fans of the original may remember that name), which gave participating pilots the unique ability to join or host a given battle in campaign mode on either fighting team. The reason for my confusion on their exact usage is that not only were they introduced specifically some time after the beta's first round had begun, but when the initial round ended and a second one started, only the PRF and HSD factions were available for selection again. I imagine more data on this will become available later.

A bit more on campaign mode. As I said, players create a pilot file to fight in this war, and this file keeps track of all kinds of statistics; everything from rank, kill count, number of victories/defeats, as well as the number of Combat and Supply points the pilot has. The latter two are important, as they respectively determine how much experience a pilot has (with an increase in rank at certain intervals) and how much currency is available, respectively. Supply points in particular are what pilots use to purchase new VTs from the supply hangar from his particular faction (the lineup available depends on which faction the player signed up for), and are gained by playing missions and accomplishing objectives (as well as scoring kills) - though it should be mentioned that all pilots in a match are issued a "Participation Bonus" regardless on if they win or not, simply to ensure everyone gets at least something back for the fight. VT purchasing is straightforward - just select from one of the available models, queue up the number of VTs desired, and, provided enough supply points are available, issue the purchase order. One variation on this little matter is that certain high-end VTs will sometimes appear in a "limited" quantity during specific turns, forcing pilots to scramble to purchase them before they're all bought out. How far this system goes remains to be seen. As to the reason for the ability to purchase quantities of VTs, entry into a campaign mission requires the user to bid a certain number of Vertical Tanks from his existing inventory prior to launching into the mission with the rest of his team. Each and every VT the pilot loses in Campaign mode is gone forever, and a replacement must be purchased back. Better VT models cost more supply points, so extra care must be taken to ensure they make it through the battle intact. If a pilot runs out of VTs, he's out of the match, but there are special checks in place to ensure a pilot always has enough points to buy at least a couple of the shoddiest, junky VTs available to his faction in between missions if he runs out of dough.

Fighting and buying VTs isn't all Campaign mode has to offer, however. Interestingly enough, a Chat Room function has been provided which not only allows players to talk with each other and plan their next match, but also gives them the ability to access a special trade dialogue. In here, players can not only exchange VTs and supply points with each other, but also replays, insignias, and optional parts (more on some of these elements later). This system worked great and was very useful on more than one occasion, though the transfer of replays in particular tended to take a long time. Also available is an extensive scoreboard system that reveals both the best and worst pilots for specific stats - everything from kill tallies to number of VT tip-overs is recorded and listed online to give players some idea of what they're up against and which pilots to fear. Finally, there's a message board feature, where pilots can arrange meetings with other players for either game sessions or specific trades. Definitely a good plethora of secondary features that got quite a workout over the course of the beta.

When not in the mood for the glamour and preparation of the Campaign mode, pilots can switch over to their Free Mission pilot file to set up some more basic sessions utilizing whatever hardware they've gained access to in Campaign mode. Free Mission actually handles a lot like Campaign mode in the basic matchmaking system, but the major differences are that the secondary features (scoreboard, chatroom, etc) are unavailable and the entire logistics handling system is gone. No risk, but no progression either (pilots can't unlock new content through Free Mission mode). On the bright side, getting a match going in this mode is fairly easy (host can specify what exact mission will be played, which gameplay mode will be used from the three mentioned earlier, and other specifics such as time of day, a friendly fire toggle, and how many "tickets" (think Battlefield 1942 again) a given player or team has to spawn with), and players are able to select which team they wish to be on in Conquest or Capture the Container games right off the bat - since the end result doesn't affect the Campaign mode in any way. Since there's not too much else to say on this front, I'll give a slightly more detailed rundown on the available gameplay modes. "Battle Royale", the most basic of the three, is a straightforward free-for-all where players choose their VTs, spawn into the game, and fight until either they're the last one standing (after everyone else runs out of respawn points) or the timer runs out. Adding to the intensity of the action is the fact that all enemy VTs are visible to a player's radar at once (normally they are not), meaning that some sap can't just hide in a corner and wait for the action to die down before heading out. Well, he can, but he'll probably end up getting run over while doing it once everyone else catches on. Capture the Container, as I mentioned earlier, is a spin-off of Capture the Flag where players pair off into two teams and try to break into an enemy team's base, capture their container (using their VT's manipulator arm, which can be very tricky in hostile conditions), and then carrying said container back to their own base. As is standard ruling, the container cannot be captured by a team if their own container is out of base - and the quickest way to return it is to find the bastard stealing it away, who conveniently shows up as a big screaming blip on everyone's radar (as well as HUD, with an exact distance indicator) while he's carrying the precious cargo. Shooting the container directly causes it to explode and return to base, even if it's being carried by a VT. Since VTs cannot use their sub-weapons while the container is being carried with the manipulator arm, pilots need to be careful.

Finally, "Conquest" is the most elaborate and tactically-challenging of gameplay modes, and, as mentioned earlier, happens to be the one variation Campaign mode focuses on. Players are again split off into two teams and start off in the match in control of a limited number of bases. Their objective is to secure as many of the bases on the map (by marching into them and waiting for about thirty seconds) as possible, while depriving the enemy team of points at the same time. Again, I cite a comparison to Battlefield 1942 for a basic idea on how this works. The best way to deprive an enemy team of points is to just capture all their bases, but things can get more complicated than that, since the enemy team is commonly trying to do the same. A team's point total will be degraded every time a friendly VT dies, but it's not just a simple linear counter - specific VTs cost a certain number of points to deploy, and this reflects in a team's total. So if a player's team starts off with 163 points, and some guy takes an Earthshaker VT (which costs 100 points), then charges into the fray and gets slaughtered without taking a single enemy with him (and then respawns), the player's team will be irrecoverably dinged that one hundred points, leaving them with only 63. Points lost due to death don't regenerate, so pilots can only deal with that kind of loss by stepping up their efforts to capture additional bases and destroying enemy VTs without taking losses themselves. Adding into the mix the fact that VT point totals also factor into the possibility for a respawn (that Earthshaker pilot I mentioned earlier would not be able to respawn a second time if he died again, as his team would have less than one hundred points), and the game gets even more desperate for a losing team. The game is over, obviously, when a single team loses all its points - or a specific objective is accomplished (some maps are scenarios that challenge teams to destroy or defend specific objectives, such as docked Battleships or cities). After reading all that, it becomes clear why Conquest will most likely become the most popular mode, but just wait until I start going into the different VT types and actual gameplay elements.

Before I finally delve into the juicy details on how the game actually handles in action, I'm going to discuss a few of the options pilots have when lurking around in their VT hangar. Customization options for this game aren't quite as in-depth as, say, the Armored Core series, but it comes pretty damn close. Not only can pilots customize the basic weapons loadout for their rides (VTs have support only for specific weapon types - 3 main weapons, 3 sub weapons, and up to two optional extra fuel tanks - though many VTs only support one - and pilots also have to contend with a "standard" and "maximum" weight factor, the former of which can be stepped over at the risk of a more unstable VT, but the latter cannot) much like the original game, but now they can also doll up their rides by customizing paint schemes and creating custom insignia badges to show off in battle. Color customization is insanely easy, allowing pilots to apply pre-made camouflage textures and change the Hue/Saturation/Brightness of either specific parts of their VT, or everything at once. They can also copy and paste color schemes and get a nice unobstructed preview of how their VT looks (though this latter option was kind of useless, as the camera angle couldn't be manually adjusted from its randomly panning state). Insignia editing, on the other hand, is a little more complicated, but allows for a high degree of personalization. The editor is a simple pixel-edit system much like that of Armored Core, but with a number of features to help players make their insignias with ease (pretty much standard-fare stuff one would find in a basic copy of MS Paint, but the inclusion is nice). There's even multi-layered clip art available to choose from, though I didn't try out this feature extensively. Players can save and load insignia data to the Xbox hard drive at will (and this data can even be transferred through a GameShark, Action Replay unit, or a memory card), but I was unable to locate any kind of function that would allow players to transfer pre-made image files from their PC to their copy of Line of Contact with any form of ease. Certainly would make for a handy feature for the artistically-impaired (though of course one can always get creative with the zoom function on their favorite image software and a nice grid, as has been pointed out to me). All of this adds up to spice up the game world a little and prevent players from seeing waves and waves of "clone" VTs that all have the same generic paint scheme. Plus, when you see a pilot with a riced-out VT theme with an awesome looking insignia, one can usually tell that he's up against someone who cares enough about the game to kick his ass all over the map.

Alright, so you've finally assembled enough players for your first mission - say a 3-on-3 Conquest game. You've conversed with your team mates on the plan of action, have selected a VT and readied up, and have just seen the last member of the enemy team do the same thing. The game loads briefly, then places you into a map screen showing an overview of the scenario and a few statistics (time remaining, number of VTs and points available, etc). You use the "Sight Change" hat switch on the controller to select a spawn point with the rest of your team, wait for the reinforcement's countdown timer to expire, and get placed into the cockpit of your walking war wagon. What's next? While experienced Steel Battalion players will find this situation all too familiar, newcomers will probably end up stumped as they stare at their televisions, drooling and waiting for something to happen. Unlike other titles, SB: LoC doesn't start the player off right into the action - instead, it pretends the player has just climbed into the cockpit of his (inactive) Vertical Tank. Indeed, getting started in a match is far more than simply selecting a spawn point and charging off into battle, as the player must run through a several-stage process in order to bring his VT's systems online as quickly as possible (which can result in some insane degrees of panic when the player is unfortunate enough to spawn right in the middle of a pitched fight). First, the cockpit hatch must be closed, securing the pilot in his metal coffin. Secondly, the pilot must push the blinking Ignition button, which starts the VT's engine and brings the operating system ("C.O.O.S.", or the "Combat Oriented Operating System") online. After the player notices the neat little fact that his gamer tag appears as a kind of "login" when C.O.O.S. is booting up, the next prompt requires him to flip five toggle switches on the left block of his controller to initialize the secondary systems (oxygen supply, radar system, etc). A full diagnostic is then run of all the VT's essential systems as the weapons and cockpit panels swing into their proper position. After the main monitor powers up and the world comes into view, the final step required is almost a mini-game of sorts - five bars begin filling up on the HUD, requiring the player to push the "Start" button when they are all over the borderline indicator. Missing the line causes the VT to stall and the final step must be done again, while success brings the entire VT online with a mighty rumble, allowing the player to commence ass-kickage. If this sounds incredibly elaborate, then make no mistake, it is. The entire concept to this game revolves around immersion, and every possible step to ensure the game is as immersive as possible is taken, right down to the sheer amount of detail in the cockpits. Not even the Mechwarrior series ever bothered to take the "simulation" factor this far. Something fans of the original Steel Battalion should note is that the startup process has been modified a bit - the procedure is still exactly the same, but the graphics and animations that play are streamlined a lot more to give off a better presentation (the appearance of the pilot name when the OS boots up, for example, and the different company logos that appear based on the type of VT being used, such as "Komatsu L.S.", or "WM"). Good stuff.