Sequel to the cult classic Steel Battalion, the announcement of Heavy Armour was one met with considerable interest on the part of devoted fans. While many aspects had changed from the aesthetic to the design of the vertical tanks, the fact the franchise was being revitalised after eight years was something to truly be excited about. Then fans learned that, rather than using the expensive control scheme of the original, Heavy Armour was to use the Kinect sensor to interact with the tank's intensely complicated systems. Already infamous for its poor ability to read the movements of players and generally unreliable nature, the idea of using the controls within a tank's innards immediately put many off of the game. Rightfully so as it turned out as, despite advertisements doing everything short of announcing "No, it works this time, honest!" the Kinect single-handledly ruined the game - controls were atrocious and you were lucky to even find the right control let alone kill an enemy tank. The truly sad thing was that the Kinect was the only bad part of an otherwise fantastic experience. Unlike other items this list which merely presented themselves as fantastic titles through promotional campaigns or had great ideas they could not achieve, Heavy Armour succeeded in bringing many great ideas into the game. Your crew would individually react to damage, report on mission developments and had well-rounded personalities which often shone through even in the heat of battle. Every one of them could be killed at any point and they would be replaced by a new crewman with their own quirks. Some would load the main gun faster than others, some would break under pressure more easily and others could have a higher accuracy or better view of the battle. Yeah, that just with the crew alone. Unfortunately these fantastic concepts and elements meant nothing because few people could play the game beyond one or two levels before giving up out of frustration. The unresponsive nature of the Kinect meant players were just as likely to punch their crewmen in the face as find the weapon they needed. Ideas such as recoil from explosive shots throwing players away from the vision slit were fantastic, but because the Kinect could not register you reaching for it, again combat was made impossible. As a result, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armour was killed by the very hardware which was supposed to turn it into a unique experience. Did we fail to miss a potential great which failed to meet audience expectations? Please leave your own suggestions and thoughts in the comments below.
A gamer who has played everything from Daikatana to Dwarf Fortress. An obsessive film fanatic valuing everything from The Third Man to Flash Gordon. An addict to tabletop titles, comics and the classics of science fiction, whatever media they are a part of.
