Steel Battalion: Line of Contact Critic Reviews

LoC puts each and every mech simulator ever made to shame. If you have ever fantasized what it really would be like to pilot a hulking mountain of metal and weaponry there is no doubt that Steel Battalion: Line of Contact is as close to that fantasy as anything can get.

The gameplay is truly unique when coupled with the uber-peripheral and the unique community of dedicated players. The one nice thing about Line of Contact is that the price of entry almost guarantees that there will be a strong community of gamers years down the road.

The movement feels realistic as you plod along in your heavy machine, building up speed and even fall over when you try to turn too quickly or encounter undulating ground. The physics are as realistic as you could possibly imagine and one wonders why no government has actually made one.

If you're blessed with a rip-roaring connection, Steel Battalion: Line of Contact is the most engaging experience you can have with Xbox Live.

Cost notwithstanding, Line of Contact further adds to the most unique gaming experience in the world today. It's beautiful, immersive, and just plain fun.

The franchise is now only a fraction away from realising its full potential.

Line of Contact does provide the online experience many players wanted. Even with the steep learning curve involved, the game is something everyone should experience.

The kids who take the short bus to school will learn to drive stick faster than you'll learn to gain even a rudimentary level of control over the Vertical Tank.

There's simply nothing out there that can offer anything remotely similar.

If you have the means, a good Internet connection, and salivate at the thought of a massive controller with 40 blinking buttons, Line of Contact is a must buy.

If you loved the original Steel Battalion, I can't recommend this purchase enough...But be forewarned that there aren't exactly a ton of people online and the quality of the experience suffers for it.

Geared exclusively for fans of the original who want to take the experience online, and they'll likely have some fun playing the game with other players like them.

If you can handle LOC's steep learning curve, you'll enjoy an experience unobtainable on any other platform - the game is that compelling.

When Line of Contact works, it's superb, but there are way too many problems at the moment that need correcting in order to justify its huge price tag.

You'll add valuable mech piloting skills to your résumé in punishing combat situations that are as close as you'll ever get to the real thing...were these machines not totally fictional.

I don't care what your friend tells you, trust me, that awkward, cumbersome, electronic behemoth may look impressive but it will be collecting dust in a few short weeks. It's like having to pilot the space shuttle to make a cup of coffee.

But it's all a big cockpit tease, because online play is busted.

Buggy and unfinished - a shameful, full-priced add-on pack tarnishing the original Battalion's golden legacy.

Capcom may well have delivered a game that can offer an online experience like nothing else currently available, but it's presented in such a haphazard fashion that many gamers will grow frustrated with the connection problems and simply go back to their other online titles.