XboxOverview
Steel Battalion: Line of Contact (known in Japan as Tekki Taisen) is a multiplayer-only sci-fi mecha combat simulation game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 (in conjunction with Nude Maker) and published by Capcom for the Xbox in Japan (on February 26, 2004), North America (on February 27, 2004), and Europe (on March 26, 2004).
The sequel to the 2002 game Steel Battalion (and requires the same oversized cockpit controller as the original), Line of Contact brings the mecha combat experience online via Xbox Live. While the game was sold with an optional controller bundle in Japan, it was only sold standalone outside of Japan.
The game has no single-player component, and instead focuses on a persistent online campaign (that resets every eight weeks) as players fight for land in the south-eastern Asian nation of Ocean City Island as either the invading Pacific Rim Forces (PRF) or the nationalist Hai Shi Dao (HSD). As the campaign progresses, players can choose to defer to either the Right Brothers (RB) or the Jaralaccs Mercenary Forces (JAR). Each faction has their own unique sets of Vertical Tanks, and players participate in a global economy (with both mass-produced and "limited" VTs). This mode was later discontinued on September 30, 2005.
In addition, the game includes three bonus "Free Mission" game modes: Conquest, Capture the Container, and the last-player-standing Battle Royale. Because they do not tie-in with the campaign, it is currently the only way players can play multiplayer.
