Back on the original Xbox, Capcom tried to simulate the enviable act of controlling a giant robot in combat by releasing Steel Battalion and sequel Steel Battalion: Line of Contact, both of which utilized a massive 40-button cockpit controller with two large joysticks and three foot pedals. While adored by the hardcore, it never became a mainstream hit due to both complexity and expense.

Nowadays, the publisher need not ship a hefty controller bundle to achieve similar goals, as a new entry -- Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor for Xbox 360 -- utilizes Kinect to let you twiddle knobs and launch attacks out of thin air. Heavy Armor is due out in North America on June 19, though fans can get an early taste of the action today via the newly-released free playable demo for Xbox Live Gold members. The demo weighs in at 1.01GB and can be grabbed now from the Xbox Live Marketplace.