Made by Capcom in 2002, Steel Battalion was a creative project led by Atsushi Inaba. Mr. Inaba candidly admitted during an interview that Steel Battalion was an ambitious undertaking that focused on creating a quality peripheral that would provide players with a truly immersive experience and something he would not attempt to do again.
Steel Battalion was met with a lot of skepticism and resistance due to the sheer magnitude of the project. For example, online play was initially planned but eliminated due to costs.
Originally designed for the Sony Playstation 2 it was ultimately ported over to the Microsoft Xbox because of the system’s stronger processing abilities.
What makes this game so rare is the unique 3 foot wide, 40 button, dual joystick, three pedal controller, all packaged in a large box designed to look like an ammo crate. Simply put, this was the only game at the time with this type of peripheral and a price tag to match. It retailed for $199.
The first edition of this game was released in very limited quantities and is the most sought after among collectors. First edition controllers have green buttons on the control panel and are generally considered to be a better build.
The second edition had minor changes that clearly distinguish it from the initial release; the most notable difference being that the controller has blue buttons instead of green. The finish on the panels also differed and the style of the foot pedals were changed too.
The game offers an in-depth realistic mech experience. Players must power up and control their mech by utilizing the various switches on the control panel and are provided with a cockpit view. During gameplay, windshield wipers can be turned on to clear the screen of accumulated debris.
Turning a corner too fast can result in the mech falling over and pushing the mech too hard can cause overheating. Ultimately, if a player doesn’t eject from the cockpit in time and dies then all saved progress is lost and they will have to begin again.
For as ambitious and unique as it was, Steel Battalion received decent reviews and moderate sales. Despite this, it eventually faded into obscurity.
However, over a decade later, complete first editions such as the one pictured above can fetch well over the original $199 price point.
