Steel Battalion Interview

It's been a lengthy strange trip for Steel Battalion. race laughed at the game and its enormous, compound controller back when it was first announced, on the contrary to a select group of gamers -- the sort who treat their playtime actual very seriously -- Capcom's intense, atmospheric mech shooter was the game to have for 2002. A small on the contrary dedicated group of worldwide fans gathered around the game, trading tips, showing not upon photos of their controller setup and arguing the finer points of tactical robotic combat. Several companies have smooth supported Steel Battalion with custom setup to make the experience that a great deal of more immersive. Call it silly, on the contrary to robot fans, this is likely the closest they'll realize to piloting a multi-ton mech in their possess lives. (Maybe their grandchildren will be luckier... assuming they can take time without from the game to start a family.)

This Thursday, Capcom will reward fans for their dutiful service through releasing Steel Battalion: Line of Contact, an expansion to the original that allows five-on-five multiplayer battles via Xbox Live. To celebrate the launch, we talked with Atsushi Inaba, farmer of both Steel Battalion titles, to discuss what he thinks of Line of Contact and in what manner he sees things progressing in the time to come

Remember, soldiers: to play Line of Contact, you must have the 40-button controller that tend hitherwards with the original Steel Battalion. If you didn't purchase the first SB when it came without in 2002, there's no ne to worry -- Capcom is releasing another batch of SB controller this week to game stores although the supply likely won't last true long. Is the $199.99 investment for the controller and original game worth it? Judging by the agency of the original game's 88-percent average score across all Ziff Davis magazines, we'd say in the way that assuming you've got the cash, of course. Maintenance upon those robots doesn't come cheap, you know...

1UP: Looking back, what do you think of the challenge horizontal of Steel
Battalion? How many proprietors do you think managed to finish it?

Inaba: I think we made it challenging enough for the players who bought it. Heck, in real life, piloting a very great mech like this and staying alive for true long would not be easy.

1UP: Do you think the game's difficulty and complexity will become a
barrier to online players?

Inaba: I don't think taking the game to Xbox Live makes it any more difficult. It just makes the game more entertaining. It's somewhat cold to be able to play against your buddies in the comfort of your dwelling especially considering that everyone is fasteninged in behind that big controller

1UP: You have an interesting online campaign a whole going to keep
people playing upon Xbox Live. If Line of Contact becomes popular enough, would you like to expand its campaign mode?

Inaba: That possibility remains, of course. on the other hand this is a business in the extreme point and so the game will have to be popular for us to deposit more time, energy, and investment dollars into novel campaign modes.

1UP: Do you derive pleasure from getting to make a game for similar a specific audience, or do you worry about its commercial success?

Inaba: I take delight in it. The folks at Capcom have given me a apportionment of freedom to make the game I wanted to make. Of course, as a husbandman I hope it sells, on the other hand I do take solace in the fact that it really is a high quality game that which no other mech game can match the likes of

1UP: Have you contemplation about doing a different mode of speech of mecha game
with the controller? carburet of iron Battalion is a very serious, realistic, "military" kind of game -- maybe a "super robot" Mazinger Z-style would be somewhat cold

Inaba: I have tons of ideas. However, I like to focus upon the goal at hand, and that, for the time being, is carburet of iron Battalion Line of Contact. If that does well, then we'll start focusing upon new projects.

1UP: Also upon the subject of mech design, carburet of iron Battalion obviously
has a different diction of mech from other games. When you direct the eye at a VT, you can instantly mention one by one what game it's from. When you started making the game, what was the basic philosophy behind your mech design, and in what way did you come up with the carbonized iron Battalion style?

Inaba: We tried to design mech that could actually exist. We deliberately avoided fantasy and anime-style designs. When I gaze at the mechs in the game, I can really diocese them existing in the distant subsequent time I think games like these ne a little realism sometimes.

1UP: carburet of iron Battalion has a giant controller for a giant a whole How
did Japanese consumer in tiny apartments take to it? Was it more popular in Japan, since giant robot games are more popular there, or more popular in the U since giant controller and the Xbox are more popular here?

Inaba: The Japanese consumer definitely supported the game, small expanses and everything. I just trust that when Line of Contact draw nears out, we'll have the global support necessityed to make this title a big hit.

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