Tekki Preview

The enivornments in the game will be extremely detailed.

Remember BattleTech VR from a couple of years ago? It was a mech simulator game in which players took control of mechs inside a sit-down arcade cabinet equipped with joysticks, buttons, and switches as if you were really inside a cockpit. Predating the current generation of online network games, you were able to play with other human players across a network. While the BattleTech VR concept has ended up being expanded on in the popular MechWarrior series on the PC, it's a different experience altogether, since sitting at a PC didn't quite capture the feeling of being in a cockpit. Now, Capcom attempts to blend both experiences straight into your own living room with its upcoming mech simulator title for the Xbox, called Tekki (formerly known as Brainbox).

Mechs and tanks two great vehicles that work great together.

The game's development is a collaboration between Capcom and an outside developer, led by producer Atsushi Inaba (Gyakuten Saiban, GBA) and director Hifumi Kawano (Human's Clocktower). "Our team is quite unique, with only about 20 people. We also got two of our good artists from Devil May Cry handling the art direction, and it is looking very cool," Inaba commented. Players take control of a type of mech called a vertical tank (VT), which features a variety of weapons such as plasma torches, a 270mm rifle, an MK21-6 twin-pod rocket launcher, and more. Each VT can carry up to six weapons (both primary and secondary), although players will have be careful when equipping their mech, due to limitations in ammo, fuel, and weight. You start out with the first-generation VT, called the Decider. As you progress through the game and rise through the ranks, you will be able to choose from better models. There will be a total of 18 VTs, including third-generation VTs. The battlefield is equivalent to 5 square kilometers, featuring a wide range of locations that include cities, military installments, and deep forests.

You'll be cast in the role of a soldier whose mission is to contain a coup d'état in an island. Your tasks will include destroying enemy VTs, battleships, and other types of missions. Your radio will be one of your most useful resources in the game. In addition to keeping track of your mission status via reports that come in over the course of your maneuvers, you can use it to give specific orders to your squad members or call for support during the mission. For example, you can call in a helicopter to have your fuel and ammo replenished. The challenge in doing so is to ensure that you find a spot where your mech and the helicopter won't be attacked long enough to have the supplies transferred.