Steel Battalion: Line of Contact Impressions

Capcom's Steel Battalion was one of last year's most surprising games, insofar as it cost four times as much as a regular game does and shipped in a gigantic box that packed in not just the game, but also a unique proprietary control system exclusively designed for the game. Learning the functions of the controller's many buttons, dials, and switches was part of the appeal, not to mention the immersiveness of the whole experience. Unfortunately, Steel Battalion offered some rather short-lived fun at a high cost. Its single-player campaign was over pretty quickly, and the game offered no multiplayer support. But along comes Steel Battalion: Line of Contact to fulfill the original game's potential: It's Steel Battalion with online play. We checked it out on the E3 show floor and confirmed that, yeah, multiplayer Steel Battalion seems a lot cooler than single-player Steel Battalion.

Line of Contact looks a lot like the original Steel Battalion and uses the same controller. On the show floor, Capcom has it set up on an eight-player team-based LAN in an impressive-looking display, and the game seemed to be running smoothly. Players in vertical tanks could be seen walking in formation and then slugging it out with powerful cannons against their rivals. The mechanics of Line of Contact are similar to those of the original, meaning you'll have to quickly dodge enemy attacks using a special boost move.

We couldn't confirm whether the game will be sold exclusively with the controller or separately as well, though chances are good that Steel Battalion owners won't need to splurge for the whole package again. We also don't yet know about all the multiplayer modes of play, though the game seems focused on a team-oriented multiplayer experience.

We didn't see any of Line of Contact's single-player elements, though those obviously aren't the emphasis. The gameplay itself looked nearly identical to that of the previous game, so this can be seen as an extension of Steel Battalion or even a fulfillment of its potential, rather than a true sequel. Anyone who's played Steel Battalion would likely be excited at the idea of playing this unusual game with and against others, as it should make for a decidely different Xbox Live experience.