There are some critics who claim that hardcore video games and genres such as action titles and shooters simply cannot be done well on current motion control technology, that the Kinect, Move and Wiimote devices are reserved for casual gaming only. But if one type of action-oriented "hardcore" type of video game could work well for for the motion controls currently available on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, it would definitely involve mechs.

Say hello to Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, a hardcore game in development exclusively for use with Kinect. Veteran gamers should remember the original Steel Battalion since it came out with its own super-expensive dual-joystick, 40-button controller which let you fully simulate what it was like to pilot a Vertical Tank (what the mechs are called in the franchise). The original Steel Batallion debuted on the first Xbox to rave reviews but only limited copies of it and its sequel Line of Contact were sold. Since then, fans of the mech genre dying for a more realistic and in-depth mech game have been waiting for Capcom to bring out another and that time is soon.

The Steel Battalion series takes place in a future where in the year 2020 all computer technology is destroyed by a virus, quickly leading to the world tearing itself up and what amounts to the third World War. Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor takes place in 2082, a year after the United States is invaded by a "hostile superpower" and on the day the "U.S Forces launch their fight back..."

The first Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor gameplay trailer premiered earlier today at Gamescom 2011 and while it's unfinished, it successfully pulls viewers into the gritty, harsh and terrifying reality that is war. Even though players pilot large bipedal tanks, the trailer successfully conveys the emotion of watching documentaries and films that depict The Battle of Normandy beach assault.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTrJlk_SD-s

Players of the first game will be used to utilizing a giant controller that offers tactile feedback so moving to this futuristic control scheme will be quite an adjustment. Developers From Software also may attempt to balance accessibility with casual Kinect audiences since the first game involved players running through a series of commands just to turn on their mech and controlling every detail from managing window wipers to appropriate steering the vehicle to avoid tumbling over.

We couldn't be more excited for a mech game that delivers some form of depth and realism that has been lost on consoles ever since the MechAssault Xbox titles took a dump on the complexity the MechWarrior PC franchise offered.

Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor will release June 19, 2012 exclusively on the Xbox 360.

-

Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes.