Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor WIll REALLY Make You Want A Kinect

As this very cool Gamescom 2011 interview with the game's producers (decked out in their Army gear) shows, FromSoftware is on track to wow Kinect owners (and skeptics alike) with their upcoming game. Between the retro visual style and influences (the Omaha Beach sequence from Saving Private Ryan springs to mind) plus the fact that yes, you're controlling a huge walking mech in real time (and without that massive 40 button controller the original SB had back on the Xbox), this one looks like a keeper. It also looks like Kinect is getting a few games hardcore gamers will really want to get their hands on (provided they also manage to wrap their heads around the whole no controller aspect*).

*Well, the game actually DOES require a 360 controller, but you'll still do the majority of playing without it.

Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor Kinect Trailer

No gameplay here - just a dramatic chunk of From Software packing in the guts 'n glory ('n mechs) by channeling a bit of Spielberg. Very cool, indeed. Nice touch at the end - just when you think you're about to see actual gamplay, the trailer is done and you're left hanging (and possibly wanting to run down to that game shop to slap down cash for a Kinect).

TGS 2010: Capcom & From Software's Steel Battalion Relaunch Gives Me The Kinect Jones

If it hasn't happened yet thanks to Demon's Souls and some of its other recent titles, From Software just might be a household name thanks to Capcom, Keiji Inafune and the return of a little game called Steel Battalion. The original was an Xbox exclusive produced in limited quantities and packed in a huge box with an amazing table-sized controller (complete with foot pedals, multiple switches and a working eject button). The game became an instant collector's item and has been for years, one of the most desired "niche" games on any platform. The sequel, Steel Battalion: Line of Contact was an online only expansion that (in my humble opinion) SHOULD have had an offline mode as not everyone who shelled out for the original game had an Xbox Live account. Nevertheless, both games were impressive hardcore mech simulations that required complete concentration and deft controller work in order to achieve success.