Redfall

Arkane has cemented itself as one of the top names when it comes to creating highly dynamic sandboxes with the likes of Dishonored and Prey, and the studio is definitely one of the crown jewels of the Xbox Game Studios roster post the Zenimax acquisition. Fans were understandably excited about Arkane’s Xbox exclusive project Redfall, a co-op game that blends the developer’s signature ability-based gameplay into the core gameplay loop of looting and shooting that had the potential to be a smash hit.

But in actuality, Redfall is anything but. It’s a painfully generic looter shooter that’s subject to a bevy of gameplay and technical problems. Repetitive content, dull gameplay, and an uninteresting story are just some of Redfall’s issues that get compounded with a wide variety of technical issues to make for a consistently frustrating experience. It’s obviously a big shock for fans of Arkane’s works, and there’s no doubt the developer has heavily fumbled with this project.

The action takes place in 2082, an era altogether less reliant on computers and technology. Apart from, that is, the giant bipedal robot tank you’re put in charge of to see off rival superpowers threatening the world. You take the role of Lt Powers, in control of your very own vertical tank – or VT – and the myriad buttons and levers that reside within.

You’re in charge of a bipedal mech, the VT – or vertical tank

It’s a first controlwise; Steel Battalion requires both a standard pad and Microsoft’s Kinect, and uniquely allows you to spend the majority of your time seated rather than prancing about the room – an added bonus for those of us sick of working up a sweat with all those dancing and exercise titles.

Somehow though I figured there may be problems with the control method when I thumbed through the instruction manual and read that the gesture to flip a light switch on and off was almost identical to that of pushing the self destruct button. Kinect isn’t renowned for its accuracy afterall…

Make sure you hit the right switch – lights on, not self destruct!

That aside, the whole premise is insanely clever considering the original Steel Battalion on the Xbox required a purpose-built 40-plus button controller and cost the earth. On paper, at least, Kinect makes games like this possible for the masses and opens up a whole new genre to those who bought the sensor.

In reality, however, it’s a bit of a different story. The game opens with a decent-length tutorial that helpfully explains the basics. The control pad moves the lumbering mech, adjusts your camera angle and fires the guns, whereas the innards of the tank are manipulated using good old Kinect. It’s billed as a marriage made in heaven… and at first, it all seems to be an inspired idea.

First impressions were fairly positive. You really do feel like you’re in an enclosed space, surrounded by nothing but metal, buttons and your three crew members. Every step of the two-legged VT is felt thanks to the vibrations from the controller and – apart from those slightly dodgy sensitivity issues all of us Kinect owners are familiar with – it kind of does feel like you are physically pulling a lever or reaching for the periscope.

Most of the time, you’ll be staring out of this small window

After mastering the basics of movement, you’re given the lowdown on how to make the VT move faster, switch guns, turn to address your colleagues and extract harmful smoke from the cabin. Reaching both arms straight ahead lets you stare through a small window through which most of the action takes place. With that shutter closed, the only real alternative to see what’s going on is to use the periscope or pop your head out of the canopy and have a good look around – although in the heat of battle that isn’t really advisable.

Your vision therefore, is heavily restricted most of the time and, although it adds to the sense of confinement, it adds to the game’s trickiness. That’s especially true given the likelihood that soon as soon as you come under enemy gunfire, smoke will fill the driver’s compartment and cracks will appear on the visor limiting your vision further.

In the heat of battle, with missiles raining down on you and the VT being peppered with small arms fire, it’s clear that Kinect is often more of a hindrance than a help. Under pressure, while extracting smoke from the metallic beast and hearing the groans of your fallen comrades, it’s often a task in itself to gesticulate in the correct manner to operate the necessary lever to get the hell out of there, or to raise the aforementioned periscope to see what the hell is shooting at you!

Getting the controls to work how and when you need them can be tricky

Even when you do figure out what’s going on, hitting the target with your cannons is a trial in itself. In fact, it’s far more likely you’ll be encased in a smouldering mound of mangled metal long before you fathom how to shoot accurately.

Some missions are hard as nails and require countless restarts, relying as much on trial and error as skill and ability. Others are a walk in the park and pose few problems. With the slightly broken controls, however, the game is far harder than it should be.

Graphically, it’s okay. There’s nothing here that puts any real strain on the system and most of the time all you see is the world through a tiny rectangular window, or the inner workings of your VT and your profanity-spewing comrades.

Nevertheless, the overall concept is very impressive at first and you can’t help but get a buzz out of physically controlling a tank, feeling every rumble and gunshot. It’s just a shame that Kinect isn’t really up to the task – and this is noticeable even in the opening mission, a kind of Saving Private Ryan beach assault… with giant robots. No sooner have you set metallic foot on the beach, then you get riddled with bullets and have little idea of what’s going on or where to go. Reacting to the situation using hand movements to pull levers or glance at the map is often frustrating. It certainly adds to the tension… but for slightly the wrong reasons.

For all its flaws, the use of Kinect is clever and feels good when it works

Kinect haters will no doubt lap up the criticism aimed at Steel Battalion but Capcom  and From Software should earn some kudos for trying something new. It was an ambitious take on revitalising a cult game and using new motion control technology rather than relying on an unwieldy 40-button control pad.

The plot is interesting and the input method is innovative and unique…sadly, it just doesn’t quite live up to expectations. Nevertheless, I can’t help but feel this is a game Kinect owners should at least try. It highlight’s some of Kinect’s limitations but also some of its promise.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

If you pre-order Steel Battalion Heavy Armor from Best Buy, you can a Chrome Blitzer.

Steel Battalion Heavy Armor is due for the exclusively for the Kinect.

Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor takes place in 2082. The game opens with the United States military running an amphibious landing operation on an occupied New York using massive bipedal robots known as Vertical Tanks as the primary attack force.

Capcom has released two new videos for their upcoming shooter, Steel Batallion: Heavy Armor. The first video shows the co-op mode of the gameplay and shows plenty of gameplay footage. It looks pretty good and chaotic, which is basically what online shooters should play like.

Then there’s the second video, titled ‘Captivate’. This trailer also shows plenty of gameplay footage, but it’s also focused on showing the setting and the overall atmosphere of the game.

To be honest, it all looks pretty good, and I’m digging the visual style. But you might want to have a look for yourself. Check them out above.

Developed by From Software, developers of Dark Souls, Steel Batallion: Heavy Armor certainly shows a lot of promise. It’s releasing on the Xbox 360 in June.

Stay tuned for more info.

Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor takes place in 2082. The game opens with the United States running an amphibious landing operation in New York by using Vertical Tanks.

The game is being developed by From Software and published by Capcom. Steel Battalion Heavy Armor is an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 and will release this June.

Check out this new gameplay trailer from Capcom’s Steel Battalion Heavy Armor.

Steel Battalion Heavy Armor delivers an unprecedented level of control and interaction. Movement of the Vertical Tank (VT), aiming and firing of the main guns are undertaken using the Xbox 360 controller. A wide variety of other combat-crucial actions are done through Kinect for Xbox 360 with upper body gestures – from starting the engine to operating the scope or manning the turret-mounted machine gun. Kinect for Xbox 360 also provides a means of interacting with your fellow crew members, from ensuring a panicked crew member stays focused, to a high five for successfully completing a mission.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Steel Battalion for Kinect gets some new screenshots courtesy of Famitsu. It is possibly the first hybrid game for Kinect, so you can use your hands and the controller to drive the vehicle. We have posted the trailer, so you can check how the game will control.

It’s a good thing that Microsoft is concentrating on giving more core games to the Kinect, and games like these are extremely essential if they want to maintain the momentum.

Tell us what you think in the comments section.

Capcom today confirmed that Steel BattalionTM Heavy Armor is in development exclusively for the Xbox 360. Steel Battalion Heavy Armor will utilise Kinect, controller free games and entertainment only on Xbox 360, to deliver an immersive battlefield experience like no other.

Steel Battalion Heavy Armor was officially announced by Keiji Inafune, Capcom’s Head of R&D Management Group and Contents Management Division, earlier today to an audience of media from across the globe at Microsoft’s Tokyo Game Show Keynote Address. “The announcement of Steel Battalion Heavy Armor is further testament to Capcom’s commitment to produce innovative titles that take advantage of the latest technology”, commented Keiji Inafune. “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.”

“We are thrilled to once again work with our partners at Capcom and From Software to develop exclusive, innovative titles,” said Matt Barlow, General Manager, Interactive Entertainment Business Marketing for Microsoft. “It’s exciting to see publishers evolve renowned franchises like ‘Steel Battalion’ with Kinect to create gameplay that you can only experience on Xbox 360.”

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 instil 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.