This coming fall, Capcom will revolutionize the mech (read: big ass battlebot) sub-genre with Steel Battalion. What exactly makes Steel Battalion revolutionary to this sub-genre? It attempts to be a simulation instead of a mere action title. With an accessory that we’ve seen nothing like since Sega’s own Virtual On twin-stick controller, Steel Battalion’s two joystick, forty button, and three foot-pedal monster of a controller will give players the closest expirience to being inside of a mech that we’ve ever gotten. It won’t be coming cheap though; expect to pay anywhere between one-hundred and two-hundred clams for the package.

All those thingamajigs on the controller won’t go to waste though; The pedals will be used to boost, accellerate, and brake, and you’ll use the buttons and joysticks for standard things like switching weapons, as well as changing aspects of your HUD, aiming, shifting gears, changing directions, and it takes a few buttons just to get the thing started. Awe-inspiring indeed.

You’re mission in Steel Battalion is to help in an ongoing situation between rioters and the military dictatorship of a Pacific island. Doing so will take place in your VT (verticle tank) throughout 12 levels. You will unlock the standard extras; missions, maps, and dismantle your foes with plasma torches, a 270mm rifle, a MK21-6 twin pod rocket launcher, and even more weapons, according to Xbox.com. You will also be able to select from several models of VT’s; The Behemoth, Decider and the Falchion, so you won’t have to be stuck with the same big lunk of metal through the entire game, and the game takes place in a first-person perspective, so you’ll see plenty of indicators and flashy lights in your HUD.

Utilizing the Xbox’s power, Steel Battalion looks to be one of the best looking Xbox titles to date, and also looks to be a title that the casual gamer may want to avoid. Check out the screens below for screenshots, and pictures of the massive controller.