'Steel Battalion' puts gamers in the cockpit
By Josh Zelman
CNN Headline News
(CNN) -- Every week in "Big Video Game Hunting" on CNN Headline News, we take a look at the hottest titles hitting game consoles.
This week, however, we couldn't help but focus our attention on the hardware accompanying the newest version of "Steel Battalion."
Dan "Shoe" Hsu, editor in chief of Electronic Gaming Monthly and a regular on our segment, brought the game controller for "Steel Battalion" to our set and said he was blown away by its size. He presented the controller to us by saying "Look at this thing, there are some 40 buttons on this!"
The 3-foot controller features two joysticks, pedals, and according to Shoe, has "a radio turner to dial into different frequencies." Assuming you can master all that and more, you're in for quite a treat, because according to Shoe, "The game itself is incredible, and (the) controller is really what does it."
Shoe said "Steel Battalion's" gaming hardware is so realistic that if the opposition fires a rocket that splatters mud on your screen, there's a button you can press "to turn on your windshield wipers to wipe it away."
You'll pay about $200 for what Shoe called this "really complex, really intimidating piece of hardware."
However, if you're willing to shell out the cash and want to face enemy fire from the cockpit of your home, then fire up the Xbox and battle away. "Steel Battalion" is sold exclusively for Microsoft's gaming console and is rated "T" for teen audiences by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
