<s>
is	O
a	O
2012	O
action	B-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
FromSoftware	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Capcom	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
both	O
Steel	B-Application
Battalion	I-Application
and	O
Steel	B-Application
Battalion	I-Application
:	I-Application
Line	I-Application
of	I-Application
Contact	I-Application
on	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steel	B-Application
Battalion	I-Application
:	I-Application
Heavy	I-Application
Armor	I-Application
requires	O
the	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
sensor	O
and	O
uses	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
a	O
Xbox	B-Device
360	I-Device
controller	I-Device
and	O
the	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
for	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
widely	O
panned	O
by	O
critics	O
,	O
mainly	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
's	O
inability	O
to	O
properly	O
read	O
player	O
movements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
takes	O
place	O
inside	O
a	O
tank-like	O
bipedal	O
robot	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
Vertical	B-Application
Tank	I-Application
(	O
VT	O
,	O
veet	O
,	O
or	O
Victor	O
Tango	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
and	O
their	O
crew	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
uses	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
software	O
,	O
which	O
coordinates	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
movements	O
to	O
their	O
actions	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
limited	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
software	O
combined	O
with	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
precise	O
movements	O
in-game	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
being	O
nearly	O
unplayable	O
for	O
some	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
erratic	O
and	O
unresponsive	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steel	B-Application
Battalion	I-Application
:	I-Application
Heavy	I-Application
Armor	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
2083	O
,	O
63	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
"	O
Datacide	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
catastrophic	O
event	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
supply	O
of	O
computer	O
technology	O
is	O
destroyed	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
silicon-eating	O
microbe	O
that	O
started	O
destroying	O
all	O
microprocessors	B-Architecture
in	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
military	O
technology	O
is	O
reduced	O
to	O
rudimentary	O
weapons	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Vertical	B-Application
Tank	I-Application
,	O
a	O
large	O
bipedal	O
robot	O
which	O
is	O
operated	O
by	O
a	O
four-man	O
crew	O
:	O
a	O
pilot	O
,	O
left	O
loader	O
who	O
doubles	O
as	O
an	O
engine	O
starter	O
,	O
a	O
radio	O
operator	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
right	O
loader	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
China	O
,	O
because	O
of	O
its	O
extensive	O
industrial	O
complex	O
,	O
becomes	O
the	O
new	O
world	O
superpower	B-Application
;	O
taking	O
over	O
the	O
United	O
Nations	O
and	O
soon	O
begins	O
to	O
dominate	O
the	O
world	O
,	O
both	O
economically	O
and	O
militarily	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
19	O
,	O
2081	O
,	O
China	O
,	O
supported	O
by	O
the	O
Chinese-led	O
UN	O
,	O
launched	O
a	O
savage	O
but	O
swift	O
blitzkrieg-style	O
invasion	O
against	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
reducing	O
the	O
country	O
from	O
fifty	O
to	O
eight	O
states	O
:	O
Tennessee	O
,	O
Mississippi	O
,	O
South	O
Carolina	O
,	O
North	O
Carolina	O
,	O
Georgia	O
,	O
Florida	O
,	O
Alabama	O
and	O
the	O
new	O
elevated	O
state	O
of	O
Puerto	O
Rico	O
(	O
with	O
San	O
Juan	O
as	O
the	O
new	O
capital	O
of	O
the	O
US	O
)	O
,	O
before	O
a	O
ceasefire	O
was	O
declared	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
17	O
,	O
2083	O
,	O
sixteen	O
months	O
after	O
the	O
China-UN	O
invasion	O
of	O
America	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
military	O
runs	O
an	O
amphibious	O
landing	O
operation	O
to	O
retake	O
the	O
now	O
occupied	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
using	O
Vertical	B-Application
Tanks	I-Application
as	O
the	O
primary	O
attack	O
force	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
vital	O
mission	O
to	O
retrieve	O
a	O
microfilm	O
from	O
an	O
American	O
spy	O
in	O
the	O
UN	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
revealed	O
that	O
the	O
UN	O
is	O
developing	O
the	O
new	O
generation	O
of	O
VT	O
called	O
the	O
Heavy	O
Vertical	B-Application
Tank	I-Application
(	O
HVT	O
)	O
in	O
Berlin	O
(	O
after	O
a	O
war	O
in	O
Europe	O
,	O
Germany	O
joined	O
the	O
UN	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
now	O
a	O
close	O
partner	O
with	O
China	O
)	O
,	O
whose	O
prototype	O
proved	O
highly	O
successful	O
in	O
destroying	O
Russian	O
forces	O
Siberia	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
this	O
victory	O
and	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
the	O
Russian	O
Army	O
is	O
launching	O
a	O
massive	O
offensive	O
against	O
the	O
Chinese-UN	O
forces	O
in	O
Europe	O
along	O
the	O
border	O
of	O
Warsaw	B-Application
,	O
Poland	O
,	O
the	O
UN	O
has	O
no	O
choice	O
but	O
to	O
withdraw	O
its	O
troops	O
from	O
Spain	O
and	O
lift	O
the	O
pressure	O
on	O
America	O
by	O
retreating	O
its	O
East	O
Coast-based	O
forces	O
to	O
face	O
the	O
Russians	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
on	O
,	O
a	O
radio	O
report	O
reveals	O
that	O
the	O
US	O
has	O
liberated	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
Continental	O
US	O
and	O
that	O
Russia	O
is	O
advancing	O
in	O
Siberia	B-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
UN	O
and	O
China	O
willing	O
to	O
compromise	O
with	O
both	O
countries	O
,	O
ensuring	O
that	O
the	O
war	O
is	O
now	O
finally	O
over	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
Steel	B-Application
Battalion	I-Application
required	O
players	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
a	O
$200	O
special	O
controller	O
,	O
Capcom	O
was	O
unwilling	O
to	O
make	O
such	O
a	O
requirement	O
for	O
a	O
360-game	O
and	O
for	O
a	O
while	O
it	O
looked	O
like	O
the	O
franchise	O
was	O
dead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
until	O
Microsoft	O
began	O
showing	O
an	O
early	O
version	O
of	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
(	O
then	O
named	O
Project	B-Algorithm
Natal	I-Algorithm
)	O
to	O
developers	O
and	O
publishers	O
at	O
which	O
point	O
producer	O
Tatsuya	O
Kitabayashi	O
realized	O
that	O
the	O
series	O
could	O
work	O
with	O
the	O
new	O
motion	O
based	O
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Describing	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
as	O
"	O
limited	O
by	O
the	O
controller	O
"	O
,	O
Kitabayashi	O
recognized	O
that	O
the	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
could	O
allow	O
much	O
more	O
movement	O
than	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
could	O
provide	O
Because	O
the	O
game	O
uses	O
both	O
the	O
controller	O
and	O
the	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
,	O
Capcom	O
had	O
to	O
seek	O
special	O
permission	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
as	O
their	O
certification	O
rules	O
normally	O
require	O
that	O
use	O
the	O
controller	O
or	O
the	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
,	O
but	O
not	O
both	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Capcom	O
chose	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
FromSoftware	O
from	O
their	O
work	O
on	O
Chromehounds	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Armored	B-Application
Core	I-Application
series	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
their	O
work	O
on	O
Dark	B-Application
Souls	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Capcom	O
and	O
FromSoftware	O
worked	O
to	O
make	O
sure	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
not	O
too	O
easy	O
,	O
although	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
Digital	O
Spy	O
,	O
producer	O
Kenji	O
Kataoka	O
noted	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
as	O
difficult	O
as	O
Dark	B-Application
Souls	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Motoi	O
Sakuraba	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
with	O
FromSoftware	O
on	O
Dark	B-Application
Souls	I-Application
,	O
wrote	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
main	O
theme	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steel	B-Application
Battalion	I-Application
:	I-Application
Heavy	I-Application
Armor	I-Application
was	O
widely	O
panned	O
by	O
critics	O
for	O
being	O
nearly	O
unplayable	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
inability	O
of	O
the	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
to	O
accurately	O
read	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
movements	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
story	O
,	O
graphics	O
,	O
concept	O
,	O
and	O
characters	O
received	O
some	O
praise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
received	O
"	O
generally	O
unfavorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	O
Spy	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
three	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
and	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
the	O
first	O
genuine	O
hardcore	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
game	O
,	O
something	O
that	O
makes	O
it	O
so	O
much	O
more	O
appealing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Digital	O
Fix	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
five	O
out	O
of	O
ten	O
and	O
said	O
:	O
"	O
With	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
included	O
,	O
Steel	B-Application
Battalion	I-Application
:	I-Application
Heavy	I-Application
Armor	I-Application
almost	O
matches	O
that	O
price	O
tag	O
but	O
lacks	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
niche	O
appeal	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Escapist	O
gave	O
it	O
one-and-a-half	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
:	O
"	O
While	O
the	O
concept	O
is	O
intriguing	O
,	O
the	O
motion	O
controls	O
of	O
Steel	B-Application
Battalion	I-Application
:	I-Application
Heavy	I-Application
Armor	I-Application
fail	O
at	O
making	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
's	O
any	O
fun	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
could	O
have	O
been	O
the	O
game	O
that	O
successfully	O
brought	O
on	O
the	O
marriage	O
of	O
an	O
actual	O
controller	O
with	O
full	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
integration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
with	O
barely	O
functional	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
controls	O
(	O
tested	O
out	O
in	O
various	O
locations	O
)	O
,	O
Steel	B-Application
Battalion	I-Application
:	I-Application
Heavy	I-Application
Armor	I-Application
ends	O
up	O
being	O
largely	O
disappointing	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
