Steel Battalion

"An experience like no other."

After booting up your Vertical Tank For a deadly task crossing into enemy grounds, closing the hatch, engaging all systems, and starting up the main power system, you storm the beachland with alies on both sides, Rushing through the water, you see a pack of enemies appear on your radar just above. You hit the pedal to dash towards the mainland as you hop into 5th gear. As you land on dry land and out of the water, you see your fellow squad approaching right behind you. Straight ahead lie the enemy, You grab the right stick and lock on to one, firing your primary weapon at it, eventually launching a missile to take it out. From behind it approach a pack of 12 more enemies rushing over the hills, You see your emergency lights flash in the cockpit, You know theirs a missile aimed right for you, You slam the Chaff button to send the enemy fire off-course, giving you a chance to get them unexpectedly, you switch to secondary firepower, dash up to one enemy giving it a quick jab of 1,000 volts to the chest knocking it down unconsciously, you aim at the next, firing everything you have.. You then realize your ammos running low. You grab the tuner dial and call in for backup, as well as more equipment.
As your team moves in, you head back to base, waiting for the supply chopper to land to drop off your ammo.
It finally arrives and you stock up, heading back to help your team out, while staying in contact with them the whole time through their frequency. You get there to find them all lying useless on the ground. From all corners come a pack of enemies surround you, they shoot to take you out, and you use everything you've got. They knock you down messing up your windshield, and leaving your cockpit in flames. You slam the Windshield button to clean off the debris, and then the Extinguisher button to clear all fire from the cockpit. You see your VT's life meter on its last bar of power as another enemy slams into you causing you to lose all power of the VT, leaving it in flames. Before it goes down, you crack open the Eject button, pushing it as fast as you can as you fly through the air leaving the Vertical Tank behind.

That is just one of the many many scenarios you face each time you play Steel Battalion. it is a game like no other. A Game that can go either way depending on each one of your reactions, you can conquer the enemy forces, or be dominated and sent to your doom.

Graphics
Graphically, the game is life like. The scenery looks like that of a real war.. Towns crumbling, missiles flying over your head, It may not be as shiny as say, DOAX, Halo, or Panzer Dragoon, But for what it tries to be, it resembles it perfectly.
10/10

Sound
Presented in 5.1 Surround sound, this game really makes GREAT use of it.
as you SEE missiles fly from your front left, to your rear right (Over your head), you hear it traveling from the front left speaker, eventually to all 5 speakers as it flies over your head, exiting out the rear right speaker, all while the subwoofer is shaking the house like crazy, its really amazing.

10/10

Fun Factor
Its not just a 'mech game' - I personally am not a fan of mech games, but this one does SOMETHING new.. It may be the fact that the game makes you feel like your in charge of a mech, and can feel the power, or the cool factor of the controller, to the idea of saving.
After every mission, the game saves your current position. Fail to eject from your Vertical Tank and your save is wiped clean sending you back to the beginning, same if you lose all your mechs in battle.

2-3 months later, and I still play it all the time, and its just as fun today as ever.

10/10

Value
$200.

thats what this game will cost you.
Thats a whole new console.
Thats 4 brand new games.

But I will say this, Its worth every cent.
I've enjoyed this game alone more than any game since I was a child. Do anything necessary to get this game, it will one day be an instant classic as it lies in a museum. if not for anything else, it will definately be an instant collectors item, as it already goes for $300+ on ebay at times, Think of this in 5 years. Buy it.

Overall
10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/21/03, Updated 02/21/03