Handling a VT for basic movement affairs is a deceptively complex process that's easy to learn, but difficult to master. The three-pedal assembly that comes with the controller is used for movement-related tasks ("slidestepping", brake, and accelerate, from left to right respectively) in combination with the gearshift on the main controller. Taking baby steps is easy (shift into 1st or 2nd gear and stomp on the right-most pedal), but baby steps won't win the war. In order to stand a chance in combat, players need to understand how to get the best possible performance out of their VT. Sure, working up to fifth gear (side-note: fifth gear has been changed from the original game, in that it switches the VT into a kind of "wheel" locomotion that effectively doubles the VT's current speed, but is ineffective unless the pilot maxes out in fourth gear first) and zooming around all over the place sounds like a great tactic, until one takes into consideration the possibility of tipping. All VTs have a balancer system designed to keep the Mecha upright and moving, but taking a hard corner at high speeds will often stress this balancer to its limits. When a player is turning too much and is about to tip over, a warning will appear, forcing the player to ease off the turn or risk falling over like a doofus (executing a "slide" maneuver with the left-most pedal will also resolve the balancer warning). The risk of falling over due to a turn has been toned down to be a little less aggressive from the original game, so players have a second or two to cease their maneuver rather than having to "guess" when the warning will appear so they can avoid instantly toppling over. Since VTs don't exactly turn very quickly (even the most high-end ones), players must make an effort to plan their routes carefully or risk getting slaughtered when they make a mistake and have to slow down or stop to turn around. Speed is life.

A little more on that "slidestep" thing I mentioned. VTs have the ability to spontaneously "slide" in one of four directions for a brief period, allowing pilots to effectively dodge incoming projectiles. The direction the VT will slide is determined by the state of the "Rotation Lever" on the controller (whether the joystick is centered or being pushed left or right) and which gear the VT is in. A normal press on the dodge pedal with the Rotation Lever centered and the VT in neutral will briefly propel it straight forward. Reverse gear will shove it backwards, and pushing the Rotation Lever left or right will cause the VT to dodge in those directions respectively. So what's to stop a pilot from dodging incoming projectiles endlessly? Heat - or more specifically, battery power which is being used to prevent the VT from overheating (technical stuff conveniently covered in the neato geeky manual the original game ships with). Every time a VT dodges, it generates heat and puts additional stress on its actuators. If the battery gauge on the cockpit goes down too much, a "Heat" warning will appear on the HUD and the pilot will be unable to execute a second dodge maneuver until he waits for his battery to get some more juice. The amount of battery drain depends on how far the VT dodges (which is affected by how long the pedal is held down), so pilots who can execute a light, practiced depress on the pedal will be most effective at economizing their power levels and can dodge the most effectively. Something to keep in mind.

Of course, learning to handle a VT is only a small piece of a much larger hill that must be tackled in order to effectively play the game. Fuel is one important commodity that must be kept track of mid-mission, as a VT that runs out of gas is going to be nearly helpless. Unlike the original game, VTs that run out of fuel in Line of Contact aren't completely immobilized, but they are unable to execute slide maneuvers or enter fifth gear - two things that can place pilots at a severe disadvantage in a fight. Ammunition is another concern, as just about every weapon in the game has a limited amount of projectiles it can spit out before going dry, leaving only melee weapons (if available) and bad words to throw at an opponent. Available on every map to rectify both these problems are resupply stations that any player can take advantage of, simply by walking up and standing on the platform until resupplied. Only downside is that a player's weapons are locked out while the resupply is in progress, necessitating a certain level of caution (nothing like having some jerk take pot shots at you and being unable to fire back).

There are also many other ways a player can manipulate his VT in order to increase his chances of winning a fight. The average VT cockpit is equipped with two adjustable multi-function displays which can display a multitude of information. The lower one (referred to as the "sub monitor") can provide a constant camera perspective from either the front or back of the VT, a form of "sky camera", a zoomed view of whatever target is currently locked on, or even an all-new missile camera not present in the previous game (it should be mentioned that no external camera is available, with the exception of replay functionality mentioned later). The upper monitor has also seen a serious overhaul from Steel Battalion, allowing players to select from three different mini-map zoom modes (close range, long range, and a complete sector-grid listing of the entire mission zone), as well as a number of other displays that show match statistics (number of points, kills, losses, and respawns available), personal VT information (a new percentage-based damage indicator is incredibly handy for players to gauge just how close they are to a flaming death), and finally a display for the current power status of the VT's systems. That last element in particular brings me to an interesting point, as one common complaint for the original Steel Battalion was that the toggle switches on the controller were never used again after the VT was started up - flipping them off had no effect. Now, in Line of Contact, the toggle switches can be manipulated in the middle of a mission to open up a fresh tactical option. Each toggle switch controls or optimizes a certain aspect of the VT (the VT-Location Measurement switch handles radar, for example, and gas usage will essentially triple if the Fuel Flow Rate switch is set to off), and if they are all disabled, the VT powers down and cannot be locked onto or detected (players would still show up on radar in Battle Royale games, but they can't be targeted). Since any active lock is also broken, this feature is incredibly useful for losing pursuers behind terrain and obstacles. However, the most obvious use of this little feature is laying ambushes (a particularly favorite and vicious tactic of mine in team games). Find a little piece of terrain to hide behind that still provides a decent view of a given area, power down, wait for some poor sucker to march past, and then jump in behind him and let rip. Of course, powering down has its disadvantages - not only is the player immobile and his mini-map display rendered useless, but the oxygen levels of his pilot will slowly drop, causing the view to slowly fade out to white. When a pilot is just about to die, a warning will sound, giving the player a chance to flip the relevant switch back on briefly to get some fresh air (and risk detection at the same time). This entire process is a definite improvement that adds a whole new sneaky angle to team games.

There's so many different ways to handle a VT that I could probably go on all day about the different features, but all of that comes to naught for the budding pilot if an enemy manages to get the better of him, lands a killing blow, and his VT begins to explode (and believe me, it will happen on many occasions, especially against those crazy Japanese players). Normal gaming logic dictates that the player should just wait for the exploding to finish so he can respawn, right? Nothing could be further from the truth. At the far top right of the entire controller assembly is a shiny red button covered by a neato flip-up plastic protective covering. This is the eject button, and pushing it is a required step for pilots to continue on if they are defeated in battle. The time limit imposed on pilots to eject before they become a crispy bacon to be served at the next Hai Shi Dao BBQ get-together is fairly lenient and provides players with ample warning that it's time to stop grappling with his doomed VT and get the hell out of there (the big red warning lights and explosions breaking out all over the cockpit are usually good signs), but failure to eject can be catastrophic. Not only will the player be immediately dropped from the current match and delivered to a "Killed In Action" screen (with depressing music, no less), but his active pilot file will be instantly deleted and lost forever. This can be a simple annoyance in Free Mission mode (a player's accumulated rank and points are gone, but all unlocked VTs will still remain when a new file is made), but can be cause for big time hair-pulling if it occurs in Campaign mode, for obvious reasons. If this gives you reason to play with the protective covering over the eject button flipped up at all times in a paranoid manner, just make sure you don't tell anyone, or face endless mockery from more experienced players. Like I said, there's more than sufficient time to realize what's happening and eject, so pilot death is usually the excuse of the lazy or inattentive (or those who like powering down their VTs and leave their oxygen supply turned off for too long). Some may question the point of the whole ejection/pilot death system, but I tend to welcome the extra adrenaline rush of trying to eject in time after having my ass handed to me. Chalk this up as another immersion element.

I should probably begin wrapping this up before it turns into a best-selling novel, so here's a quick run-down of some of the other features newly introduced to Line of Contact that were lacking in Steel Battalion. Locational damage is not entirely in the game (or at least, not on the same level that Mechwarrior/Earthsiege fans are used to), but it does exist to a certain degree. With a bit of careful aiming, it is now possible to destroy a VT's leg, immediately forcing the pilot to eject. This has no effect beyond a simple kill in Free Mission mode, but in Campaign mode, it can actually be used to capture an enemy VT for one's own use. An incredibly neat addition to the gameplay that I applaud Nude Maker for implementing. There are also a number of new VTs and weapons that have been incorporated into LoC. One of my favorites, the "Sheepdog", is an incredibly specialized light VT that is very fast, has paper-thin armor, and features the unique ability to identify all enemy targets on its radar system at once in team-based games. Using its integrated "Peeping Spear" weapon, it can then not only relay this data onto team mates by establishing a target lock, but can also monitor the radio input/output transmissions of the targeted VT (in essence allowing the pilot to tap enemy communications). This is not only astonishingly cool, but insanely useful for common sessions where tactics take priority over firepower. Another noteworthy addition to the VT lineup is a massive beast called the "Earthshaker", which carries a "Gauss" weapon that, when charged up, can literally shut down an enemy VT by delivering an EMP burst. The Earthshaker cannot move or use any other weapons while the Gauss is in use, but the morale and tactical change incurred on enemy pilots affected by this weapon as they scramble to figure out what the hell happened and restart their VT's systems is huge.

There are also a few other toys that make an appearance (as another example, the Marker Launcher that can be equipped to some VTs launches a small beacon that illuminates enemy VTs on the radar screen of all friendlies for upwards of two minutes), but almost all of the old toys Steel Battalion fans are familiar with make a return as well - including the insanely powerful Railgun (which, sadly, no longer incorporates an EMP into the projectile to shut down enemy VTs). The slightly popular 320-sr (Sniper Rifle) weapon has been modified to accommodate an insane increase in damage and range, rather than being a slightly beefed up conventional cannon. Players can (and must, in fact) push the F1 key when the weapon is armed to zoom in and fire the weapon with precision accuracy. The Sight Change hat is used to aim the weapon (rather than the Aiming Lever), meaning that the standard targeting functionality (which automatically tracks targets and aims a VT's weapons) doesn't apply. The weapon also now has a minimum range, meaning that targets that get too close cannot be sniped - the projectile will simply bounce off their armor. And, of course, who could forget the melee weapons? The Plasma Torch, Stun Rod, and Cutting Boom all make their return, albeit in a slightly modified form. Melee weapons appear to do far less damage to VTs, but still have the instant "knock down" effect, forcing a pilot to struggle back to his feet after being assaulted. There are also a couple of new melee weapons, such as the "Bang Needle" kitted out by a VT called the "Garpike", which does an insane amount of damage to anything unfortunate enough to be in its way when it discharges. I've even seen a couple of VTs that have massive deployable shields that can be used not only to deflect incoming small-arms fire, but can also be used to surge the VT forward and run over anyone stupid enough to be in the way. Another neat new addition to the game is a smattering of "Optional Parts", which can be added to customize specific VTs even further - but, unfortunately, I was never able to land my hands on these or find anyone who had the slightest idea how they worked. From the basic descriptions, they appeared to be basic performance improvements (better radar, battery power, etc), but I was unable to ascertain anything beyond that. I believe a few of the weapons could still stand to benefit from some minor balancing changes, however. Guided missiles for example, are incredibly easy to counter, as not only do they move fairly slowly (I've outrun my own missiles while bearing down on an enemy at some points), but all it takes to remove the threat is for a pilot to push the blinking "Chaff" button on his controller (provided he has any countermeasures left, of which VTs commonly have many), which causes the missiles to veer off randomly and explode against the terrain. If missiles moved a bit faster, perhaps they'd be a bit less of a laughable threat. Aside from that major concern, I think most of the other weapons work out pretty well as far as balancing goes.

There's even more variation to the different VT types in the game. The first few VTs a new pilot will have access to are part of the "First Generation" line. They're fairly slow, clunky, don't have particularly good armor, and their weapons are generally only optimal for slugging it out against other first-gens or light second-gen models. Moving on to the Second and Third-Generation lines, however, reveals some nice differences, not only in overall VT performance, but in functionality. Second and Third-Generation VTs have two major advantages over the First-Generation line - this being the "Forecast Shooting System" and "Override" (both being buttons on the controller). The former is a kind of automatic target-lead system that improves a pilots chances of hitting a laterally-moving enemy considerably (from "none" to "nailed if the moron doesn't dodge), while "Override" is a kind of panic button for pilots to employ in a pitched fight, as it causes their battery gauge to fill back up almost instantly every time a slidestep maneuver is used, allowing them to dodge over and over again (at the cost of an insane increase in fuel consumption). These two functions alone mean that an experienced pilot using even a light Second-Generation VT can easily massacre an entire group of rookie First-Generation players. The differences can even be felt in the cockpits and startup sequences, as moving up from a rusty First-Generation VT all the way up to an expensive, high-end Third-Generation model can feel like going from a 286 running some archaic version of DOS all the way up to a modern build of Windows XP (sheer example). The cockpits gradually become more opened and streamlined too, so more expensive VT models will always feel "better" to pilot than the lower end of the food chain. Certain VT types even have their own unique cockpit types that go one step further - VTs like the "Sheepdog" or "Behemoth", while being standard Second-Generation models, have a different "support" cockpit with much larger sub-displays optimized for the role of those VTs, which are really cool to see in action.

I know this keeps dragging on, but one significant feature I absolutely must delve into is that of the replay system. Like its predecessor, Steel Battalion: Line of Contact allows players to save replays of each and every engagement they play for later viewing. Unlike the original, however, the game now features many different camera angles to watch the action from. The player can elect to use many different pre-set angles (such as a battle camera to keep track of the action, or a pan-able chase cam), or they can switch over to a Free-Roaming camera mode to see the action from any angle they desire. The camera system can be controlled either with a stock Xbox controller or the actual Steel Battalion peripheral, making for a significant ease of use (the SB controller is my preferred approach because the increased number of buttons allow for "hot keys" to instantly access specific replay features). Other available replay functionality allows players to fast forward or pause the action (no rewind, disappointingly), apply a number of overlay filters to watch the action from 20 different tripped-out schemes, switch between cockpit and external views at any time (only for the VT of the player who saved the replay), and access a quick map overlay that shows the location of all the players. Really cool stuff, and I'm still getting entertainment out of watching my replays from the various angles despite the fact that the beta servers are no longer online. I really wish more games would do this kind of thing.

Moving on to the subject of graphics, Steel Battalion: Line of Contact makes one of the best presentations I've seen to date, if only because of the sheer amount of "war detail" put into the game's art direction. The graphics are not flashy or fancy because they're not meant to be - instead, the development team has opted for the same nitty-gritty graphical approach that made the original so popular. One of the best improvements here is that of visual distance, which has been improved to a massive degree (the original Steel Battalion always made me feel like I was walking around in a heavy fog), allowing players to spot movement and terrain details from a far distance away. The view limit isn't infinite, but it is vastly improved, which should make a lot of people very happy. The animations used on the VTs themselves is also very impressive to see in action, with legs and feet swinging around and reacting to the pilot's input and weapons automatically orienting themselves to acquire a locked target. Each and every weapon a pilot has taken is visible on a VT from another player's perspective (with the exception of the "multi-missile" weapon available on the Prominence M2 and M3 designs), and the animations make it very clear which implements of destruction a player has armed and is preparing to use. After spending so long playing games like Mechwarrior, which rely on linear Mech designs that don't change in the slightest based on which weapons a pilot chooses to carry, this was a very refreshing change of pace. One can even see the manipulator arm in motion for if a pilot is attempting to open a door, grab a crate, or is just waving hello, or sight a flock of birds breaking from the tree line (in panic, no doubt) while romping around in a forest. Combine all this with some vastly improved shader and special effects (the water looks better than ever, and the cheesy "windshield washing" effect from the original has been replaced with a much better one), and your eyes will not be disappointed. Oh, and the game will feature high-def 720p support for people who just can't get enough graphical goodness.