Steel Battalion: Line of Contact

About

Steel Battalion: Line of Contact drops you into the cockpit of a massive bipedal tank called a VT. The 2004 Xbox sequel to Steel Battalion leans hard into its predecessor’s complex control scheme with two joysticks, three pedals, and 40 buttons. You’ll balance movement, weapon systems, and armor management in fast-paced multiplayer matches. The game focuses almost entirely on online combat, ditching the original’s single-player campaign. Matches pit players against each other in 4v4 firefights where positioning and coordination decide the outcome. The real standout here is the hardware. The official controller’s physical complexity turns every match into a coordination test. While the campaign mode shut down in 2005, the 16-player multiplayer lingers in niche circles for its punishing skill ceiling. Community archives note its intense learning curve keeps the player base small but dedicated. If the idea of dancing with 40 buttons and two joysticks sounds like your idea of fun, this one’s a cult classic.