A big surprise out of the Tokyo Game Show this was all the Kinect-enabled games for actual gamers and adults. Steel Battalion Heavy Armor, which I am most looking forward to, is a Mech-Warrior type game in which you control giant fearsome machines, called Vertical Tanks. Of course you get to take advantage of the controller-free environment when controlling these monstrosities, though very few details of the actual mechanics were announced.
“Set in 2082, Steel Battalion Heavy Armor depicts a world devoid of computers, where war is waged with rudimentary weapons as new superpowers struggle for dominance. In a twist of fate, the US army has been forced to begin major landing operations on what was once its own soil. In this low-tech era there is one weapon class that will determine the course of the war – the Vertical Tank. VTs are guaranteed to instill fear in enemy forces when they burst onto the battlefield; but they are nothing without the crews who man them. Lacking computer aided weapon and piloting systems, these brave men and women must now rely on skill, intuition and each other to ensure victory.” That was right out of the press release for the game.
Heavy Armor will be an Xbox 360 exclusive, and as it appears a Kinect exclusive as well, meaning there may not be a controller option. “With Kinect’s ability to track your joints and movements and understand where the player is in 3D space and the development expertise of From Software in partnership with Capcom’s own personnel, we are confident of delivering a truly immersive experience for Xbox 360 gamers.” Says Keiji Inafune, Capcom’s Head of R&D Management Group and Contents Management Division.
Check out the video for pure viewable ecstasy: