Finally! As anyone with facial hair will tell you, it grows. Except in video games, where beards seem suspended in time. Not anymore.

Like many folks, I've got a complicated relationship with pre-game splash screens. On the one hand, I like that series of middleware introductions, publisher logos, and various other graphical preamble that flash across my screen, largely because of how I savor them the first time I'm playing a game that I'm excited…

As promised, the Medal of Honor video, directed by Linkin Park's Joe Hahn, featuring both live-action and gameplay sequences set to the band's new song "The Catalyst," went up today. Someone certainly grew an epic beard for this trailer.

For the past few days, the video game industry has waged a beard war in our inbox, grown men doing battle not with fists or firearms, but with braids, themes and names. Names for their beards.

Yesterday, I had the audacity to say that former Ubisoft man Patrice Désilets had the most beautiful beard in the video game industry. Other developers, however, disagree.

Here at Kotaku, we're big proponents of facial hair, even if some of our esteemed colleagues aren't with the program yet. Now science proves that a bushy moustache does indeed make males more attractive to females. Well, female fish at least.

Fallout 3 knows the rules: beards make video games better. Take these pics as example, showing that even some of the all-time greats - like Mario, Metal Gear and Zelda - can be made greater by handing out beards.

Early this morning Home Beta version 1.04 hit, bringing with it some much needed beards. But it took away voice chat.