Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor deploys June 19

After eight years on leave, Steel Battalion is ready to report for duty once more. Capcom today announced a June 19 North American release date for Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, with a European launch following on June 22.

Billed as a Kinect game for traditional gamers, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor relies on both the motion-sensing camera peripheral and a standard Xbox 360 controller. Movement, aiming, and firing are still handled by the controller. The Kinect integration comes in when the player--as the commander of a "Vertical Tank" crew--must navigate the cockpit of the machine, survey the battlefield with a periscope and binoculars, examine maps, or switch gears for high-speed travel. The motion controls also come into play when certain events take place, such as when a member of the crew loses his cool under fire and needs a few good slaps to calm down.

Set in the latter days of the current century, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor depicts a world that has fallen under the grip of an Asian superpower, and nearly all technology has been wiped out. As American VT commander Sgt. Powers, players lead a VT crew into battle to reclaim the US from the occupying force.

For more on Steel Battalion, check out GameSpot's new hands-on preview of the game.